The Final venue for the 2019 Canada Winter Games is now open.

It’s been in construction for two years, it’s got 1.6 million dollars in improvements, and it’s the Canyon Ski Resort. The grand opening yesterday was also the 90 day mark to the beginning of the games.

The improvements made on the Capital project were all in best interest to helping athletes train and compete before and during the games.

Lyn Radford who is chair of the games was there to speak and couldn’t hide her excitement, she was also very proud of how the construction helped out economically.

“In 2015 our economy fell, and we needed to have some sort of aspect that gave us a little bit of hope and the games did that, with all the construction pieces that have happened, Canyon, Gary W. Harris, the exchange, the interchange, the south side, we allowed the construction industry to continue thriving in our community, and that was crucial.”

On the Canyon Ski Resort, projects included adding moguls to terrain, widening runs, enhancing snow making equipment, and completed building upgrades.

Radford says she was especially excited for the addition of the lift elevator, which will make it more accessible for riders to train or just enjoy the skiing experience.

Choosing what to put money into when given this opportunity could be tough, but she says that investing into facilities isn’t just for the games but for the impact it could have onto young generations.

“The excitement that youth generate watching some of the hero’s that come here and participate and we really believe that if you invest into the facilities you encourage the youth to get involved again and we think that is what’s going to happen with the new improved piece here in Canyon.”

Red Deer will be welcoming 3,600 athletes and approximately 20 thousand visitors to be a part of the games that begin on February 15.