Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[ericmacm]

New renderings have been released for Surrey’s new 10,000-seat arena, to be located in Surrey City Centre. The proposed development is to include a hotel and conference centre. Looks great and nice to see another mid-size arena being planned.

[cjones2451]

Originally Posted by ericmacm

New renderings have been released for Surrey’s new 10,000-seat arena, to be located in Surrey City Centre. The proposed development is to include a hotel and conference centre. Looks great and nice to see another mid-size arena being planned.

This is built where the current BC Lions training facility is. They have been looking at moving to a new updated facility, I wonder if this helps accelerate that? I think a top notch facility for practice and training goes a long way to the overall perception of the team with players (and potential free agents) and Amar Doman has been pushing for this so I think the Lions will do their part to make this happen. As far as a 10K arena in Surrey, its nice but they don't even have a full time tenant, wonder if the Vancouver Giants or Abby Canucks would move here?

[elly63]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

This is built where the current BC Lions training facility is. They have been looking at moving to a new updated facility, I wonder if this helps accelerate that? I think a top notch facility for practice and training goes a long way to the overall perception of the team with players (and potential free agents) and Amar Doman has been pushing for this so I think the Lions will do their part to make this happen. As far as a 10K arena in Surrey, its nice but they don't even have a full time tenant, wonder if the Vancouver Giants or Abby Canucks would move here?

Yes, the training facility plays a big part in player recruitment and retention. Amar Doman who has done almost everything right so far must have been surprised to see the CFLPA's survey which had the Lions ranked second last for their training facility. He then proceeded to make amends.

B.C. Lions commence multi-stage renovation and expansion of existing Surrey practice facility
JC Abbott 3downnation.com July 24, 2025

The B.C. Lions are hard at work preparing for their matchup with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday, but the players haven’t been the only ones breaking a sweat at practice this week.

Construction has begun on a multi-stage renovation and expansion of the team’s practice facility in Surrey, with the end goal of transforming the aging building into what management is calling “a state-of-the-art performance hub.”

The first phase of the project, which began this week, involves the creation of a temporary external structure which will serve as a new high-performance training centre. Once that structure has been built, the team will be able to continue all training and operations without obstruction while efforts are made to upgrade the interior of the facilities.

Phase two will see the construction of a brand-new locker room, enhanced player lounge, and expanded training area. The hope is that these improvements can bring the Lions’ facility up to par with others around the CFL, while sending a message that the team is willing to make long-term investments in support of a first-class player experience.

The Lions have been full-time residents in the Surrey neighbourhood of Whalley for over four decades. They began leasing their current practice facility beside Tom Binnie Park from the city in 1991, which also previously housed the team’s business operations until those moved to downtown Vancouver in 2023.

However, the building and surrounding field space no longer meet the standards required for a professional sports organization. After the artificial turf at Tom Binnie Park failed a CFL quality test last October, the Lions were forced to bus seven minutes up the road to Hjorth Road Park in Guildford while preparing for the end of the regular season and playoffs.

Those challenges contributed to the Lions receiving the second-lowest grade of any team on the inaugural CFLPA report card this offseason. Among the anonymous responses, one player wrote that the staff “does what it can,” but the amenities are “unsatisfactory compared to other teams in the CFL.”

Owner Amar Doman has been vocal about his desire to fund the construction of a new practice facility somewhere in the Lower Mainland, with team president Duane Vienneau telling 3DownNation in May that there were active conversations ongoing regarding several different possibilities. Sources indicate that the planned renovation will not be in lieu of a new facility, but will serve as a necessary stopgap in the interim.

Because the current facility is owned by the City of Surrey, the scope of the renovations the Lions can accomplish is limited. Two and a half years remain on the five-year lease extension the club signed in 2022, which included a 33 percent discount on rent thanks to a partnering agreement for community involvement.

Either side can sever the existing agreement with a 12-month written notice, but that requires a viable alternative. The team is on the hook for over $1.39 million through 2027 to maintain the status quo, and Doman’s new investment in the facility will make lasting to the end of that deal more comfortable for players.

[blacktrojan3921]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

This is built where the current BC Lions training facility is. They have been looking at moving to a new updated facility, I wonder if this helps accelerate that? I think a top notch facility for practice and training goes a long way to the overall perception of the team with players (and potential free agents) and Amar Doman has been pushing for this so I think the Lions will do their part to make this happen. As far as a 10K arena in Surrey, its nice but they don't even have a full time tenant, wonder if the Vancouver Giants or Abby Canucks would move here?

My guess is that it's likely going to be the Vancouver Warriors of the National Lacrosse League, since they still play in Rogers Centre, even though the NLL is a minor league. It's also possible that the Goldeneyes of the PWHL will move in there, but they signed a lease for Pacific Coliseum, so that is unlikely.

[Calgarian]

Is there a tenant in mind for this new Surrey arena?

[J.OT13]

More renderings of Lansdowne 2.0's arena and stands.















That space behind the stands is shown as open with some pedestrian space and surface parking, but documents suggest it will be an "innovative" parking garage built by the developer that bid on the air rights for two apartment towers on the site of the current Civic Centre.







More images here: https://engage.ottawa.ca/lansdowne-2...6/photos/42352

[elly63]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

More renderings of Lansdowne 2.0's arena and stands. More images here

Doesn't look like there's anything new. That wood grained metal siding, I wonder what that will look like in real life.

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by elly63

Doesn't look like there's anything new. That wood grained metal siding, I wonder what that will look like in real life.

I was gonna say. Very plain jane compared to some of the other new-newish CFL stadiums like Princess Auto or Mosiac

[elly63]

Originally Posted by FactaNV

I was gonna say. Very plain jane compared to some of the other new-newish CFL stadiums like Princess Auto or Mosiac

I am sure it will look fine and be fine when it is completed they almost always do.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by elly63

Doesn't look like there's anything new. That wood grained metal siding, I wonder what that will look like in real life.

We have wood looking metal ceilings in some of our O-Train stations that look really good. Don't know if it will be a similar material and how it would translate to such a massive scale.

[elly63]

We don't know how close the CFL may have come to Halifax and I'm not talking about that group that should be forgotten history. I'm talking about Rob Steele and have posted extensively on it but for some reason nobody here and/or publicly wants to talk about it.

When the Alouettes were for sale there were several bidders and because of the strengths that Pierre Karl Peladeau brought to the table (and his multi billion bank account) the others instantly fell by the wayside.

Now coulda, shoulda, woulda, nothing happened and no press did one bit of reporting on the story to confirm or deny Steele's interest or non interest. There was enough circumstantial evidence to at least follow up on.

I'm saying this to say until there is an owner there's no CFL story but it could happen and things could progress quickly after that.

[Coldrsx]

Saskatoon City Council defers decision on $1B Downtown District Event Centre and Convention Centre



https://retail-insider.com/retail-in...-images-video/

[GreatTallNorth2]

It's crazy to think what Saskatoon is spending downtown on an arena and convention centre. That is some serious cash. Seems Saskatoon and Regina are much more ambitious than a lot of the Ontario cities that have greater populations. Maybe it is a combination of Ontario being so "Toronto-centric" and the smaller cities thinking they have to be less ambitious "because we are not Toronto". I compare London as the Grand Rapids type city. Grand Rapids is 2.5 hours from Detroit and London is similar distance to Toronto. Yet Grand Rapids is far more ambitious with building attractions, sports facilities, etc.

[EpicPonyTime]

Me thinks the reason they are deferring the decision is because they don’t want to spend that kind of money. That’s a MAJOR price increase over the $500 million that has been thrown around for the new arena. I don’t think there’s an appetite from voters to spend a billion on this.

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

It's crazy to think what Saskatoon is spending downtown on an arena and convention centre. That is some serious cash. Seems Saskatoon and Regina are much more ambitious than a lot of the Ontario cities that have greater populations. Maybe it is a combination of Ontario being so "Toronto-centric" and the smaller cities thinking they have to be less ambitious "because we are not Toronto". I compare London as the Grand Rapids type city. Grand Rapids is 2.5 hours from Detroit and London is similar distance to Toronto. Yet Grand Rapids is far more ambitious with building attractions, sports facilities, etc.

Part of it is that Saskatoon and Regina are the two primate cities in SK and each serve massive rural hinterlands as the urban service centres.

So an arena project in Saskatoon is about building an amenity not just for Saskatoon, but basically all of Saskatchewan. That's still only 1.3M people, but given our isolation Saskatoon is the only place that's going to have this sort of thing for a vast expanse of area. This isolation and being the only show around is why the city punches above its weight on certain things relative to its size, like its dining scene or having an incomprehensibly world-class art gallery.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Echoes

Part of it is that Saskatoon and Regina are the two primate cities in SK and each serve massive rural hinterlands as the urban service centres.

This stands out a lot when comparing to Ontario where a large-ish city might only be the largest in a small area. Provinces direct a lot of spending in Canada, and Saskatchewan will tend to pick Regina or Saskatoon for amenities, while London is far down the list in Ontario, and most major regional amenities (ROM, AGO, sports venues, etc. etc.) go to Toronto.

It is part of why comparing populations of cities (or suburbs) in isolation only gets you so far and it's silly when you see people commenting that Brampton or Surrey are some of the top cities in Canada we should see on tourist guides, or a "Tier 3" Chinese city happens to be defined as including 4 million people in some sort of statistical area so it's more important than Brussels or Frankfurt.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

It's crazy to think what Saskatoon is spending downtown on an arena and convention centre. That is some serious cash. Seems Saskatoon and Regina are much more ambitious than a lot of the Ontario cities that have greater populations. Maybe it is a combination of Ontario being so "Toronto-centric" and the smaller cities thinking they have to be less ambitious "because we are not Toronto". I compare London as the Grand Rapids type city. Grand Rapids is 2.5 hours from Detroit and London is similar distance to Toronto. Yet Grand Rapids is far more ambitious with building attractions, sports facilities, etc.

I wouldn't call it ambitious. I would call it crazy. Both cities have good bones but, there's alot they could do for less monetary incentives to be more attractive than going the sports and convention center route. One is so overvalued right now and the other is overbuilt.

Que the stadium whores...

[someone123]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I wouldn't call it ambitious. I would call it crazy. Both cities have good bones but, there's alot they could do for less monetary incentives to be more attractive than going the sports and convention center route. One is so overvalued right now and the other is overbuilt.

There has to be some discussion of financing and it depends on contributions from levels of government or tenants.

I don't know all the details for the Saskatoon project but the $1B seems to be for the mixed-use development, not $1B for a sports building. Also worth noting that you increasingly see "sticker prices" which include long-term operating expenses (for say a 30 year period). Nothing wrong with that but it needs to be thought of differently and isn't comparable to capital spending numbers alone.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I wouldn't call it ambitious. I would call it crazy. Both cities have good bones but, there's alot they could do for less monetary incentives to be more attractive than going the sports and convention center route. One is so overvalued right now and the other is overbuilt.

Que the stadium whores...

I think it's completely bonkers considering they already built an NHL capacity arena for their WHL team.

While I do think Saskatchewan could actually support an NHL if they called them the Saskatchewan Roughriders, I don't think the NHL will ever embrace the idea.

[Echoes]

Saskatoon City Council is likely still a couple years away from making a go-ahead decision on the project. What they just deferred is a decision on the deal with their prospective private partner and future facility operator, Oak View Group. I think the deferral is a negotiating ploy to nudge OVG to sweeten the deal.

The funding plan for the project assumes considerable dollars from the feds and province, which are not committed yet. Signals from the province suggest they'll come to the table, but the feds will be a tough sell. Fed funding is not expected for the arena, so the angle is to get their commitment to funding portions of the convention centre and city-building/downtown revitalization infrastructure aspects of the project.