SaskatchewanYears in the making, the Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre in Prince Albert, Sask., is close to fully opening. Hockey camps are already running in the two arenas and the pools open to the public on Thursday.1st public swim at Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre happens ThursdayJeremy Warren · CBC News · Posted: Aug 28, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: August 28The 25-metre competitive pool at the Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre in Prince Albert, Sask., features eight swimming lanes, three more than at the city’s old pool. (Jeremy Warren/CBC)Prince Albert’s $118-million sports complex hopes to make a big splash with residents now that its pools are open for public swimming.The Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre in the city’s southeast has already hosted hockey camps at its two new arenas, but Thursday is the first day anyone can take a dip in the eight-lane, 25-metre competitive pool or the family-friendly wave pool.The leisure centre is meant to replace some of the aging sports and recreation infrastructure in Saskatchewan’s third-largest city. An official grand opening event is scheduled for Sept. 5.The city has shared the Frank J. Dunn Pool at Carleton High School with the Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division for almost 50 years, said Jody Boulet, Prince Albert’s director of parks, recreation and culture.”Many other communities face aging infrastructure and the costs to maintain that, but what can a newer, modern technology-type facility bring to your community for your local residents?” Boulet said during a recent tour of the leisure centre.The Prince Albert Sharks Swim Club is keen to start its next season at the leisure centre instead of the Frank J. Dunn Pool, which opened in 1974. The city hasn’t hosted provincial competitions in more than a decade, but the new, larger pool could change that, says Sharks head coach Hazem Hussein.The main entrance of the Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre. Hockey camps are already using the centre’s two arenas, and the pools are set to open for public swims on Thursday. (Jeremy Warren/CBC)It will be “good for our swimmers to swim in their … home club,” Hussein said, adding that hosting competitions is also good for local businesses. “If we’re hosting meets, that means they need accommodations, they come to the restaurants, all this stuff. I think it will be a good opportunity not just for the swimming club, but for the community as well.”The two arenas have NHL-sized ice surfaces and will add 1,498 prime-time booking hours annually, which should meet current demand for ice time, according to the city.Some city groups have been booking ice times in surrounding communities.The leisure centre also features large common areas, a concession, meeting rooms and retail space for a sporting goods store.One of two arenas at the Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre in Prince Albert. Each arena features NHL-sized ice surfaces. (Jeremy Warren/CBC)Saskatoon’s Group2 Architecture partnered with MJMA Architecture from Toronto to design the building.”It’s where the prairies meet the boreal forest, and they incorporated some of those aspects into the exterior, but also in the interior component of the facility,” Boulet said.”The natural light that has been built into the design has been a real welcome feature.”Budget sagaThe city chose to build the leisure centre in a new area called the Yard District, owned by Signature Developments, which aims to fill the property with retail and office space, restaurants and hotels. The partnership helps the city keep costs down, Boulet said.”This being a kind of the anchor tenant, and then attracting the other businesses that came on site, allows us to access additional property tax revenue development levies, and that assists in the overall funding model to build this facility,” Boulet said.Originally budgeted at $60 million, split between three levels of government ($24 million from the federal government, $20 million from the province and $16 million from the city through a loan), the project required multiple short-term loans to cover rising costs as it hobbled through the COVID-19 pandemic.The city cited inflation as the big driver for rising costs, and city administration was ordered to get another $30-million loan, and then another for $18 million in 2024.Lake Country Co-op gave the project a boost with a $10-million, 25-year deal for naming rights.”Having that unique partnership with the business district, having funding set aside in reserve and then also fundraising external revenue to support a facility of this nature was very key,” Boulet said.ABOUT THE AUTHORJeremy Warren is a reporter in Saskatoon. You can reach him at jeremy.warren@cbc.ca.
New leisure centre in Prince Albert opens to public after cost nearly doubles
