Championships will determine region's representatives at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier and the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, which will be staged at Fort William Gardens.

THUNDER BAY – The road to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay rolls through Kenora in 2021.

The Northern Ontario Curling Association on Thursday announced next year’s men’s and women’s Scotties provincial curling championships will be held at the Keewatin Curling Club at the Kenora Recreation Centre from Jan. 26 to Jan. 31.

“The host bid committee awarded this event to Curling Kenora after careful evaluation of all bids received,” said Karen Saarimaki, NOCA competitions and host bid committee chair, in a release issued by the organization.

“We are confident that Curling Kenora will provide an excellent event building on the success of the 2015 Travelers Men’s Provincial Championship hosted by the Keewatin Curling Club at the Kenora Recreation Centre.

Josh Szajewski, president of the Keewatin Curling Club, said hosting both the men’s and women’s championships at the same time and the same venue adds that much more excitement to the event.

“The inclusion of the Scotties event is an exciting addition to the Championship that will increase the prestige and entertainment value of the competition. We can’t wait to reintroduce the best curlers in Northern Ontario to our great city and are delighted to be a part of sending Team Northern Ontario to the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts and Tim Hortons Brier,” he said.

The winner of the men’s event will represent Northern Ontario at the Tim Hortons Brier in Kelowna, B.C., while the women’s winner will vie for the Scotties Tournament of Hearts championship.

Curling Canada earlier this year announced Thunder Bay will host the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts for the first time in 25 years.