South Winnipeg Recreation Campus

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The City is building a new regional multi-use, multi-generational South Winnipeg Recreation Campus (SWRC) to meet the community’s recreation needs. The project will be built in multiple phases, with construction for Phase 1 starting in spring 2026. Phase 1 includes gymnasiums, multipurpose rooms, indoor walking/running track, a fitness area, a café, a serving kitchen, a child care centre, and an outdoor spray pad. An addition to Pembina Trails Collegiate (50 Frontier Rd.), that supports vocational programs, is also being constructed as part of Phase 1.

Design work for Phase 2 is expected to start in spring 2026. Phase 2 includes a new aquatic centre.

The City is building a new regional multi-use, multi-generational South Winnipeg Recreation Campus (SWRC) to meet the community’s recreation needs. The project will be built in multiple phases, with construction for Phase 1 starting in spring 2026. Phase 1 includes gymnasiums, multipurpose rooms, indoor walking/running track, a fitness area, a café, a serving kitchen, a child care centre, and an outdoor spray pad. An addition to Pembina Trails Collegiate (50 Frontier Rd.), that supports vocational programs, is also being constructed as part of Phase 1.

Design work for Phase 2 is expected to start in spring 2026. Phase 2 includes a new aquatic centre.

Background

The South Winnipeg Recreation Campus (SWRC) is a new regional recreation facility that will be built on Bison Drive west of Frontier Trail and east of Kenaston Boulevard (map). Communities in southwest Winnipeg are growing and a new recreation facility is needed to meet their needs. The facility is intended to serve a catchment area of 4-6 km that will be home to more than 120,000 residents.

The project will be built in multiple phases, with design work for Phase 1 starting in fall 2022 and construction expected in 2026-2027. Phase 1 includes gymnasiums, multipurpose rooms, indoor walking/running track, a fitness area, a café, a serving kitchen, a child care centre, and an outdoor spray pad. An addition to Pembina Trails Collegiate (50 Frontier Rd.), that supports vocational programs, will also be constructed as part of Phase 1.

A master site plan was created for future phases. Future phases may include an aquatic centre, library, outdoor leisure space, arena, and athletic fields. The City is also constructing a fire-paramedic station on the site.

The SWRC is funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg.

Project History

The SWRC is part of Winnipeg’s 2021 Winnipeg Recreation Strategy to ensure that our city’s recreation facilities and programs continue to support the health and wellbeing of our residents and communities. 

Currently, the City owns and operates very few gyms and no multi-use recreation centres in southwest Winnipeg, which means we cannot provide the same level of programming as we do in other areas of the City. 

The plan for the SWRC was developed over several years, as shown in the timeline below.

2013
The City hires Braid Solutions to study what amenities and program spaces are needed in the area. More than 40 participants representing 15+ organizations provide input. Results are shared in the South Winnipeg Recreation Initiative: Stakeholder Consultation & Recommendations report.
2016The City hires Braid Solutions to write a project charter. The South Winnipeg Recreation Campus Planning and Feasibility Project Charter is a roadmap for the project. It includes the scope, deliverables, and project team roles.
2016
The City begins talking with property owners to buy land for the recreation campus.
2018

The City acquires 19-acres of land for the recreation campus. The land is next to the Pembina Trails School Division site. 

2018The City hires Gibbs Gage Architects to do a feasibility study. The study recommends over 230,000 square feet of space, with gyms, indoor track, fitness area, multi-purpose rooms, aquatic centre, indoor arena, and library.
2019The City submits an Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) funding application. The project is divided into phases. Each phase has a smaller, more manageable budget. Phase 1 includes gymnasiums, multi-purpose spaces, indoor track, and fitness area. These spaces were identified as priorities by the community and stakeholders.
2020The City works with the Province to add a child care centre and a vocational wing (to be attached to the new high school) to the project.
2020
The City hires f-BLOCK Architecture to add the child care centre and vocational wing to the design. The City also resubmits the ICIP funding application with those extra spaces.
2021The City’s ICIP application is approved for federal and provincial funding.
2022The City hires Diamond Schmitt Architects for the next stage of design. Phase 1 will be designed in enough detail so it is ready for construction.


For more information on the project’s history, visit the Key Project Events sheet.

Future phases are subject to funding and Council approval.
Page last updated: 15 Apr 2026, 09:27 AM