Dryden Mayor Greg Wilson is dreaming big.
Wilson says he plans to lobby the federal government for funding to build a new Arena.
He hopes to align area First Nations and pitch the community as a sports hub for northwestern Ontario.
Wilson says the idea started with Dryden hosting the Dudley Hewitt Cup and the upgrades that are needed to host the national hockey tournament.
He says that advanced from a conversation with Sandy Lake First Nation about possibly hosting a major broomball tournament next year, with talk of an invite to the Prime Minister.
Wilson stresses the more we work together, the better it is for everyone involved.
Estimates have upgrades to the current facility at $11-$13 million to bring it up to speed.
A new Arena would cost roughly $30 to $40-million.
Wilson says he hopes to meet with the government, infrastructure officials and Justin Trudeau to pitch the idea of funding a new arena.
He notes he won’t sacrifice road and other key infrastructure upgrades in Dryden as part of his “go big or go home” approach.
Wilson has received the support of everyone on Council.
