"Our ideal scenario is that we find from the city in November that they become a lead funder for the project," Westside Recreation Centre CEO Jan Bloemraad told the Calgary Herald in August. "Once we get the lead funder, then we have a better opportunity to get provincial and federal funding."
Springbank Hill knows Westside as the building at 2000 69 Street SW where the pool, the arena and the gym all sit under one roof. The plan Westside released on August 25, 2026 would nearly double it, by the Herald's description. For anyone on a swim-lesson waitlist, the date that matters most in that plan is this November. Construction can't start until a lead funder commits, and Westside has said it hopes that funder will be the City.
A charity on City land, not a City pool
Westside does not work like a municipal leisure centre. The Westside Regional Recreation Society, a registered charity, has managed the facility since it opened. It operates on City-owned land under a long-term lease, and the original 25-year term has been renewed for another 25 years. The Society says the centre was built in 2000 with community volunteers, donors and a City capital contribution. Its 2010 expansion drew on volunteers, donors, and provincial and City funding.
That history explains how the current proposal is set up. According to the Herald's report, Westside's board has committed up to $10 million and plans corporate sponsorships and grassroots fundraising "similar to how the facility was funded when it first opened in 2000." Bloemraad said the City would only be asked for capital to build it, and Westside would carry future operating and capital costs.
The board's $10 million covers only a small share of a project above $180 million. Most of the money has to come from outside, and Westside has said which funder it wants to land first.
Why the City's decision comes first
Westside's FAQ says it is seeking capital from the City while also pursuing provincial and federal governments and corporate and individual donors. LiveWire Calgary reported on announcement day that Westside wanted the City to lead the funding with the other governments following, and that the project was unfunded at the time. Westside's plan has these pieces:
- The City as lead funder. Westside's posted timeline marks 2026 to 2027 as the window for securing government funding.
- Provincial and federal money. Bloemraad told the Herald a City commitment would give Westside "a better opportunity" to secure it.
- Board money, sponsors and community fundraising, being pursued at the same time.
- Construction. Westside's target is to be shovel-ready in early 2028.
Westside is already on the City's list, but a place on the list is not money. The City's GamePLAN recreation strategy now runs a capital prioritization program, and its first wave, "System Stabilization," covers 2026 to 2034. Global News reported in April 2026 that the first wave included 17 projects. Westside is one of them. When LiveWire covered that list, the City described it as a long-term roadmap rather than funding approval. Projects move ahead only after planning, design and a Council funding vote.
Westside was not among the projects funded in the City's 2026 budget, which put $94 million toward local parks and facilities. The City says first-wave funding is handled through budget cycles, and it lists the 2027 to 2030 service plans and budgets as coming in fall 2026. That is the November Bloemraad was talking about.
What the City would be paying for
The plan adds roughly 180,000 square feet. Here is what each part of the building would gain.
| Area | Proposed |
|---|---|
| Lap swimming | 12 lanes across two separate 25-metre pools |
| Leisure water | Expanded wave and tot pools, four new waterslides, indoor spray park |
| Wellness | Cold plunge, arctic shower, steam room, sauna, warm-water programming |
| Field sports | Fieldhouse with two 7-on-7 turf fields or one 9-on-9, plus multi-sport courts |
| Ice | A second NHL-size ice surface beside an arena at or near capacity |
| Parking | From 567 spaces to about 870 |
| Outdoors | Improved fields and a new community playground on the south side |
The new courts are built for pickleball, basketball, volleyball and badminton, and the fieldhouse is meant to host soccer in every season. Westside notes that its renderings are illustrative and not final layouts.
The pressure behind the ask
Westside's case for the City's money rests on demand, and the figures come with a baseline. The Herald reported that Westside projects 1.1 million visits in 2026, up from roughly 800,000 to 900,000 a year previously. Bloemraad estimated the expanded building could eventually handle 1.6 million to 1.7 million a year. "Our gymnasiums are bursting at the seams," he told the paper. "The same is with our aquatics."
Swim lessons show the strain most clearly. Westside's FAQ names aquatics as its busiest pressure point and says its lesson waitlists reach into the thousands each year. The Herald put Westside's own swim-lesson waitlist at more than 1,000 people. The City's GamePLAN report counted more than 24,000 waitlisted swim-lesson registrations at City-operated facilities in 2024. The City notes that one child can sit on several waitlists at once, so that number overstates how many individual swimmers are waiting. Bloemraad told the Herald the expansion could eliminate one-third of the citywide waitlist.
The ice is under similar pressure. Westside says demand for its arena already exceeds the hours it has, and a second sheet would free up time for hockey, skating and community events.
If November goes Westside's way
Every date below assumes the funding comes through. Westside's announcement gives a groundbreaking window of late 2027 or early 2028. Its FAQ is firmer and says shovel-ready in early 2028. The posted timeline:
- Early 2028: construction starts on the aquatics addition and the fieldhouse at the same time.
- Early 2029: the new aquatics addition opens, and the existing aquatics area closes for renovation.
- Early 2030: aquatics and fieldhouse finished, with the facilities fully open.
- 2031: the hockey arena expansion is complete.
The order matters for families who swim. The current pool stays in use while the new one goes up, and it closes only after the new addition opens. On Westside's schedule, there is no planned stretch without a pool. Westside also says it is committed to keeping the facility operational through construction, with phasing details to come as planning progresses.
Westside has stayed open through construction before. Its 2025 renovation added a fitness expansion of about 5,000 square feet, relocated the café, updated the lobby and refurbished change rooms, and the building remained open throughout. The Government of Alberta's major projects listing records that $8.3 million renewal as completed in early 2026.
Fall 2026 programs at the current building run September through December, covering swim lessons, adult fitness, day camps, preschool and youth activities. Westside says it will post funding milestones and timeline changes on its expansion page, and it takes questions at [email protected]. The first of those milestones should be the City's 2027 to 2030 budget decision this fall.
A recreation centre like Westside is part of what a Springbank Hill address offers, and a confirmed expansion would add to it. If you'd like to talk through how projects like this show up in your home's value, Dexter and Co is happy to walk through it with you. Request a private valuation.
