Saint John Rothesay MP Wayne Long announced a $300,000 contribution for an outdoor skating surface at Market Square. Image by Tamara Steele.

Skating at Loyalist Plaza will be a fun new feature for winter 2024.

An outdoor skating rink with seating is a part of the Fundy Quay project currently under construction on the waterfront.

Saint John-Rothesay MP Wayne Long announced a contribution of $300,000 through the Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF) for the City of Saint John.

Friday’s announcement outside Market Square was made by Long on behalf of Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and minister responsible for ACOA.

Long said Saint Johners want something like this.

“Every so often in past years, I’ll get a message or two, they are looking at the parking lots of a former rink kind of coincidently with rain and then ice. ‘Oh my gosh. An outdoor rink would be so cool uptown,'” Long said.

Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon said she is excited to see this component added to the uptown.

“It adds a completely different dynamic because it’s open so you can not only skate but, you can come down and watch it and see all that activity and energy there,” said Reardon.

The public portion of the Fundy Quay project is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2023.

Outdoor news events in October. pic.twitter.com/NbJuLqDQBc

— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) October 14, 2022