When the Steinbach Pistons hit the ice on Friday night, the hockey team ushered in a new era for the southeast Manitoba city.
The Pistons’ MJHL game against the Selkirk Steelers marked the unofficial grand opening of the Southeast Event Centre (SEC) in front of a sell-out crowd.
“It was so exciting,” Michelle Sawatzky-Koop, SEC’s communications and marketing director, told CTV News. “There’s been so much work going into this, and so much anticipation for those front doors of the Southeast Event Centre to open.”
The Southeast Event Centre, a couple blocks off Main Street in the city’s downtown, is shaping up to be a one-stop shop for sports, entertainment, and community functions.
Construction on the $75 million multi-use facility started in 2023, but planning and fundraising have been years in the making.
“It’s like when you see a present under the Christmas tree for like, even just for a few days, you can’t wait to see what’s inside,” Sawatzky-Koop said. “That’s what the building’s been like. It’s been in the middle of our city, and people have just been waiting to get inside, and so everyone was thrilled to enter the doors and get to see at least a part of it.”
The 2,400-person capacity hockey rink is the first part of the building open to the public and Sawatzky-Koop expects other areas to open in the coming weeks.
“We are fully anticipating by late spring that we will be using this facility to the fullest of its capabilities,” she said.
The hockey rink and seating can be converted into a 4,000-person venue that Sawatzky-Koop said is ideal for concerts, curling tournaments, trade shows, banquets, and graduations.
“The list is almost endless and it’s what we’ve needed for so long.”
The SEC also features a full-sized gymnasium with a walking track, conference rooms, an atrium, and a restaurant with an outdoor patio.
Sawatzky expects the Centre will boost employment, tourism, and community engagement in the city of nearly 20,000 people.
“I think the full impact is yet unknown, but it’s huge.” she explained. “I think it’s a source of pride as well, and a source of growth. We will bring people from outside of our borders into our city.”
The City of Steinbach contributed around $32 million to the project with an additional $17.5 million coming from the provincial and federal governments. The remaining $25.5 million was raised by the non-profit Southeast Events Group through public and private fundraising.
“I don’t know if that much money has been raised in our region for a project, and we’re just incredibly grateful for this community,” Sawatzky-Koop said.
She said the $75 million price tag was worth every penny.
“This is a long time coming for Steinbach and for southeastern Manitoba,” she explained. “We have long needed a centre of some kind to bring people together and to grow our community.”
Sawatzky-Koop said an official grand opening is planned for late summer.
