The City of Gatineau says the departure of Volleyball Canada’s national men’s training program at the Centre Sportif de Gatineau means the space can be opened up for more uses in the future. Volleyball Canada’s men’s indoor program has trained in Gatineau since 2009. The program was expected to remain in Gatineau through 2028, but Volleyball Canada announced last month it would be moving the program to the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre in Scarborough in 2027. The agreement between Volleyball Canada and the City of Gatineau said that either party could cancel the agreement at any time and for any reason, provided they give six months’ written notice. It also stipulates that neither party may claim compensation in the event of cancellation, the city said. “Volleyball Canada’s relocation is a decision made by the organization and is being carried out in a spirit of collaboration with the city,” the City of Gatineau said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa, translated from French. “This relocation will not result in any loss of revenue for the city... The end of Volleyball Canada’s activities at the Centre Sportif de Gatineau will free up space and court time for the benefit of the community.” According to the City of Gatineau, the existing agreement stipulated an annual financial contribution of $67,000 from the city, and free access to certain facilities and various support services. Volleyball Canada said in a news release that its new base of operations in Toronto will be fully operational by the spring of 2027 and will host training sessions and other team activities through to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, with the option of renewal through the 2032 Summer Games in Brisbane, Australia. Volleyball Canada’s beach teams are also based in Toronto. “Thank you to the City of Gatineau, Volleyball Quebec, and all the staff at the Centre Sportif de Gatineau for their support and assistance since 2009,” said Volleyball Canada’s Men’s Indoor High Performance Director Julien Boucher, in the news release. “Their efforts greatly contributed to the success of the men’s program, including our participation in three consecutive Olympic Games (2016, 2020, and 2024) as well as numerous medals at international senior and youth competitions.” The City of Gatineau said the team’s final training session at the Centre Sportif de Gatineau will take place Sept. 8, after which the gym will be vacated. Two storage areas, an office and a locker room used by Volleyball Canada will be vacated by Jan. 1, 2027. “Volleyball Canada’s departure provides an opportunity to review the sports positioning strategy for the Centre Sportif du Gatineau and to assess the needs of the Gatineau community,” the city said. The city says it will conduct an analysis of the current occupancy of the courts to identify the best opportunities for reallocating the freed-up time.
