City committee approves recreation recommendations that could cost up to $6B over 25 years

CBC

07-02-2025

The City of Calgary's community development committee unanimously approved recommendations for reimagining Calgary's recreational facilities, to meet the needs of the city's growing population.
"Gameplan" is a blueprint for the next 25 years that calls for constructing new city-owned recreational facilities and revitalizing existing ones. If approved, the strategy could cost the city between $200 million and $250 million per year — or up to $6 billion over 25 years.
According to committee documents, Calgarians are already experiencing the impacts of underinvestment in public recreation, which Gameplan aims to overcome. Over the past five years, several city facilities have either closed, or operated at or near capacity. Many were built before the 1990s and are nearing the end of their life cycles.
The committee is recommending that city council approve consistent funding for 67 outdoor and indoor ice rinks, 13 fieldhouses, 89 athletic park fields and 26 aquatic facilities — including 296 swim lanes and 25 leisure pools.
Under this plan, facility distribution would be equitable across the city, swim lessons would increase by 40 per cent per capita and bookable hours at fieldhouses and athletic parks would more than double.
The committee heard broad support Thursday for Gameplan from several community sports groups and facility operators.
Calgary owns and operates 50 facilities and owns an additional 200 facilities and amenities operated by its partners, Johnson said.
She says the recommended funding strategy was developed using feedback from Calgarians.
"Certain areas of the city report significantly lower participation rates than other areas of the city. Thousands expressed the hope that in the future the public recreation system can better meet their needs," said Heather Johnson, the city's director of recreation and social programs.
"These findings, among others, were used to develop all the components of Gameplan."
Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner says the committee recommending Gameplan shows Calgarians the city is committed to funding sport and recreation.
"At the fundamental level, are we creating a city where community can gather around sport and around recreation, build memories, build skills, [and] build friendships?" she said.
Ward 8 Coun. Courtney Walcott, chair of the community development committee, says the price tag associated with the funding strategy may be costly, but the city would be investing it in the right way if Gameplan is approved.
"The outcomes that you receive from a robust recreation landscape go far beyond simply just swim lessons. It's mental health. It's about access," Walcott said.
"If you have accessible facilities across the city in an equitable fashion, that is proven to actually be a crime reduction strategy, getting community involved… You spend this money, how much do you save elsewhere?"
If Gameplan is approved by city council later this month, it will ultimately fall to the next council to come up with a funding plan in 2026 for the strategy in the next four-year budget.