Ontario government to invest $11M into Guelph pool and new community centre

The building will have two ice pads, an aquatic centre with an eight-lane lap pool and a smaller teaching pool, a double gymnasium, walking track and multi-purpose rooms. (Council agenda package/City of Guelph)

The provincial government has committed to investing $11 million into a new community centre and an aging pool in Guelph.

Neil Lumsden, the minister of sport, made the announcement on Friday morning at the Lyon Leisure Pool.

One million dollars from the province will go toward a project to rehabilitate the pool, in hopes to extend its lifespan. CTV News has reached out to the city about a timeline for the Lyon Leisure Pool.

The remaining $10 million will be put towards building the South End Community Centre.

The centre will be located on City of Guelph-owned land, just south of Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School on Poppy Drive.

The facility is expected to be 160,000 square-feet and will feature twin ice pads, a double gym, a lap and teaching swimming pool, multi-purpose rooms and community use spaces. The centre will also connect the existing South End Community Park and Larry Pearson baseball diamonds.

In March. 2023, council approved a $115.5 million budget for the new community centre. The funding from the province will support the new centre, which the city has said previously has been in the works since the early 2000s. It was approved in 2020 but delayed after COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, the budget was $80 million but the city said inflation impacted the cost.

According to the city, the South End Community Park will be operational by 2026.

The grant is part of the province’s $200 million Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund, an initiative to rejuvenate local facilities across Ontario.