Red Sucker Lake First Nation seeks funding for half-finished hockey arena
'I’d love kids to be able to play year-round,' says Chief Sam Knott
The hockey arena in Red Sucker Lake First Nation has the potential to offer much-needed recreation in one of Manitoba's most remote communities — but it sits half-finished, without dressing rooms, bleachers or heat.
"The weather up here is very cold in the winters. We have kids, five-year-olds, six-year-olds, they love the sports, they like to skate," said Sam Knott, chief of Red Sucker Lake, a fly-in community of about 1,100 people that's roughly 700 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.
He said the average temperature in Red Sucker Lake between December and February is around –23 C.
"That's why we need these dressing rooms, to warm up … and to skate in a warm area."
Construction of the arena in the centre of the community began in 2018 with $5.3 million in funding from the federal government.
Knott said three different companies were originally contracted for the project, but their designs and costs went higher than the allotted funding, and work stalled in 2023.
"Big companies, they demand more money — that's where it kind of falls," he said.
Red Sucker Lake First Nation is accessible only by air, with an ice road connecting it to the Island Lake communities for part of the winter, so building and material costs are also high, because everything has to be flown in.
The community has kicked in about $800,000 of its own money in labour and materials to get the arena functioning during the winter. Last year, kids skated and played hockey there with an ATCO trailer outside serving as a dressing room.
Frazer Harper, a 13-year-old who lives in Red Sucker Lake First Nation, said he plays hockey every day, even when it's –40. In winter, he and his teammates travel by ice road to Garden Hill First Nation to play teams there.
He said his favourite part of the sport is skating and he would love to be able to do it year-round.
Knott is seeking an additional $7 million from Ottawa to add bleachers, a dressing room, insulation and a slab for the ice. The community submitted an application for funding last year but is still awaiting a response, he said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada wrote that the department provided another $465,000 for upgrades set to begin in 2025 once the concrete slab is poured.
"Materials are there but we don't have the funding," said Knott, referring to the concrete slab.
The federal spokesperson acknowledged the department is reviewing an updated proposal it received from the First Nation in 2024 for insulating the arena, installing artificial ice, heating and bleachers, and the addition of washrooms and change rooms, at a cost of about $7 million.
The spokesperson added the department will continue to work with the community to explore potential funding opportunities for arena expansion and upgrades.
State of emergency
Red Sucker Lake First Nation remains in a state of emergency following a youth suicide crisis declared in 2022, after a 16-year-old took his own life and 17 others made attempts.
The teen's death had a profound effect on the youth in the community, said Knott. The playground where the boy died in front of the community's school was taken down and moved.
"What the leadership is trying to do is try to prevent the sad happenings that happens in the community, that's what they're trying to prevent. Having an arena where young people can go and play," said Red Sucker Lake elder and former councillor Derek Harper.
"It's too sad to see the young people end up their life like that."
The principal of the Red Sucker Lake school agreed recreation is the top priority when it comes to students' mental health.
We don't have a lot to give or to offer," said Wesley Harper, adding kids and families are still healing from the tragic death of the teenage boy.
"We do have a gym, but that's limited to what the kids are willing to do."
Construction will wrap up in 2025 on a new school for grades 7 to 10 that will help relieve pressure on the existing school and will add a playground, outdoor rink, and baseball and soccer fields.
Knott said a finished arena will make a big difference, but there's still an overall lack of sports, structure and socialization in the community. He hopes the federal government sees the unique needs of Red Sucker Lake and tops up the arena funding to get the facility functioning year-round.
"This is very important, important for our community to have our young people to get active in our community."
