Canada Life Centre

True North is proud to partner with Canada Life in a new strategic relationship that saw the home arena of the Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose renamed to Canada Life Centre on July 1. The arena renaming represents a more public showing of the long-standing partnership between two organizations deeply committed to the Winnipeg community. Both have sought to be consistent sources of pride within the community and have storied histories and deep roots in the province. By teaming up for a 10-year partnership, both organizations seek to create even more positive change that will impact Winnipeggers and Manitobans. As one of the modern facilities in Winnipeg's growing sports, hospitality and entertainment district (SHED), Canada Life Centre is a 15,000-plus-seat multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena. Canada Life Centre boasts excellent sightlines from every seat, superb acoustics for concerts, and the best ambience and amenities for all kinds of sports such as NBA exhibition games, professional bull riding, Monster Jam, professional wrestling, and professional indoor soccer exhibitions, all which have played to audiences at Canada Life Centre. Winnipeg’s busiest entertainment venue can accommodate up to 17,000 concert-goers and can just as easily be curtained down to create an intimate concert setting for audiences as small as 2,500. During the 2020-21 season, Canada Life Centre achieved Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR accreditation. This represents a significant milestone for the venue amid the pandemic, as it signifies that the most stringent cleaning, disinfecting and infectious disease prevention protocols are in place to prevent and manage biorisk situations. GBAC STAR accreditation is the gold standard of measuring venues’ readiness to prevent and manage outbreaks and pandemics through best practice preparation and recovery protocols, and recognizes compliance with GBAC STAR’s 20 core elements that include operating procedures, risk assessment strategies, response measures and more.   CanadaLifeCentre.ca Instagram & Facebook @canadalifecentre Twitter @CanadaLifeCtr  

Canada Life Centre Upgrades

True North Sports + Entertainment strives to offer a superior guest experience at Canada Life Centre, constantly investing in renovations and upgrades. This year, Canada Life Centre added an on-ice projection display system that will revolutionize the fan experience and Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose hockey games. The projection system, consisting of eight laser projectors, and will provide hockey fans with a state-of-the-art, high resolution, and high brightness on-ice experience during games.

Restaurants and Lounges

Canada Life Centre provides many exciting food and beverage options to choose from such as Freshii, Gourmet Burger, Carvery & Melts, Aviator’s Grill, and much more. Guests can enjoy a variety of beverage selections at the contemporary bar locations on the main south concourse and upper west and north concourses. Located on the northeast corner of event level of Canada Life Centre, the Exchange Restaurant is a full-service and fully licensed restaurant, perfect for meeting a few friends prior to games and select events.

Budweiser King Club

The Budweiser King Club is a premium seating club lounge located at the north end of the lower bowl and including sections 124 to 127 and 223 to 228. The Budweiser King Club features exclusive "at your seat" bar and restaurant service and restrooms reserved just for those seated in the club section.

hockey for all centre

hockey for all centre is a 200,000-square-foot facility that serves as the official practice facility of the Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose. It is also the home of the True North Youth Foundation’s (TNYF) Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy, which provides hockey programming to kids who otherwise couldn’t afford to play. Consisting of four NHL regulation size rinks and the Ice Lab, a dedicated goalie training centre, hockey for all centre provides between 11,000 and 13,000 hours of ice time annually to minor hockey associations, adult recreation leagues, tournaments, summer camps, casual rentals, the Jets, Moose, and to the TNYF in a typical year. hockey for all cenre is also a year-round multipurpose facility featuring high performance fitness and training facilities, a full-service pro shop, licensed restaurant and lounge, and conference facilities. Bell MTS Iceplex has been recognized as a Hockey Canada Centre of Excellence. https://www.hockeyforallcentre.com/ 

Ice Lab

The Ice Lab is an educational environment, focusing on the breakdown of goaltending movements, as well as making learning fun for everyone. The Ice Lab is 45 feet in length by 37 feet in width with five goalie creases. The facility is for all ages with training designed to take goalies to new heights of efficiency and effectiveness in net.

Focus Fitness

Focus Fitness is an 8,500-square-foot facility located on the upper level of Bell MTS Iceplex that features the latest in exercise and sports conditioning equipment. Focus Fitness prides itself on being the official gym training facility of the Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose, as well as accommodating athletes from all sports and all levels of fitness and performance. Focus Fitness features treadmills, spin bikes, cable columns, free weights, Olympic lifting platforms and over 5,000 square feet of turf. Focus Fitness incorporates proven old school tools and methods like tractor tires, sleds, battle ropes and kettle balls to ensure athletes are challenged to improve their total body strength and overall conditioning. From developmental ages to the pros, Focus Fitness is the premier training facility for helping you reach your goals and become the best version of yourself.

The Press Box Restaurant & Sports Bar

The Press Box Restaurant & Sports Bar provides perfect above-the-action sightlines facing the Subway and Flynn ice sheets at Bell MTS Iceplex. With a licensed bar and full menu, the Press Box is a great place to take in the action and relive the memories after the games. In addition to restaurant services, the Press Box Restaurant & Sports Bar proudly caters functions from 10 to 500 people, specializing in team windups, holiday parties, birthday parties, fundraisers, and corporate events. From corporate to casual, the Press Box catering team will make any event a success.

Burton Cummings Theatre

Located on the edge of Winnipeg’s Exchange District is one of Canada’s most acclaimed live music and performance venues, the Burton Cummings Theatre for the Performing Arts. The theatre is named after the famed Winnipeg frontman of The Guess Who, Burton Cummings, and is now affectionately known as “the Burt”. It is an immediate draw with its unique appeal, both visually and sonically. The 1,581 reserved-seat theatre, both a National Historic Site of Canada and Provincial Heritage site, was built in 1906. True North Sports + Entertainment assumed management and operating control of the venue in 2014 and purchased it in 2016. Over the decades, the vaudeville era theatre has staged ballets, operas, and Broadway-style shows to now modern-day concerts and events. Offering a vintage, yet carefully maintained interior space that includes a 70’ vaulted ceiling and three levels of audience seating, the Burt provides an up-close and personal experience for both audiences and performers. In April 2017, True North, along with Burton Cummings himself, announced a 15-year extension of the theatre’s naming rights as well as a commitment from Cummings to perform a minimum of four concerts during this period, with proceeds going toward True North’s long-term investment into the theatre and to guest experiences at the Burt. To date, True North has invested over $1.2 million into the facility in addition to the countless hours of repairs and maintenance work by its crew of full-time venue professionals. Upgrades and renovations are ongoing, as the Burt is always striving to improve the experience for guests and artists.   BurtonCummingsTheatre.ca

True North Square

True North Square is a transformative mixed-use development located kitty-corner to Canada Life Centre that will feature more than 1.5 million square feet of office, hotel, residential, retail, parking, and public plaza space in five towers, creating a new dynamic epicentre for Winnipeg's downtown. 242 Hargrave, a 17-storey office tower, opened in July 2018 and is currently home to lead tenants Thompson Dorfman Sweatman, Scotiabank, MNP, Ceridian, and SkiptheDishes. 225 Carlton is a 25-storey premium residential tower featuring 194 rental suites that welcomed its first residents in July 2019. The office portion of the residential tower, 223 Carlton, is home to Assiniboine Credit Union, a Liquor Mart, and, as of June 2021, True North Sports + Entertainment’s administrative offices. Phases two and three of the development is under construction and will include the Sutton Place Hotel & Residences located on Carlton Street, as well as the 24-storey tower that will serve as the North American headquarters for Manitoba-made insurance company Wawanesa. 242 Hargrave includes one of the most innovative spaces in Winnipeg’s food scene, Hargrave St. Market. Inspired by cutting-edge food halls located across North America and Europe, the locally focused and chef-driven offerings include a full-service restaurant, a microbrewery, six culinary concepts and a boutique grocery store. Gusto North, Lake of the Woods Brewing Company, Yard Burger, The Good Fight Taco, Rose Bar, Saburo Kitchen, Miss Browns, Fools + Horses, and Mottola Grocery offer something for everyone at True North Square. TrueNorthSquare.com 225Carlton.com HargraveStMarket.com

True North Youth Foundation

The True North Youth Foundation (TNYF) is the charitable entity of True North Sports + Entertainment and the Winnipeg Jets. The foundation primarily supports three core self-run programs: Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy (WJHA), Camp Manitou, and Project 11. The foundation was established in October 1996 as the Manitoba Moose Yearling Foundation, which it remained until prior to the 2011-12 hockey season.

Major events that help to fund the TNYF include the Winnipeg Jets Gala Dinner, the annual Winnipeg Jets Skills Competition, the Mike Keane Celebrity Hockey Classic, and the Flatlanders Beer Festival. Since inception, True North's charitable efforts have raised and disbursed nearly $25 million. The contributions of every sponsor, donor, volunteer, employee, and partner resulted in the TNYF’s ability to positively impact more than 70,000 Manitoba youth last year.

Guided by the shared mission, strategy, and values of True North Sports + Entertainment, the TNYF operates under the direction of a committed team of employees in partnership with a dedicated board of directors.

TNYF.ca

Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy

The TNYF recognizes that challenges exist for many families to participate in the great game of hockey. The Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy (WJHA) was created (formerly Lil’ Moose) to provide children with the chance to play hockey while surrounded by their peers and positive role models. Participation barriers have been removed by providing programming staff, equipment, transportation, ice rentals, nutrition, and qualified on-ice instruction to all participants. Program extras include character development curriculum, tutoring, resume and job coaching, exposure to local post-secondary options and career opportunities, as well as field trips and guest speakers.

By providing children with an opportunity to experience the positive benefits of hockey, the foundation believes that students will have increased confidence to pursue their goals on and off the ice. The WJHA helps to encourage academic achievement and increase children's sense of belonging within their school community. WJHA students are shown to academically outperform the rest of their school population, which is an encouraging outcome that demonstrates the impact and value of this program.

With the COVID-19 pandemic making a large impact on programming in 2020 and 2021, the WJHA focused on keeping students engaged and connected. The inability to play hockey for much of the season resulted in hosting Zoom workouts three times a week and offering twice-weekly small group on-ice practices when gathering was permitted. WJHA staff also ramped up their academic support to meet the needs of student athletes this year. The program usually averages 300 hours of tutoring time per month, but over spring 2021 logged upwards of 1,000 and 1,500 virtual and in-person (as restrictions allowed) tutoring hours per month.

Over the years, full-circle benefits have been realized with WJHA students getting summer jobs at Camp Manitou and with TNYF partner organizations whose volunteers work closely with the program. The WJHA was proud to graduate 38 students this year who have journeyed through the program from elementary school. This milestone affirms the program’s long-standing vision of using hockey as a vehicle to help students engage in academics and ultimately graduate.

When weekly hockey programming is running, the program benefits from local businesses and organizations who have partnered with the WJHA to provide many volunteers and hours of service through its Living Philanthropy Program.

TNYF.ca/AdoptAClass

Project 11

Project 11 honours the memory of Rick “Ryp” Rypien, who was a valuable member of the Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg Jets, and of the True North family.

Developed in collaboration with a variety of organizations and education and mental health experts, Project 11 is an engaging cross-curricular prevention program targeting Manitoba’s English Language Arts and Physical/Health Education outcomes. Using concepts such as practicing focusing the mind, increasing self-awareness of feelings and strengths, and building positive relationships, the goal of Project 11 is to help students develop positive coping skills to deal with the daily stressors of life while also enhancing their academic performance. Lessons and activities are designed to be easily adapted into teachers’ yearly plans.

The program is available for free to all Manitoba teachers of Grades K to 8 classrooms in both English and French. With increased focus on mental health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, participation grew immensely to include 451 Manitoba schools, 2,585 teachers, and over 64,000 Manitoba students. After beginning a two-year high school program pilot in 2020-21, Project 11 looks forward to making the program available to all grades in 2022-23.

In addition to beginning the senior years pilot, other highlights of the 2020-21 year included P11’s fourth annual Mental Wellness Summit – featuring several sports and celebrity guests sharing positivity and personal stories of mental strength and resiliency in three all-new age-tailored segments for  for early, middle and senior years students – and the launch of the all-new Check In Podcast in the fall of 2020 as another way to encourage mental wellness conversations outside of the classroom. Co-hosted by P11’s Director of Educational Programs Suzi Friesen and local singer/songwriter and P11 ambassador Don Amero, each episode focuses on a mental health topic pertinent to P11’s programming and engages special guests in the conversation, including Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose players, local athletes, media personalities, and community members as well as wellness experts and advocates. The podcast is a complement to the senior years curriculum currently in pilot and is a meaningful wellness resource for any teen, parent or young adult.

ProjectEleven.ca

Camp Manitou

Camp Manitou is an inclusive and accessible 39-acre four-season camp surrounded by nature and located just five minutes from Winnipeg in Headingley. Creative and innovative programming provides campers with adventure and learning that stimulates physical, social, and emotional growth.

Pandemic restrictions continued to impact programming into the 2020-21 season, but camp was able to proceed with a reduced capacity Spring Break Camp and the outdoor rink was able to accommodate small group WJHA minor hockey sessions as restrictions allowed.

Summer 2021 marked the second year of running reduced capacity day camp with added health and safety measures. After most Manitoba students transitioned to remote learning for the latter part of the 2020-21 school year, it was evident how much the camp experience meant to all campers and their families this year, as camp provided over 5,600 camper days this summer.

The TNYF has been operating Camp Manitou since January 2014 and has continued to invest in the grounds and amenities. In 2019, Camp Manitou launched a capital campaign to build on its commitment to the improvement and expansion of camp. Thanks to the generosity of donors over the past two years, camp was able to proceed with key campaign deliverables including the 2.6-acre custom-made lake which was completed this year as part of an 11-acre expansion. A boat house and dock will also be completed in fall 2021. The lake will host its first water activities for campers in summer 2022 but will first be put to use as the home of the first annual Ducky Pond Hockey Classic to be hosted Jan. 13 to 16, 2022. Progress also continued on the development of the mountain bike trails and BMX pump track over the past year. The 11-acre expansion will also be home to a beach volleyball court. The introduction of these new activities, along with the new lodge, the Travis Price Centre which opened in June 2020, will allow Camp Manitou to work toward doubling its day camp capacity to 400 campers per day over the coming years.

TNYF.ca/ManitouExpansion
manitoucampaign@tnse.com

Signature Fundraisers

The True North Youth Foundation relies on a variety of fundraisers to reinvest into its own community programs as well as into other local non-profit organizations. The TNYF’s four primary fundraisers are:

Winnipeg Jets Gala Dinner

The Winnipeg Jets Gala Dinner is an unforgettable event for hockey enthusiasts and friends of the True North Youth Foundation. The dinner attracts professionals and corporations from both private and public sectors and includes a silent auction with the chance to win once-in-a-lifetime interactions with Winnipeg Jets players, among other unique prizes. After running a virtual version of the gala in 2020, this year’s gala will take place on Dec. 1, 2021 at Canada Life Centre.

TNYF.ca/GALA

Mike Keane Celebrity Hockey Classic

The Mike Keane Celebrity Hockey Classic allows rec hockey players to team up with former NHL greats to play hockey and raise funds for two great Manitoba causes. Proceeds from the event are shared between the True North Youth Foundation and Continuity Care. The event was unfortunately cancelled in 2021, but looks forward to a return March 9 and 10, 2022.

KeaneHockeyClassic.com

Flatlander's Beer Festival

Presented by Manitoba Liquor Marts, the Flatlander’s Beer Festival celebrates the art of beer and provides an opportunity for many different breweries to showcase their products to Manitobans, all in support of the True North Youth Foundation. The 2021 festival took a virtual format that saw Manitoba Liquor Marts selling various beer mixer packs, with virtual tastings available to participants.

FlatlandersBeerFest.com

50/50

A staple at all Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose home games, fans were able to continue buying 50/50 tickets online while watching the 2020-21 season from home. With online 50/50 ticket sales, fans are able to participate in 50/50 draws for both Jets home and away games.

Ducky Pond Hockey Classic presented by Canada Life

The Ducky Pond Hockey Classic presented by Canada Life will be a new annual fundraiser beginning in 2022. As part of a series of initiatives to honour the late and legendary Jets alumnus Dale Hawerchuk, Camp Manitou will host the four-day tournament on its brand new custom-made lake from Jan. 13 to 16. The tournament provides an opportunity to celebrate the roots of Canadian hockey and the special community that surrounds this great sport – something Hawerchuk would be proud to be associated with. The event is affiliated with the World Pond Hockey Classic and will see the winning team earn a berth in and trip to the Canadian tournament in Plaster Rock, N.B. Funds raised will be in support of the TNYF and Hawerchuk Strong.

DuckyPondClassic.ca

Commitment to the Community

The Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club participates in a variety of events every year that allow the organization and players to connect with our community. The team is active in the community by visiting schools, local hospitals and health centres through numerous player and team mascot appearances, and by maintaining an open and interactive relationship with the team's supportive and passionate fan base.

The Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose Community Relations teams brought creativity to their initiatives and fundraisers during a most unique 2020-21 NHL and AHL season. Though some events were not possible due to the pandemic, the Community Relations teams turned their focus to virtual platforms, using the teams’ websites and social media channels to spread awareness and raise funds for worthy causes and local organizations before being able to hold a few safe and social distanced in-person events in the spring of 2021.

In addition to supporting the True North Youth Foundation, True North Sports + Entertainment is proud to contribute to many worthwhile events and causes in our community through their own fundraisers or through donation packages that include jerseys, autographed memorabilia, team clothing, and specialty merchandise used in other organizations’ fundraising efforts.

Hockey Fights Cancer

Hockey Fights Cancer is a key initiative that the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club continues to support. Founded in 1998 by the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association, the initiative raises money and awareness for cancer research institutions, children’s hospitals, player charities, and local cancer organizations. The campaign took a virtual format on the Jets platforms in 2020-21 that focused on sharing stories from our province and hockey community of those who have been impacted by cancer. Once the season was underway, the Jets donned specialty HFC warm-up jerseys which were auctioned off with other player-worn gear in support of CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, raising $14,675.

#HockeyTalks

#HockeyTalks is a national public awareness campaign for NHL teams designed to encourage conversations about mental health and share support and information from leading experts in the hopes of alleviating some of the misconceptions and stigma associated with mental illness. The Jets 2021 campaign saw the team wear #HockeyTalks helmet decals during four January home games as well as share information and stories through digital platforms. As in past years, the team auctioned off player-worn Dry-FIT #HockeyTalks shirts to raise funds for the True North Youth Foundation’s Project 11 program, raising $800. Several players including Blake Wheeler, Nate Thompson, Nathan Beaulieu, Adam Lowry, Connor Hellebuyck, and Bryan Little added their voices to the conversation by joining videocalls with Project 11 students.

WASAC

The Winnipeg Jets WASAC initiatives are the result of a long-standing relationship between True North Sports + Entertainment and WASAC (Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre) dating back to the days of the original Manitoba Moose franchise. The program is part of the NHL's "This is Hockey" initiative, which promotes diversity and inclusion in hockey and continues to grow each year – from the development of an Indigenized logo by local Cree artist Leticia Spence, a retail program and specially-designed warm-up jersey auction that invests back in to WASAC, to engaging Indigenous youth in attending the game and other special events.

Food Drive powered by SkiptheDishes

With the inability to collect non-perishable food items for their annual Winnipeg Jets Food Drive powered by SkiptheDishes in support of Harvest Manitoba, the Jets adapted their focus to monetary donations for much of the 2021 campaign. To give fans a chance to contribute food items, a drive-through drop-off event was held in the parking lot of Bell MTS Iceplex where donors could safely donate food. In total, $5,400 – equivalent to 16,200 pounds of food – was collected from the initiative.

Reading Takes Flight

The Winnipeg Jets' Reading Takes Flight program annually sees the team celebrate "I Love To Read" month with Manitoba students by joining them to read together. The 2021 school visits were done virtually this year for 12 lucky classes, giving schools from around Manitoba – including as far away as Churchill, Killarney, and Sprague – the chance to read and interact with Jets players.

Mick E. Moose

 Mick E. Moose has always been an important member of the True North Sports + Entertainment family. Arriving in Winnipeg along with the Manitoba Moose in 1997, Mick E. has helped bring energy and excitement to live hockey games and community events all year long.

While Mick E.'s original jersey was retired in 2011 following the final season of the Manitoba Moose, the Winnipeg Jets proudly called him up to the NHL for their inaugural season in 2011-12. Mick E. remains a popular addition to the gameday experience at Bell MTS Place and makes many community appearances at events across the province each year.

Read more about the team’s community commitment in True North’s 2020-21 Report to the Community.