Little Pine First Nation has a new venue to encourage physical fitness on the reserve.
They cut the ribbon to open a brand new Little Pine Fitness Facility, located right next to the gas bar, Wednesday.
The day featured festivities including a lunch, songs and drumming by the Chief Little Pine School singers, and remarks from leaders, including Chief Wayne Semaganis.
Little Pine residents see the new fitness centre as a positive thing for the First Nation. They believe it will help people to look after their own health and fitness through more physical activity, and that will lead to less disease.
"We're taking a step forward towards making ourselves healthy," said band councillor Serinda Baptiste. She says the facility will go a long way towards helping residents on the First Nation reduce strokes, heart disease and diabetes.
"It's a big day for our community, health wise," said Baptiste.
Baptiste pushed hard for the facility, which has been in the works since last year. She said there was a real need in the community for something that could promote healthier lifestyles.
She started looking for grants to help get the facility off the ground and Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs came through as a major sponsor.
The facility cost $26,000 for equipment and $14,000 for maintenance to the existing building occupied by the gym. The building needed considerable repairs and upgrades to get it into good shape.
The equipment in the new facility consists of a Bowflex, three ellipticas, three treadmills and two bicycle machines. The hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., with some times booked specifically for seniors and youths. Baptiste says it will be open seven days a week, as they want to encourage people to exercise every day.
Semaganis acknowledged that addressing the issue of First Nations health was an important step.
"Everywhere you look in the newspaper, you read stories of how the overall health for all ages in any First Nations community is way down," said Semaganis. "Any time that we can take any steps, any effort, to improve the health opportunities and ability to improve a person's health, we should take those steps."
Semaganis says the fitness facility will be good for youth, elders and all aspects of the community. He noted many youth are already involved in physical fitness activities in team sports and other activities, so this facility provides one more opportunity.
The opening of the new fitness centre is not the only positive thing happening on the reserve. Little Pine has also acquired new equipment to maintain the roads, including graders and a backhoe loader. Those cost around $420,000 and were funded, according to chief Semaganis, from allocation of oil and gas royalties.
They plan to use the road equipment this spring to upgrade roads and for infrastructure work n the community. As well, they hope to have a new band office finished and open in 2012.
