Steinbach | Southeast Event Centre
 

Southeast Event Centre
Location: 321 Elmdale St, Steinbach, MB
Developer: City of Steinbach
Architects: Verne Reimer Architecture Inc.
Contractor: TBD
Status: Concept/Design Phase
Media: At long last, funding announced for new event centre in Steinbach

https://i.imgur.com/zLTWYMZ.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/hw2YxOq.jpeg

Existing Site Aerial View (facing west)
https://i.ibb.co/BwXjXz1/default.jpg

Existing Site Aerial View (facing east)
https://i.ibb.co/KWzH2sV/default.jpg

Yep, more parking lots is exactly what that area needs. Pave over the houses and park space.

Can't have people walking half a block from all the other parking lots in the area.

I'm actually happy this is moving forward. Most of the houses getting removed are 0 loss. But there was a community garden area around there which looks like it will be gone if it isn't already. That's disappointing.

You should see the complaints on Facebook, 99% of them are complaining that there's not enough parking and it should be built on the outskirts of town... really an old way of thinking.

I am so glad they are putting it downtown.

Oh and the City is only borrowing $7.5 million over 5 years to make it happen, as the rest is funded by money already saved up, private donations and federal/provincial gov't.

Article from Steinbachonline.com: Steinbach provides virtual tour of Southeast Event Centre


Picture from article:
https://i.imgur.com/Ib5T306.jpeg

Screen grab from video:
https://i.imgur.com/sZHNfpI.png

Question came up in the video about whether this facility would be capable of hosting a WHL team. Penner said, "Yes, it could"...and added that he has been to some WHL arenas that were not as good as this proposal.

2,400 seats would make it the second smallest WHL arena after the Wayne Fleming Arena, which is a temporary venue. It would be slightly smaller than the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert which is getting replaced by a larger building, and the Credit Union iPlex in Swift Current.

I don't know that it would be a great situation for a prospective team owner and how likely it would even be, but I suppose it is possible that a WHL team could play in there.

WOW, populous involved in this project

I think it will be a great arena, however they should have made it at least 3400-4000 seats.

Supposedly there is room for future expansion but with it backing right up to Hanover Street, i struggle to see how they will fit any expansion

Yea I think they should seriously consider expanding the seating capacity to make a WHL team viable. The Keystone in Brandon holds 5,000 people and Brandon has about 50,000 people. Steinbach and the Hanover region should be at about 40,000 people and with Niverville and Saint Adolph also nearby they should be able to generate the same support.

Btw is Steinbach still booming? I haven’t been up to date with their economic development but I remembered it’s been one of the fastest growing regions in Canada this past decade. Just wondering if that’s still the case?

Even just 1,000 more seats would probably elevate it to legitimate permanent WHL arena standards but that would cost a ton of money for seats that would almost never be used if Steinbach failed to land a WHL team. I'm not sure the residents of Steinbach would want to throw down that kind of money to take a chance on a bit of a long shot bet.

There are bigger places in WHL territory that would conceivably stand a better chance than Steinbach of landing a team. Places like Fort McMurray, Lloydminster, Grande Prairie, Nanaimo, Chilliwack, Vernon, Vancouver, WA, Yakima, Pasco, Eugene, etc. Not saying they couldn't do it, but competition would be pretty stiff for Steinbach.

Steinbach's economy has traditionally been focused around agriculture; however, as the regional economic hub of southeastern Manitoba, Steinbach now has a trading area population of about 50,000 people and significant employment in the financial services industry, automobile sales, tourism, retail, and manufacturing.[4] Steinbach is the third fastest-growing census agglomeration in Canada. Out of the top eight fastest-growing agglomerations, Steinbach is the only one located outside Alberta.[5][6][7] The city had a population growth of 17% between 2011 and 2016. The city has gained national recognition as an immigration destination of Canada and a model for immigrant integration in the country.[8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steinbach%2C_Manitoba

Yes, I was thinking about that. I thought he said it would seat 3,000 if you include standing room...still not enough though realistically. I don't know if they would leave the possibility of extra space for another 3 rows of seats (to bring it to that sweet spot of 4,000 and a ceiling height that would allow for suites along the length of the arena. Suites are a must for a modern CHL arena nowadays and I didn't see any mention of them in the presentation, just a club area.

Agreed with all comments above, but playing in a guaranteed sellout 3000 and creating demand (charge $) might be a better business model than a 4500 area with empty seats. Spectator sports is in the decline overall, need other sources of revenue.

Yeah, that's a fair comment. I only started following the WHL closely when the Winnipeg ICE came to town so I don't know what it was like historically. But at games this season I've seen a lot of half-full or less rinks in places like Moose Jaw, Regina, Medicine Hat, etc.

It's nice that Moose Jaw has a nice, somewhat new 4,500 seat rink but what's the point when only 2,000 come out to a typical game. They have extra capacity for playoff games but that's a heavy financial burden to carry if the seats aren't being used during most of the hockey season.

Maybe the Ice can play there, if plans fall through to build the new arena in the Oak Bluff area.

Technically, Winkler-Morden is growing faster than Steinbach, and has slightly more people.

I agree all those destinations are much larger than Steinbach, the WHL is only interested in adding 2 new teams (one in the USA and one most likely in BC), to balance the divisions out.

Fort McMurray is too far north, and travel would be an issue. Lloydminster would only get a team in a franchise east of BC moved. I can see a team working in Grande Prairie (70,000), considering it is close to the BC border and would make a good rivalry with Prince George.

Chilliwack was given a team, but it failed and moved a decade ago. Vernon is too close to Kelowna. Vancouver, WA is too close to Portland, and a longshot. I can see Eugene or Salem working, as they are fairly close to Portland. The Pasco area already has a team (Tri-Cities Americans). Nanaimo may be a good bet, as the population in the city is 90,000, although I am unsure if they have a big enough arena.

Yeah, I'm not saying all of those places are sure-fire bets, just that there would be pretty stiff competition for a WHL team if the league decided to expand.

Steinbach's best hope for a WHL team is to have the Winnipeg ICE reach an impasse in Winnipeg where they can't get a new arena off the ground but can no longer make it work at the U of M. So in that case they do the Vancouver Giants/Toronto Rock thing where they decamp their home market for a smaller, more affordable one nearby. I don't think there's a chance that they would get a franchise in addition to a team in Winnipeg (a la Moose Jaw/Regina 45 minutes apart). Steinbach just isn't big enough yet.

Swift Current 16604 (2016)

Steinbach 15829 guessing 20K with the 2021 census

Ten years from now...

1) The ICE will be playing their 7th season at their new arena on the urban reserve on Kenaston.

2) Steinbach - and its surrounding municipalities - with a population of 60,000 will have a relocated Swift Current team playing in their new arena.

3)Winkler-Morden - and its surrounding municipalities - with a population of 70,000 will have a WHL expansion franchise playing in their new 4500 seat arena.

Add in Brandon, and the Manitoba will make for a nice 4-game road trip for the teams out west. Just you wait and see...;)