Find information and answers to common questions about the Burnhamthorpe Community Centre redevelopment project. Learn more about public consultation and how the new facility will meet the interests of the community and benefit residents for years to come.
Several updates and improvements are planned for the indoor arena, which will include:
- refrigeration plant equipment replacements
- sliding doors into arena added to improve accessibility
- elevator in arena lobby to improve accessibility
- new arena lobby flooring and wall finishes
- new HVAC unit servicing arena change rooms
- Improved connection, access and visibility from arena to the rest of the community centre
- electric zamboni and charging station
- ice re-surfacer snow smelting pit using excess refrigeration plant heat, which will help keep our machine inside and no piles of snow dumped in the parking lot
- upper arena viewing gallery refreshed
The Burnhamthorpe Community Centre will fully re-open to the public in late Fall of 2023. More information about the project milestones is available online.
There are currently 11 indoor pools in Mississauga operated by the City. The primary pool for Ward 3 residents is the Glen Forest School pool. This pool is approximately 50 years old, does not meet current accessibility standards and would require millions of dollars of upgrades to improve.
The City and our residents have been planning for several years to decommission this school pool and renovate the Burnhamthorpe Community Centre to add a much-needed, improved aquatics facility.
With aging demographics, the new warm water therapeutic pool will provide additional benefits, providing opportunities for rehabilitation and physical activity to promote well-being for the aging population.
The renovation project has been discussed publicly at Council, Budget Committee and at various meetings and consultations at Burnhamthorpe Community Centre for many years (including community consultation on Recreation’s Future Directions Master Plan, Youth Plan and Older Adult Plan).
A dedicated public information session about this project was also held on October 1, 2020.
After Council approved funding for the Burnhamthorpe Community Centre redevelopment project and the design commenced, it became clear that the outdoor rink would have to be removed to make room for the complete community centre that would benefit so many residents. City staff carefully reviewed the impact of removing the outdoor rink, and our review noted that the rink only operates about four months per year and drop-in programming has an overall fill rate of only 30%. The recommendation to remove the outdoor rink was supported by staff. While the rink serves an average 500 visitors per week for four months, the newly expanded areas of the community centre (pool, therapy tank and fitness centre) will serve 6,000 visitors per week year-round. While the decision was informed by the design and site requirements, it was supported by the fact that the outdoor rink equipment has come to the end of its lifecycle as well, requiring significant capital improvements.
Multiple design options were considered for the redevelopment project, as we had hoped to keep the Burnhamthorpe outdoor rink. However due to site challenges with grading and limited space to expand, the design required the addition to be attached to the northeast side of the building (in the location of the outdoor rink).
As a result of the pandemic, we have seen an increased demand for public skating and residents have indicated a desire to replace the outdoor rink at a new location. Following community consultation, a new refrigerated rink will be considered for the nearby Gulleden Park as part of the planned park redevelopment immediately following the Burnhamthorpe Community Centre project.
Improvements will be made to the indoor arena at Burnhamthorpe Community Centre and residents will continue to have access to a total of 23 pads of ice across the City.
Based on the declining use of arenas in Mississauga, which is a trend that all of the Greater Toronto Area is seeing, we will continue to be able to meet the demand with this inventory.
Subject to community consultation, a new refrigerated rink will be considered for the nearby Gulleden Park as part of the planned park redevelopment.
While not refrigerated plants, we also offer free access to approximately 25 natural rinks city-wide in partnership with local communities.
We understand that a key benefit of the Burnhamthorpe outdoor rink has been the free drop-in programming, so upon re-opening we are committed to offering comparable free and low cost drop-in programming at the indoor arena.
We will continue our efforts to offer options to keep skating accessible and affordable.
Subject to community consultation, a new refrigerated rink will be considered for the nearby Gulleden Park as part of the planned park redevelopment.
Yes, the indoor rink (Chic Murray Arena) remains a significant amenity within the community centre.
The project’s Corporate Green Building Standard initiatives are projected to achieve LEVEL 1 targets.
Some of the features include:
- Increased roof and wall assembly insulation for better thermal performance
- Installation of high efficiency HVAC equipment to reduce energy consumption
- Installation of new high efficiency snow melt system for indoor arena with heat recovery
- Incorporation of Bicycle infrastructure
- Bird-friendly glazing
- Construction waste management : Aiming for 75% diversion rate of the total construction and demolition materials for minimum of 3 material streams
- Storm water management carried with Flow Control Roof Drain system
- Use of Low-impact material with Low/No VOC materials
A universal changeroom is an accessible, welcome space for everyone. The space is accessible to people with reduced mobility, and allows people of all gender identities, parents, and caregivers to be together in the same space. There will be a variety of change stall sizes (individual, family, universal), and these stalls will be completely private, with nearly floor to ceiling partitions.
The City team has visited and discussed this changeroom design with many of our neighbouring municipalities who have moved to this model in recent years. They have stated that this design works very well for participants, are much more operationally efficient from a cleaning and maintenance perspective, and allows for complete flexibility in how they are used based on pool programming.