How things are shaping up for one of the oldest and coldest arenas in Manitoba

The Foxwarren District Recreation Centre is pictured in a January 2026 photo (submitted)

A Manitoba community’s arena that was damaged during a 2024 storm is making progress towards reopening.

The Foxwarren District Recreation Centre, located roughly 300 kilometres west of Winnipeg, had part of its roof blown off during an August 2024 storm, forcing it to close.

Mark Wotton, a volunteer with the arena, said the roof has since been fixed, and work to reopen the arena remains well underway.

“Right now, things are kind of at a standstill with the weather, but we expect to get ice back in there for next fall,” he said during a recent interview with CTV News.

The arena, which was built in 1949, has received interior repairs in the year since it closed to ensure it’s up to date with current fire codes, Wotton said.

The community recently received $100,000 towards repairs from the provincial government in December, which Watton said was a big boost.

“It’s something we very much appreciated,” he said.

Watton said the arena was the “heartbeat” of the town, and losing it has had an impact.

“There’s more travel involved for hockey,” he said. “We have weddings and funerals that are held out of there, so they’ve had to move elsewhere and there hasn’t been a lot going on in town without it.

“It’s a nice place for everyone to get together and rally around, so it would be nice to have it back up and running.”

-With files from CTV’s Will Reimer