Philanthropist Suzanne Rogers explains why she's giving back to Elliot Lake, Ont., with a $3M donation

Philanthropist Suzanne Rogers said it's important for her to give back to the community where she was born, after it was announced she and her husband, Edward Rogers, would donate $3 million to help renovate the Centennial Arena in Elliot Lake, Ont.

Although Rogers was only two years old when her family left Elliot Lake, she said the city of just over 11,000 people continues to hold a special place in her heart.

"I took my first breath there and my dad took his last," she told CBC News.

Rogers's father, Miklos Kolev, was born in Hungary but later emigrated to Canada when his family fled the country following the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

He eventually settled in Elliot Lake, where he worked underground in a nearby mine. 

Rogers said her father was only 24 when he was killed in an accident underground.

"I was about five months old when he died in the mines," she said.

Rogers said that although she doesn't have memories of her time in Elliot Lake, she continues to visit her father's grave every year, along with a memorial for miners who were killed on the job.

It was during a recent visit that she was made aware of the state of the local arena.

The city closed the 56-year-old Centennial Arena in September 2023 out of fears its wooden structure could collapse.

Since then, Elliot Lake won the Kraft Hockeyville contest, which came with $250,000 to repair the arena.

The city has also received around $1 million in donations to help with those efforts.

Rogers's husband is executive chair of Rogers Communications and the son of Ted Rogers, who was the company's president and CEO before his death.

Together, Suzanne and Edward run the Edward and Suzanne Rogers Foundation.

The city aims to reopen the arena in the new year. It will be renamed the Rogers Arena.