Ontario to invest over $287,000 in Hamilton athletic centre

Ontario is set to invest over $287,000 to upgrade Empowerment Squared’s Babb Ubuntu Athletic Centre in Hamilton.

The Babb Ubuntu Athletic Centre is a multipurpose community recreation facility in Hamilton that is expected to receive funding to upgrade their facilities.

The investment to this facility is the first project in a $200 million Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund (CSRIF) – which is a provincewide initiative to help communities revamp local facilities, create jobs and promote healthy living across the province.

The Hamilton athletic centre will be getting an expansion to its maximum capacity with a new second exit with automatic accessible doors, a fire-rated corridor and expanded restrooms.

The government says the centre will be able to accommodate five times more community members annually – a jump from 1,000 to more than 5,000 people.

Chief Empowerment Officer at Empowerment Squared Leo Nupolu Johnson says this funding will allow the facility to accommodate and support in a way they haven’t been able to in the past.

Johnson added that many people who have been turned away in the past are now able to receive services from Empowerment Squared.

“Because of the current situation we can only take 60 to 100 people here … Due to this funding, we will be able to take up to 300 at a time while also tripling the hours of availability that people can access the space, including accessibility features,” said Johnson.

More information about Empowerment Squared can be found on their website.

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