Construction underway at Brookvale ski park for 2023 Winter Games

Preparations are underway at the Mark Arendz Provincial Ski Park in Brookvale, P.E.I.,for the 2023 Canada Games.

Ski park staff say the countdown is on, with fewer than 500 days remaining to the big event.

"We're getting ready for the games and it does take quite a while to prepare trails and runs and snow-making ahead of the games in 2023," said Erin Curley, assistant superintendent of the park.

"We're just getting everything off the ground this year, to start getting everything ready for that winter."

About 900 athletes will compete at the Brookvaleski park during the games. The work now underway is the biggest renovation at the ski park in decades.

An addition is going on the ski lodge.One of the main downhill ski runs is being widened. They're also building a completely new hill at the far end of the site, withberms, banksand curvesto accommodate snowboardevents.

They'vemade the cross-country trails wider so all cross-country events can be held there.Also, new targetequipment from Finland was installed this week at the biathlon facility.

Some downhill events will take place at Brookvale, while the majority will be at Crabbe Mountain in New Brunswick.

Upgrades across the Island

Organizers say Brookvale will be a hub for winter games activity and it will leave a lasting legacy for years to come, for athletes and the general public.

Cost of the work at Brookvale is $6.2 million.

Province wide,$45 million will be spent on upgradingsports facilities ahead of thegames, said Brian McFeely, co-chair of the 2023 Winter Games Host Society.

"Our mandate is that the benefits of the games be spread across the province ... we're also going to see a new arena in Rustico," he said.

"We're going to see upgrades to some facilities in the Charlottetown area, a new dome to serve the western part of the province in Summerside and various improvements throughout the province."

Ski hill staff say the hills, trails and buildings will be ready for use this winter.

Some additional work may continue in the off-season next year.