Ontario Government Awards $10 Million for South Bowmanville Recreation Centre in Clarington
Clarington, Ont. — Ontario’s Ministry of Sport has awarded a $10 million grant for the construction of the South Bowmanville Recreation Centre, according to the Municipality of Clarington. The funding is being provided through the Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund. Phase 1 of the centre is scheduled to open in 2026.
Municipal officials describe the project as Clarington’s largest infrastructure undertaking to date. Construction began in May 2025, with the centre located in Bowmanville.
Documents from the Municipality of Clarington outline the new features planned for the site. These include a FIFA-sized multi-sport dome equipped with a three-lane indoor walking track, which will be four times larger than the former Bowmanville Indoor Soccer facility. The new centre will house two FIBA-sized, fully accessible courts adaptable for sports such as basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and tennis. According to the municipality, these courts are double the size of the gym at the Diane Hamre Recreation Complex. Additionally, an outdoor refrigerated skating trail is planned, described as the first of its kind in Durham Region, with a modified figure-eight layout measuring 170 metres in length and covering more than 850 square metres. The municipality notes that existing facilities, including the lacrosse bowl, will remain on site.
Plans also reference multi-purpose rooms intended for activities such as strength training, fitness classes, and children’s programming. In Phase 2, the centre is set to add an Aquatics Centre, which municipal documents state will feature Clarington’s first warm-water therapeutic pool alongside a six-lane, 25-metre lap pool.
A statement from the municipality notes that external funding, including the provincial grant, is intended to lessen reliance on the local property tax base for the project.
Attendees at the announcement included Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster, Minister of Sport Neil Lumsden, MPP for Durham Todd McCarthy, Regional Chair John Henry, and several Clarington and regional councillors.