Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) went to Regina’s Executive Committee to propose a new and improved Canada Centre to create space for more sports in the city.

The new space would feature basketball and volleyball courts, pickleball courts, and an indoor skate park.

REAL CEO Tim Reid says he’s thrilled to have received support from the city Wednesday for the new space.

“We saw an opportunity working with city administration to suggest, maybe we can turn this into something that’s more than just one of thoughts but a collective vision around recreation,” said Reid. “We were incredibly pleased to see the support we had at council today.”

Reid says the Canada Centre has historically been one of the most underutilized facilities on the Evraz campus, so it’ll be nice to have people in it more often.

“The entire Canada Centre will come into play, it’s not just a piece of it,” said Reid. “Really the intention is to turn 30-40 weeks of lack of utilization into highly activated recreational space that’ll meet the needs of the court community. It’s going to be a pretty neat initiative, now certainly, it’s converting an old barn into something that is multi-function, but it’s a great space and it should be ready this fall for the community.”

The approval from Executive Committee comes at an exciting time for REAL as they are going ahead with the QCX, and teams like the Riders and Pats are expecting to play to full crowds.

Reid says all of these developments put REAL in a place to come out of the pandemic strong.

“There’s enthusiasm around the live sports and live event industry, there’s optimism and there’s people that want to get back to those experiences,” said Reid. “As the CEO, I think, of an organization that’s been around since 1884, I’m not sure that we’re not in for the best decade that we’ve ever had, and that’s pretty exciting.”

The cost to renovate the Canada Centre is expected to be around $3 million, with $2 million coming from the city.