When the Soccer Association started building fields near the Alfred Jenkins Fieldhouse, Canadian Tire owner Malcom Jenkins wanted the city’s basketball lovers to have something, too.
To celebrate the opening of two basketball courts there, he had a three-on-three tournament on Saturday consisting of nine teams.
The first place team got a $500 Canadian Tire gift card, second place got a $250 gift card and third place got a $100 gift card.
“It’s making it into a health and wellness campus, and that was the idea when we built the Fieldhouse,” said Jenkins.
The courts costed $150,000.
“People keep shopping at (Canadian Tire). It’s our way of putting some of that back into the community. We’re recycling their money.”
While Jenkins does support healthcare, he prefers to fund recreational activities for kids to be healthy in the first place.
“It’s running around; it’s moving; it’s keeping the blood flowing; it’s pumping the heart,” he said, instead of hanging out at home and playing video games.
“To build something like this is a cost, but I think you’re saving a fortune over what it would cost if you didn’t have healthy kids at 16, 17, 18, and that’s when those kinds of problems kick in.”
He said it’s important to have recreational facilities in the West Flat, where otherwise, there wouldn’t be many other options.
The courts are open 24/7 and have lights on during the night.
The new West Flat skatepark also opened on Saturday, which will continue to serve as an outdoor rink in the winter.
