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Its sale may have passed through Winnipeg City Council on Friday, but the work is long from over for the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre project.

Councillors voted 11-3 on Thursday night in favor of the sale, which will see the Vimy Arena land transferred to the province for $1.

READ MORE: City council approves sale of Vimy Arena for Bruce Oake Recovery Centre

But shovels are still not guaranteed to hit dirt in the unused lot: the transfer still requires zoning approval, public consultations and environmental assessments before anything can be built.

Scott Oake, who is spearheading the project in honor of his late son, said Friday there is still tough work ahead.

“Maybe we were ambitious when we said construction would start by the summer,” Oake said. “But I think things will start within six months.” Tweet This

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Much of the Bruce Oak Foundation’s focus now turns towards funding. The total price tag of the facility is estimated to be $14 million, but Oake said part of that is already spoken for through private donors and up to $50,000 of “grassroots donations”.

To cover some of the cost, the foundation will eventually turn to the public, who Oake called “generous” when it comes to helping with the project. He did say, however, that the foundation is adamant that they explore other avenues before turning to the public with a set dollar-figure goal.

His son Darcy, who was present at the vote Thursday night, echoed his father’s statements.

READ MORE: St. James residents discuss proposed addiction centre

“We already have people waiting to write big checks,” Darcy Oake said. “This whole process [council’s vote] has turned it from an idea, into a proof of concept, into a reality. We have something people can actually donate to instead of just an idea…so we’re there.”

Darcy also acknowledged that the work is just beginning for the centre, which is named for his Winnipeg brother who died from a heroin overdose.

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“There’s still the rezoning process and we’re still going to have to go into the community and explain everything involved in doing that,” Darcy Oake said. “Then we’re going to start the capital fundraising campaign and we’re going to get shovels in the ground as soon as possible.”