The Pan Am/Parapan Am Aquatics Centre and Field House at the University of Toronto Scarborough is one of three new facilities that will be supported by the Toronto 2015 Sport Legacy Fund Plan, which is jointly supported by the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario.
Managed by the independent Toronto Community Foundation, the Legacy Fund will contribute to the operating and capital maintenance of the facilities.
“This Aquatics Centre will give Canadian athletes a new jewel in our sports crown,” said Swimming Canada CEO Ahmed El-Awadi. “Having such a high-end, modern facility in our largest city will have an instant impact, and also benefit our future athletes.”
Bal Gosal, the minister of state for sport, made the announcement alongside Toronto 2015 CEO Ian Troop, and Ontario MPP Michael Chan, the minister responsible for the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games.
The first payments from the Legacy Fund are scheduled to be made in 2014 after the facilities officially open. The Aquatics Centre and Field House, which is one of four potential venues bidding to host Swimming Canada’s 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Trials, will reach substantial completion in July. The facility is currently 65 per cent complete. In the first three years of the Legacy Fund, the Aquatics Centre and Field House is expected to receive approximately $4.1 million.
The 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games in Toronto will be the largest multisport games ever in Canada.
Future allocations will be determined by the Legacy Fund Allocations Committee, based on annual business plans submitted by the facility owners. The allocations committee will consist of seven representatives selected by the Government of Canada, Province of Ontario, Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and the City of Toronto. It is anticipated the fund will last for a minimum of 20 years.
