The federal government is investing $11 million in a new high-performance athletics centre in Bolton, Ont., as Ottawa looks to expand training opportunities for Canadian athletes and community access to sport facilities.

Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden and Secretary of State for Combatting Crime Ruby Sahota announced the funding Wednesday for the Bolton High-Performance Athletics Centre.

The money will flow through the federal government’s Build Communities Strong Fund and will go toward creating a new indoor training and competition facility designed to serve athletes at multiple levels.

The centre is expected to include multi-event training and competition space, along with a weight room, change rooms, classrooms and equipment storage.

The federal government says the facility will provide athletes with access to higher-quality training infrastructure and stronger development pathways while also allowing Bolton to expand community programming and host more sporting events.

“Sport has the power to shape lives and connect people in ways that very few things can,” van Koeverden said in a statement.

“The Bolton High Performance Athletics Centre will create more opportunities for Canadians to play, train, and proudly wear the maple leaf on the world stage.”

Ottawa says the Bolton project is part of a broader $1-billion federal investment aimed at supporting Canadian athletes, improving sport infrastructure, increasing participation and helping Canada continue to attract and host major sporting events.

Van Koeverden said the new facility is intended to serve both high-performance athletes and the surrounding community.

“By investing in this project, the Government of Canada is strengthening athlete performance, expanding access to sport and creating more local hosting opportunities,” he said. “We’re building Canada Strong, from playground to podium.”