В Ферни заложен фундамент нового спортивного комплекса EVR Summit Centre

City breaks ground on EVR Summit Centre Published 4:12 pm Wednesday, September 2, 2026 The Elk Valley Field House officially broke ground on the EVR Summit Centre on Monday, Aug. 31, adjacent to the Aquatic Centre. The project has been several years in the making, with Elk Valley Resources donating $1 million towards the new Field House in 2025. The Columbia Basin Trust donated $500,000, Tourism Fernie contributed $40,000 and the Fernie Volleyball Club and Fernie Youth Soccer each added $10,000 to bring a much-needed recreation facility in Fernie since the closing of the community centre in 2024. “I’d like to extend our congratulations and gratitude to the Elk Valley Field House Society, the City of Fernie, community leaders, project supporters and the many volunteers whose vision and dedication have brought us to this groundbreaking moment,” said Jill Salus, director of Community and Indigenous Relations for Elk Valley Resources. “Today is much more than about the start of construction. It’s about creating a space for generations of Elk Valley residents – a place where families can gather, where children can learn and play, where athletes can compete and train, and where communities can come together to celebrate, connect and support one another,” Silas said to the several dozen in attendance for the groundbreaking. The new Field House will support multiple sports including basketball, tennis, pickleball, floor hockey and volleyball. It will allow Fernie to host competitive sporting tournaments. A new facility will be also a hub for community events. It will host social gatherings, craft fairs, concerts and private events. The City has a 60-year lease that allows the Elk Valley Field House Society to operate the land. The Society is responsible for operation and maintenance of the building. Fernie Mayor Nic Milligan spoke about the importance of adding a new facility for a growing community, following a song from Ktunaxa Nation to mark the groundbreaking. “It is difficult for me to overstate the gratitude on behalf of the City of Fernie, for everyone who has participated in this project,” said Milligan to the several dozen in attendance. “As many of you can recall, closing the community centre was a very difficult decision. And it is one that has followed council through this term and has had an impact on our community.” “I want to say how very grateful I am to the Field House Society for all the work that they have done on this project. Stepping up early, you took the project from idea to reality with unbelievable determination and optimism, and we are so grateful for that. On behalf of the City of Fernie, the staff, the council, and all our citizens – thank you to everyone who contributed. This collective effort truly illustrates what community is about. It’s all of us pulling together to make our quality of life better,” said Milligan. Construction of the new field house is expected to be completed in early 2027.