Canada Games Announcement

On February 2, 2007 Premier Rodney MacDonald and Sue Hylland (president and CEO of the Canada Games Council) officially announced that Halifax would be the host city for the 2011 Canada Games.

The bid for the games included plans to build a $6-million fieldhouse on the Mainland Common. The Build-It-Right Community Action group (BIR) supported the bid in hopes a win would oblige HRM to alter plans for the Mainland Common Recreation Centre which were not satisfactory to meet the growing needs of the surrounding community.

Prior to winning the games bid, HRM had planned to build a $14.5-million recreation centre in partnership with the YMCA. The planned facility featured a lane pool similar in size to Northcliffe, a leisure pool, an small-sized gymnasium, meeting rooms, and a fitness centre.

Following the announcement of the successful games bid the HRM did not release a revised facility plan to the public.