A part of Manitoba's Whiteshell region is about to become a playground for underprivileged kids who can't afford to go to camp.

The provincial government said Thursday that Sylvia Lake will be the site of a new Tim Hortons Foundation Leadership Camp.

The camp, not far from the town of Pinawa, will cost about $12 million to build and will accommodate as many as 260 children between the ages of 13 and 17.

Pinawa Mayor Blair Skinner welcomed the announcement, saying that the camp will bring construction jobs and other opportunities to the area.

"There will be opportunities for our young people to get jobs as counsellors," Skinner said. "And also, an opportunity for our businesses to supply the goods and services they are going to need on an ongoing basis."

The camp will be the seventh Tim Hortons camp in North America and is expected to open in 2012.