Raise Athletics lease terminated ‘due to default,’ sports complex maintains closure is temporary

Raise Athletics closed its doors abruptly, the landlord claiming it's due to default, and left a charity fundraiser without a place for its event.

The St. Albert sports complex closed temporarily earlier this week now has a notice of lease termination on its front door.

Raise Athletics told customers on Tuesday it was being temporarily closed following a routine building inspection and needed to finalize “construction-related items.” The facility first opened in November 2024.

An email to customers said the facility, which was set to host a 24-hour pickleball tournament this weekend, would reopen by the end of the week.

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Now, though, the 9 Richardson Dr. location in St. Albert has a notice of lease termination and possession of premises taped to the front door and dated from Wednesday.

The group renting out the space, bcIMC Realty Corporation, wrote the lease was terminated “due to default by the tenant.”

On Thursday afternoon, Raise Athletics management addressed the concern in an email to customers that said co-ordination is ongoing between the landlord, construction teams and the city itself.

“These steps are part of the process toward completing the building and ensuring that all public areas meet the required standards before reopening,” it read.

In a statement to CTV News Edmonton on Friday, a spokesperson for Raise Athletics acknowledged that “panic has ensued from some of the mixed messaging” from “unofficial channels, which has led to many believing this is a permanent closure.”

They added they aren’t able to comment on lease details.

Anyone registered in programming impacted by the closure or who had paid private court reservations is eligible for a refund, which the company acknowledged in its email and asked for patience about.

“We ask for your understanding as we take the necessary time to determine next steps before processing any changes or refunds,” they said.

Alberta Lung, the charity set to hold Canada’s first 24-hour pickleball tournament at Raise Athletics this weekend, said they had already raised more than $80,000 ahead of the event.

“Everybody was rallying behind this cause … we had so many great things planned, but sadly we had to postpone it,” said president and CEO Leigh Allard.

“We wish them all the best … we’ve been caught smack dab in the middle of it, as I’m sure lots of others are, so it’s just poor timing.”

Still, she added that the silver lining of the situation is that the postponement of the tournament gives Alberta Lung the opportunity to raise more money for when they inevitably do find space to host the tournament.

“We are amazing people when we put our minds to it, and as a community, we can do this,” she said. “I’m very optimistic that this is going to turn out to be even more successful than we thought it could be.”

As of Friday, it’s unclear when the facility will reopen. CTV News Edmonton has reached out to bcIMG Realty for a statement.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson