Council Approves GamePLAN: Reimagining Public Recreation

Last week, City Council approved the Community Development Committee's (CDC) recommendation to adopt the Making Waves scenario from GamePLAN. This decision marks a significant step forward in reimagining Calgary's public recreation system.

GamePLAN, a city-wide vision and strategic framework, addresses challenges for the public recreation system posed by Calgary's aging recreation facilities, rising operational costs and growing population. With most of Calgary’s public recreation facilities being over 35 years old, the need for sustainable investment has never been more critical.

The Making Waves scenario aims to meet the needs of Calgary's rapidly growing population by renewing and expanding public recreation services. It will increase the availability of swimming lessons by 40% per capita, bookable hours at ice sheets by 25%, bookable hours at indoor fields by 2.5x and ensure that 86% of Calgarians live within 5km of an aquatic facility.

Requiring an annual investment of $200M to $250M, the decision sets the direction for future budget cycles. Administration will now develop an Implementation Plan, including a Capital Project Prioritization List and a funding strategy to ensure the burden isn't fully on municipal taxes.

Learn more about the future of public recreation in Calgary at calgary.ca/GamePLAN.

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FAQ’s About GamePLAN

What does GamePLAN mean for Calgarians?

GamePLAN is a system-wide approach to improving access to public recreation. It is both a vision and a strategic framework to safeguard the long-term viability of these important public services.

How does GamePLAN address Calgary’s growing population?

As a core principle, GamePLAN seeks to ‘Change the game’. This principle introduces approaches to improve existing practices and services and identifies areas to adapt and grow services that better respond to changes in how people recreate. This includes improving access to facilities and introducing new programming that responds to public interest and demand.

Who was consulted?

Between November 2022 and February 2024, GamePLAN surveyed more than 6,000 members of the public about their perceptions of, experiences with and desires for the public recreation system in Calgary. We also hosted several engagement opportunities for community and sport partners, including workshops, webinars, empathy interviews, one-on-one meetings and two online surveys.

Will GamePLAN increase access to swim lessons?

Scenarios have been developed to allow Council to select a service level for Calgary for the next 25 years. The recommended scenario (Making Waves) will increase the availability of swim lessons by 40 per cent per capita.

How does GamePLAN address emerging sports?

GamePLAN focuses on four amenity types that support a range of activities. New and renovated facilities will be future-focused and adaptable to changing demand. Spaces will be designed to be flexible to accommodate multiple sport and recreation uses, including evolving and emerging sport requirements.

Why can’t private gyms and sports facilities meet the needs of Calgarians?

Facilities in the private recreation sector receive neither public land, capital nor operating funds and are reliant on membership fees, which can be prohibitive for some. Private providers typically cater to more niche or ‘boutique’ fitness and wellness while public recreation strives to be more broadly accessible.

Which facilities in Calgary are planned to be closed? How many will be replaced?

GamePLAN will require a robust Implementation Plan to help realize the vision and fulfil commitments to Calgarians. A Prioritized Capital Project List will be developed for the chosen service level and to identify funding opportunities.

Does GamePLAN consider the addition of a fieldhouse?

If Council selects either the Staying Afloat or Making Waves scenario, there will be between 10 and 13 indoor field facilities in Calgary by 2049. This represents 75 and 95 percent achievement of the service standard (one facility per 150,000 residents) for these facility types, respectively. If Going Under is selected, the number of fieldhouses would remain the same as the population continues to grow, bringing service levels down over time.

The indoor field spaces proposed as part of GamePLAN should not be confused with the Foothills Multisport Fieldhouse, which includes multiple amenities, including competition capable track and field, gymnasia, indoor fields and ancillary services. The Foothills Multisport Fieldhouse remains a top priority to provide training and competition space in Calgary.

What is the role of other levels of government?

GamePLAN acknowledges that sustainability of the sector is a joint effort between governments. It seeks to establish a dedicated and stable funding model and plan for working with other orders of government to build crucial community amenities.

What is the role for developers?

Off-site levies (a charge paid by developers when building a new community) provide partial funding for the construction of new aquatic and fitness facilities in these areas. However, there is currently no sustained funding source to locate and construct new arenas, athletic parks or fieldhouses in these communities.

What will happen if The City does not invest in recreation facilities?

Without sustainable investment, Calgary will face a rapid decline in public recreation services. Aging facilities will close without the ability to add or replace services elsewhere, leaving many people without access to sport, recreation and community.

How soon will Calgary start to feel the consequences of not addressing these issues?

Calgary is already feeling the consequences of underinvestment. In recent years, several facilities have closed while minor sport organizations are being forced to cap registration. Aging facilities, rising costs and growing demand are putting pressure on services that connect our communities and enhance quality of life.

What are the potential economic benefits of investing in public recreation?

Public recreation shapes neighborhood choices, supports employee attraction and retention, drives investment and diversifies the economy. In 2016, in Calgary, spending on amateur sport alone directly contributed over one billion dollars to the local economy and supported more than 15,000 jobs.

How did we get here?

Provincial and federal investment in public recreation has ebbed and flowed over the past half century. Long periods without investment in new facilities has created infrastructure gaps in Calgary. Calgary’s unprecedented growth and the age of existing facilities is putting strain on the public recreation system.

Will property taxes increase to fund the proposed changes?

With Council’s direction, Administration will develop an Implementation Plan for the chosen service level, including a Capital Project Prioritization List and a funding strategy to ensure the burden isn't fully on municipal taxes. A funding strategy will consider all available financing tools, including government grants, municipal taxes, debt, private investments and sponsorships.

Why is there an effort to consolidate smaller recreation facilities into larger ones?

Older, smaller single-use recreation facilities can be up to four times more expensive to operate per square foot than larger facilities built to modern standards.

Future aquatic facilities will be designed to be more efficient, allowing for multiple simultaneous uses (i.e., lane pool, teach pool and leisure pool). This means that swim clubs, lane swimmers, swim lessons and families can all use a single facility in a way that is not possible with older, single-use facilities.

Some smaller, single-sheet arenas will be replaced with larger, multi-sheet arenas, which are more cost-effective, efficient and versatile. Multi-sheet arenas can accommodate more users simultaneously, helping to meet the high demand for ice time while being better suited for programming and tournaments. Multi-sheet facilities are also better able to host a range of activities and community needs.

Any new facilities will be scaled appropriately for the community and consider public feedback to ensure designs meet the needs of those they serve.

How does GamePLAN support the greater downtown and inner city?

GamePLAN ensures public recreation services are inclusive, accessible and sustainable throughout Calgary, including in inner-city areas. The strategy includes analyzing recreation gaps and overlaps to ensure that inner-city and growth areas have adequate facilities and amenities. This may involve upgrading existing facilities or developing new ones.

The development of Community Programming Plans (a strategic action identified in GamePLAN under the principle, “It Takes a Team”) will create and promote opportunities tailored to communities, including those in the inner city. These plans will be developed in collaboration with community partners to ensure they meet the specific needs of inner-city residents.

Currently, approximately 81% of Calgarians live within 5km of an aquatic facility. In the Going Under scenario, that reduces to 65%. In the Making Waves scenario, that will increase to 86%.

Does GamePLAN propose to take over community-run community associations?

Community associations provide an essential service, devising and delivering recreation programming specific to the communities they serve (e.g., language courses, seniors programming, etc.). They are uniquely positioned in the heart of communities and have their finger firmly on the pulse of community needs and interests. We recognize that delivering public recreation is a team effort. GamePLAN is about enhancing service delivery through innovation and collaboration with partners. The City will not reclaim land or remove facilities and sell the land.

To better understand the types of challenges and opportunities that exist for community partners in delivering services, the GamePLAN team hosted several engagement opportunities for community and sport partners over the past two years. These included in-person and virtual workshops and webinars, empathy interviews, one-on-one meetings and two online surveys.

We recognize that delivering public recreation services is a team effort and we have heard from our community partners that collaboration is essential.

On page 32 of the GamePLAN report, under the principle “It Takes a Team”, GamePLAN seeks to “Extend City programming to non-city facilities (i.e., community associations). This responds to feedback received during engagement that some community associations would like to work closer with The City to develop and deliver programming.

A summary of feedback from engagement with community partners can be found in the GamePLAN report, Appendix 3. The first digital survey was live from October 2023 to January 2024 (page 103). Community partner survey questions were based on feedback received during a series of in-person and virtual workshops held in the spring of 2023. The second digital survey was conducted in October 2024 (page 155).

What does GamePLAN say about replacing the Glenmore Athletic Park velodrome?

To meet the needs of Calgary’s growing population and water demands, The City requires additional space around the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant for upcoming major infrastructure projects.

While GamePLAN has a current focus on four major facility types, it is an evolving document that will expand to include other facility and amenity types to align with budget cycle intervals. Updates will ensure the strategy remains aligned with the evolving needs of the people living in Calgary.

⁠While there is currently no plan to replace the velodrome, The City is committed to working with recreation partners to understand their needs as part of a holistic approach to service and investment planning.

Administration is working collaboratively to provide recreational opportunities that can co-exist with Water functions to maximize the use of available land while still preserving the safety and security of our water treatment and supply systems.