The City of Calgary and Canlan Ice Sports welcome the community and amateur sport to the official grand opening of Great Plains Recreation Facility

The City of Calgary and Canlan Ice Sports invited the public and amateur sport community to attend the grand opening of Great Plains Recreation Facility on Saturday afternoon. The grand opening follows the official “handing over of the keys” that took place in September where The City announced Canlan Ice Sports as the facility operator.

“Now that the facility’s been up and running for a couple of months, we’re really starting to see the value of our investment,” says Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “Today is about celebrating an important new addition to our community that will improve the quality of life of many, many Calgarians. I’m thrilled to see the Great Plains Recreation Facility filled with citizens enjoying this new public space.”

The facility contains two multi-purpose ice rinks, spectator seating for approximately 600, dryland training space, multi-purpose rooms and change rooms, food and beverage services and a pro shop. The 80,000 square foot facility is designed to attract ice sport enthusiasts from across the city. It complements Calgary’s existing inventory of ice while meeting the needs of a growing area of the city.

The City oversaw the planning, design and construction of the facility, representing a total investment of $33 million. The Government of Alberta contributed $10 million to the project through the Municipal Sustainability Initiative.

“Calgary is one of the fastest growing regions in Alberta and our government is proud to invest in this facility that will allow Calgarians to attend hockey practice around the corner, not across the city,” says Danielle Larivee, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “Expanding recreation opportunities is not only an investment in the health and well-being of Albertans, but also in the diversification of our economy through added tourism.”

Great Plains in Calgary’s southeast is the second new facility to open as part of a city-wide strategy to improve availability of recreation opportunities in underserved areas of Calgary. Great Plains in particular responds to a demand for ice in an area of the city where previously there was none.

Since opening to the public in September, Canlan has been host to nine tournaments and events and the facility has seen nearly 10,000 visitors.

“Canlan is proud to have the opportunity to operate this beautiful new facility,” says Mark Faubert, Senior Vice President of Operations with Canlan. “We believe this alliance with The City of Calgary will provide extraordinary experiences for the citizens of Calgary and look forward to helping create lifelong memories”.

Canlan is a leader in ice sports facility operations and shares The City’s commitment to growing amateur sport through quality experiences for athletes and fans.

For more information, please visit calgary.ca/recreationprojects.

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