The newly finished North Delta track and field facility was celebrated with bagpipes, cake, hotdogs and some friendly games of pickleball during the grand opening event at North Delta Secondary on Saturday (Aug. 14).
Among many dignitaries from City of Delta staff, council and the school district who attended, Mayor George Harvie, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Delta MP Carla Qualtrough and the Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation North Delta MLA Ravi Kahlon gathered to express how thankful and proud they were that the project had been completed.
“This new community recreation amenity is a real testament to what can be achieved when we work together. We look forward to making future investments in projects that continue to promote active lifestyles in people of all ages and abilities throughout Delta,” said Harvie.
The new track, which has been in the making since 2018, was funded collaboratively by the Delta School District, the City of Delta, and the provincial and federal governments.
“[I feel] super proud that we have this amazing facility in Delta and proud that we are able to form a partnership amongst all the levels of government to make this happen for our community. Families for generations will gather here, athletes will start their athletic careers here, and seniors can walk safely here,” said Qualtrough in a post-event interview with the Optimist.
The bright blue track’s grand opening started with a bagpipe procession which brought the long line of local government members, sports teams and residents over to the stage and lawn area for speeches.
“I think it’s something that we should all be proud of here in Delta – no matter what level of government – it doesn’t matter what your political beliefs are, we’ve all come together here to make our community a better place,” added Kahlon.
Also in attendance was Ladner’s Maxwell Latimer, who just returned from Tokyo representing Team Canada in rowing.
He emphasized how important it is to have facilities available to young athletes of the Delta community, and said he expects to see some of the youth athletes that were in the crowd at the Olympics in the future.
The event finished off with unveiling the track’s new plaques, hotdogs and cake, and some friendly games of pickleball on the new courts.
