Calgarians have told us the provision of recreation opportunities is important to them and that The City of Calgary has a responsibility to provide affordable access to quality recreation and leisure opportunities. The public benefit of recreation is further reinforced by The City’s policy vision, in the form of Imagine Calgary, the Municipal Development Plan, the Recreation Master Plan and Council’s Fiscal Plan. These documents highlight the integral role recreation plays in building and sustaining active, cultural, vibrant and complete communities.

In 2012, Council approved core amenities for the four new recreation facilities to meet our growing city’s need for quality recreation opportunities in the southeast and northwest.​

Site selection analysis included an evaluation of the following criteria for determining suitability and need:

• Sufficient developable land
• Ability to accommodate a variety of indoor and outdoor amenities
• Opportunity to develop a community hub to bring people together
• Population growth
• Possible impacts to existing recreation facilities

Each facility was designed with the needs of the surrounding communities in mind. Core amenities were proposed based on extensive research and community engagement. The City worked closely with community advisory groups in the northwest and southeast, and sought additional feedback from Calgary’s sport and arts communities through focus groups with Sport Calgary advisory groups and Calgary Arts Development. The public was invited to attend design information sessions and public open houses.

The Council-approved budget for the development of all four facilities is $480 million. This include budget for construction, site development, cost escalation, land purchases and contingency. The approximate costs for each facility are listed below:

• Seton: $193M
• Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge: $192M
• Remington YMCA (Quarry Park): $63M
• Great Plains: $33M

The City of Calgary has had success using a third-party operated model for recreation facilities. This model is aimed at ensuring the sustainability of these facilities without the need for additional public funding for operations, lifecycle and capital expansion costs. Using this model, the operator is responsible for cost-recovery and establishing reserves while ensuring goods and services are within market pricing.

This model allows The City to deliver the best services possible in an efficient and cost-effective way. Third-party operators offer business acumen and established proprietary processes to ensure facilities are operated with integrity. These agreements also ensure service delivery models are based on collaboration between the operator and The City to achieve common objectives.

The City’s Public Use Policy (CSP031) requires that partner operated facilities are accessible to the public without discrimination as to ability to pay. This includes setting reasonable fees that are not restrictive and making the facility available for public use through programs, rentals and walk-ins.

The City of Calgary issued a Request for Proposals as part of an open, transparent and competitive procurement process for operators at each of the four new recreation facilities. The RFP outlined The City’s vision for ensuring the new facilities yield public benefit per The City’s Triple Bottom Line Policy (Social, Environmental and Economic). Further, The City’s interest in the asset and the operation of the asset is well-protected under the operating agreement. The successful bidders for the RFP process are:

• Seton: YMCA Calgary
• Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge​: YMCA Calgary
• Remington YMCA (Quarry Park): YMCA Calgary
• Great Plains: Canlan Ice Sports