Dr. Lesley Cormack, UBC Okanagan Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, City of Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas and Naden Qually, VP External for the Students’ Union Okanagan of UBC, break ground for a new recreation facility at UBC Okanagan. (Will Thompson photo)
UBC Okanagan, the City of Kelowna and the Students’ Union Okanagan of UBC today announced a partnership to develop a new three-court recreation facility on campus that will significantly expand indoor recreation capacity for students, faculty, staff and Kelowna residents.
Partners marked the announcement with a ceremonial shovel turning near the project site, Thursday.
The recreation centre is being designed as a 37,000-square-foot facility with an estimated cost of $26 million to $28 million. It will be owned and operated by UBC Okanagan, with completion anticipated for 2028, subject to final UBC Board of Governors approval on budget and design later this year. Under a 25-year service agreement, the City of Kelowna will secure access to one-third of operating hours across the new facility to deliver City recreation programming.
When combined with UBC’s existing gymnasium facility, this project will create one of the largest recreational locations in the Okanagan.
“Today’s milestone was driven by students and made possible by partnership across UBC, the City of Kelowna and our community of donors,” says Dr. Lesley Cormack, Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at UBC Okanagan. “This new facility will create much-needed space for intramurals, fitness, student programming and community use, and will strengthen the kind of partnership that allows a university and a city to grow together.”
“It’s more than a building. It represents shared commitments to student wellbeing, community connection and the long-term growth of this campus and our region.”
The project was catalyzed by a 2023 Students’ Union referendum in which 71 per cent of voting students approved a dedicated student levy to fund one-third of a new on-campus recreation facility, amounting to a $7 million contribution by current and future students. UBC matched that commitment with a further $7 million. A subsequent partnership with the City of Kelowna brought a one-time City investment of $7 million, with generous community and donor philanthropy helping to take the original two-court facility to a three-court design, pending approval by the UBC Board of Governors.
UBC Okanagan is continuing to raise philanthropic support, with $2 million still to be secured to ensure the facility opens at its full potential.
“This partnership with UBC Okanagan is a practical investment that delivers long-term value for Kelowna residents,” says City of Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas. “Through a one-time contribution and strong community collaboration, we are securing guaranteed community access to a new recreation facility, expanding programming options for our residents. It is a strong example of how collaboration allows us to manage growth responsibly and deliver results that support health and quality of life for our community.”
The City’s Indoor Recreation Facility Strategy has identified gymnasia and multi-sport courts as high-priority infrastructure in the local recreation inventory, with community partnerships identified as a fundamental avenue for delivering programs and services. The new facility will help support the rapidly growing Gateway neighbourhood, expanding opportunities for adult drop-in sport, youth development, adaptive sport, summer camps and community leagues.
For UBC Okanagan, the facility will substantially increase capacity for intramurals, fitness and student programming. It will allow growth of established programs such as Jr. Heat youth basketball and volleyball, expand summer sports camp capacity and create a dedicated, year-round training space for UBC Okanagan Heat student-athletes. The added court capacity, combined with the existing campus gym, also positions the campus to host regional events, tournaments and provincial competitions that the existing facilities have not been able to accommodate.
“In 2023, UBC Okanagan students voted to invest in a facility even though most of us who voted will graduate before the project is complete,” says Naden Qually, Vice-President External for the Students’ Union Okanagan of UBC. “Students have been advocating for expanded recreation space for a long time, and it is exciting to see what we can achieve when students, the university and community partners come together to invest in future students. It adds to a longstanding tradition of current students leaving behind a stronger and more prosperous campus community once they graduate.”
Cormack agrees, adding that the remarkable altruism of the campus community is what makes UBCO unique.
“This partnership is a powerful reminder of what student leadership, vision and collaboration can achieve when they invest in each other and in generations of students to come,” she says. “It’s a true inspiration.”
Early site preparation is underway at UBC Okanagan’s Nonis Sports Field, adjacent to the existing gymnasium. Final project designs are subject to UBC Board of Governors review and approval later in 2026, with the facility targeted to open in 2028.
