City seeks funding for Canada Games Complex improvements

City seeks funding for Canada Games Complex improvements

Changes would allow facility to host more swimming, diving, squash events

The Canada Games Complex could be the site of more national level events in coming years.

The city is applying for funding to make improvements to the facility, which would meet the "evolving standards of national sports sanctioning bodies including Dive Canada, Dive Ontario, Swimming Canada, and Squash Canada," a report to council states.

The work will cost about $2 million overall, and the city is contributing about $250,000, and the CEDC Tourism Development Fund another $140,000, the report states.

The city has also applied for $1 million from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), and $685,000 from FedNor.

"We have been accepted to proceed to stage two of FedNor and NOHFC applications, and we need council's approval to be able to proceed with those," Kim Begin, the city's supervisor of aquatics, wellness, children and youth, said.

The request will go to council on Tuesday night.

"The applications will be due by the end of June to complete the phase two applications, and then the review of those would happen through NOHFC and FedNor," she said. "Hopefully we would hear by the end of 2026."

"Our goal is, if we were to be successful, we would be prepared to put out any tenders and then have work completed by the end of 2027."

Paul Pepe, tourism manager with the city, said sports tourism is a "critical pillar of having a successful and sustainable year-round tourism economy."

"It's very important to Thunder Bay to have the infrastructure to be able to successfully bid and host events," he said. "So recreational facility upgrades in Thunder Bay, like the proposals and the work that is being pursued for the complex, is really critical to being able to have the right infrastructure that meets the needs of today's and tomorrow's sport events rights holders."

The city has made a number of improvements to its sports facilities in recent years. Fort William Stadium saw a number of upgrades recently, including the replacement of its turf and scoreboards, and a number of improvements are coming to the adjacent Delaney Arena this summer.

Construction is underway on a new indoor turf sports facility next to the complex, as well.

Meanwhile, the Thunder Bay Community Tennis Centre recently opened its new inflatable tennis dome.

"I think there's two pieces to this one," said Current River Coun. Andrew Foulds. "When we reinvest in our own facilities, it's better for our athletes, it's better for our citizens, and if we can get more people active, that is good for all kinds of reasons."

"We are geographically a bit isolated, and so if we can have the facilities in which our athletes can excel in, that helps us level the playing field when our athletes compete against those from other parts of the country."

Also, Foulds said, Thunder Bay is a regional hub, which already hosts a lot of regional sporting events.

"But if we can position ourselves to host more provincial events and more national events, that will continue to bolster our reputation as a great sports town and will be a huge economic development piece for the city," he said. "This is a more-broad strategic direction to provide opportunities for our athletes and provide opportunities for economic development."