Guelph council approves additional $35.5 million to build South End 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)
Guelph is moving ahead with building a rec centre in the city’s south end despite the increased cost of construction.
At Tuesday’s meeting, councillors approved an additional $35.5 million for the project, bringing its total budgeted cost to $115.5 million.
The planned facility, which will be located off Clair Road beside Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School, 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.
The increased cost will be mostly funded from development charges, although staff acknowledged there is some uncertainty about how much the city will be able to collect from developers in the future, given major changes coming under Bill 23.
Still, council felt it was important to move ahead with the project, the concept for which has been in the works since 2003.
“This has been 20 years in the making,” Coun. Ken Yee Chew said at a committee of the whole meeting on March 7, where the increased costs were given preliminary approval. “I think we have to take a calculated risk as well with cashing in the development charges for this project, this is something the community has been expecting us to deliver for a long time.”
(Council agenda package/City of Guelph)
Construction was originally approved in 2020 with a budget of $80 million, but inflation pushed the cost to $129 million by the time tenders came back in 2022.
The city ended up cancelling the tender and revising the building design to bring the cost down to $115.5 million.
Cost-saving measures included removing a rear courtyard and some hallway space, simplifying the design of the exterior façade and pausing a plan to commission and install public art unless money is left in the budget at the end of the project.
The city says construction on the South End Community Centre is expected to begin this fall with doors opening in late 2026.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Evacuation centre, comfort centres open for residents fleeing Halifax-area wildfire
An evacuation centre opened overnight in Halifax for residents fleeing a wildfire that began in the Upper Tantallon, N.S., area Sunday afternoon.
Provinces must seek anti-smoking measures in Big Tobacco settlement: health groups
Three national health organizations want Canada's premiers to push for initiatives to reduce smoking during settlement negotiations with major tobacco companies, years after provinces sued to recoup health-care costs.
Election day: Alberta voters go to the polls, expected nail-biter between UCP, NDP
It’s election day in Alberta in what polls suggest could be a nail-biter finish between the province's two dominant parties.
Canadian companies adopt 'stay interviews' as workers rethink careers, needs
The discussions, which some companies call 'stay interviews,' are designed to collect feedback from employees and are aimed at learning what the company can do to retain valued team members and keep them happy.
Nova Scotia's modern 'gold rush' poses huge risk to climate, expert warns
Nova Scotia is embarking on what many are calling its fourth gold rush — but instead of panhandling for chunks of gold, mining operations in the province today consist of massive tailings ponds, enormous open pits extracting small traces of gold and a climate toll that one expert says we’re not properly tracking.
Former Steelers, Jets running back Le'Veon Bell says he smoked marijuana before games
Former Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell says he smoked marijuana before playing some NFL games during his career.
Venice authorities investigate after canal turns fluorescent green
Venetian authorities are investigating after a patch of fluorescent green water appeared in the famed Grand Canal on Sunday morning.
5 things to know for Monday, May 29, 2023
Albertans head to the polls on provincial election day, an engaged Ontario couple is shot dead while fleeing their landlord, and Turkiye's Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins a fifth term as president.
3-year-old boy dies after drowning in backyard pool west of Toronto
Police are investigating the death of a three-year-old boy who was pulled from a backyard pool in Oakville on Saturday.
London
-
Fatal crash near Woodstock
A caller to CTV News reported that the crash may have involved a school bus. Police have not confirmed the information.
-
Garbage hauler in the ditch near Strathroy
According to OPP, the westbound lanes will be closed between Hickory Drive and Centre Road for the next several hours for clean up.
-
One person sent to hospital after crash east of London
One person has been taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a two-vehicle crash north west of Thamesford.
Windsor
-
Clear, sunny skies in Windsor-Essex
Normal daytime highs around 23 C are being overtaken by highs ranging from 27 C to 20 C for the week.
-
Windsor's downtown core may benefit from the return of the grand prix to downtown Detroit
Transit Windsor expects to add to their tunnel bus service later next week in anticipation of people travelling to and from the Grand Prix
-
Event scoring for GOALS
A change in venue has the Dare 2B Challenged event running in the right direction. 250 people took part in the all-female event Sunday morning at Holiday Beach
Barrie
-
Meaford declares emergency, urging residents not to consume the municipality's water
The Municipality of Meaford has declared an emergency days after a fire tore through an automotive shop, causing water safety concerns for the community.
-
Ontario hospitals prepare and brace for summer ER staffing challenges
Hospitals in smaller and rural Ontario communities have been recruiting, training, and poring over schedules in the hopes of avoiding another summer wave of temporary ER closures -- though the problem never really went away.
-
Thousands cast their ballots in community-referendum on hospital privatization in Ontario
A "community-led" referendum is asking thousands of Ontarians to weigh in on whether the privatization of the province's healthcare system is good for the future.
Northern Ontario
-
'Sudbury Rocks' rocks the downtown core once more
After a brief hiatus and a few years of virtual runs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Sudbury Rocks: Race/Run/Walk Marathon returned Sunday to the downtown core with more than 1,200 people taking part and raising at least 50,000 for the Northern Cancer Foundation.
-
Officials report seven active forest fires in the northeast region
There are six new forest fires confirmed in the northeast region, Ontario’s Aviation, Forest Fires and Emergency Services reported Saturday evening, bringing the active number of fires in the region to seven.
-
Engaged couple shot dead fleeing landlord after house dispute near Hamilton, Ont., police say
A 'truly innocent' engaged couple was shot dead while attempting to flee their attacker outside their home after a landlord-tenant dispute escalated on Saturday night, according to police.
Ottawa
-
NEW THIS MORNING
NEW THIS MORNING | Summer construction season set to begin in Ottawa
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and several councillors will outline the 2023 construction season projects during a media conference on Slater Street at 10:30 a.m., including potential traffic impacts.
-
Runners suffer heat exhaustion, injuries during a hot Ottawa Race Weekend
There was an entire operation set up by the Ottawa Hospital, only steps from the finish line for Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend with more than 100 health professionals ready for anything that could go wrong this weekend.
-
VIA Rail train with 210 passengers on board stops near Alexandria, Ont. due to engine failure
More than 200 passengers were stuck on a VIA Rail train near Alexandria, Ont. for several hours Sunday evening, after a mechanical issue stopped the train.
Toronto
-
Engaged couple shot dead fleeing landlord after house dispute near Hamilton, Ont., police say
A 'truly innocent' engaged couple was shot dead while attempting to flee their attacker outside their home after a landlord-tenant dispute escalated on Saturday night, according to police.
-
Toronto mayoral candidate Olivia Chow maintains large lead in latest polls
Toronto mayoral candidate Olivia Chow continues to lead the pack with less than a month until voters cast their ballot, according to two new polls released on Monday.
-
York Regional Police investigate fatal crash in King Township
York Regional Police are investigating a fatal crash in King Township this morning.
Montreal
-
Laval crosswalk ignored by motorists 'like it's not even there,' local family says
A Laval, Que. family says a crosswalk in front of their house is an accident waiting to happen. They say too many cars don't stop, leading them to worry each time their child has to cross the street. "It's as if it's not even there," said resident Chris Horell, who lives near to the intersection of Saint-Martin Blvd W and Dutrisac St.
-
Teen driver in critical condition after crashing into a concrete wall in Saint-Leonard
A teenage driver is in critical condition in the hospital after he crashed his vehicle into a concrete wall and then another vehicle in Montreal's Saint-Leonard borough. Montreal police (SPVM) reports that a 911 call at 1:40 a.m. notified officers about a collision on Langelier Boulevard near Lavoisier Boulevard.
-
'Precious' musical instruments removed from Montreal heritage building after fire
A pair of valuable musical instruments have been removed from a Montreal heritage building that caught fire last week, raising hopes that they can be saved to play again. Simon Blanchet, programming director at the Chapelle du Bon-Pasteur, said Sunday a Fazioli concert grand piano and a 1772 Kirckman harpsichord were both removed from the concert venue inside the chapel of the 19th century former monastery a day earlier.
Atlantic
-
Evacuation centre, comfort centres open for residents fleeing Halifax-area wildfire
An evacuation centre opened overnight in Halifax for residents fleeing a wildfire that began in the Upper Tantallon, N.S., area Sunday afternoon.
-
Tracking forest fires across Nova Scotia
The number of wildfires in Nova Scotia so far this season is up 150 per cent compared to the same time period in 2022.
-
Air quality alerts issued in Nova Scotia as wildfires burn
Environment Canada has issued air quality alerts for Shelburne County and western Halifax County due to the presence of wildfire smokes.
Winnipeg
-
'We couldn't do anything': The search continues for 12-year-old boy presumed drowned in Whiteshell Provincial Park
The search for a 12-year-old Winnipeg boy presumed drowned continued Sunday in Whiteshell Provincial Park, one day after he fell into the water.
-
'We are not filling a dumpster in 24 hours': The illegal dumping problem in Point Douglas
Residents in Point Douglas say their area has become a dumping ground for the rest of the city's unwanted garbage, and want more done to get rid of the piles of trash accumulating in the central-Winnipeg neighbourhood.
-
Woman dead after rollover in Sandy Hook
A 23-year-old Winnipeg woman is dead after a highway rollover the community of Sandy Hook Sunday.
Calgary
-
Election day: Alberta voters go to the polls, expected nail-biter between UCP, NDP
It’s election day in Alberta in what polls suggest could be a nail-biter finish between the province's two dominant parties.
-
Evacuation centre, comfort centres open for residents fleeing Halifax-area wildfire
An evacuation centre opened overnight in Halifax for residents fleeing a wildfire that began in the Upper Tantallon, N.S., area Sunday afternoon.
-
UCP and NDP make final push day before Alberta election
Alberta party leaders spend the final weekend of the election pushing for more support in Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer.
Edmonton
-
Election day: Alberta voters go to the polls, expected nail-biter between UCP, NDP
It’s election day in Alberta in what polls suggest could be a nail-biter finish between the province's two dominant parties.
-
Fire activity picks up Sunday with return of hot, dry conditions
Fire activity in Alberta picked up overnight Saturday, with Alberta Wildfire counting 57 wildfires Sunday afternoon, including 17 which were classified as out of control.
-
'She loved so generously': Family remember Lauren Jarvis with walk to raise money for people impacted by homicide
Friends, family and supporters met at the bottom of Walterdale Hill for a walk honouring Lauren Jarvis and to raise money for the Victims of Homicide Support Society.
Vancouver
-
‘It’s nowhere that I’m happy to call home’: City survey finds private SROs unaffordable
A survey by Vancouver city staff has concluded that SROs, or single room occupancy buildings — often deemed a last resort for housing — are becoming increasingly unaffordable for those on income assistance.
-
West Vancouver council voting on naming new fitness park after drowning victim
On Monday, West Vancouver mayor and council will vote on a motion to name a new fitness park after Keen Lau, who drowned while trying to save Labrador Loki from Cypress Creek. And they will hear from Loki’s dog walker Sandra Smith, who is advocating for changes to the creek.
-
Notorious gangster killed in targeted shooting, unknown victim stabbed to death
Two homicides this weekend drew heavy police presence to South Vancouver’s Sunset neighbourhood and the West End’s Davie Village.