Veterans, sports groups enthusiastic about plan to replace Memorial Arena, Kamloops Curling Club

“The arena was created to commemorate the soldiers who served in the First and Second World Wars, and those are the soldiers who never came home.”

Dedicated on Remembrance Day in 1949, Memorial Arena was the former home of the Kamloops Blazers until Sandman Centre (formerly Riverside Coliseum) opened its doors in 1992. It is still used to this day to host hockey, ball hockey and lacrosse.

“We recognize the realities of a building constructed in 1949 and we acknowledge it has significant maintenance and accessibility needs,” Young added. “That’s why the Legion supports the city’s efforts to plan for a future facility, one that honours the past while meeting the needs of today and tomorrow.”

Memorial Arena in downtown Kamloops. (Image Credit: CFJC Today File)

The Kamloops Curling Club also opened its doors in December 1949 with four sheets of ice. Two more sheets were added in 1964 and the facility was expanded to its current eight-sheet capacity in 1975.

“[We’re] very, very happy to express our wholehearted support for Build Kamloops and the proposed new curling racket facility,” Brian Windsor, a member of the Future of Curling Committee, said. “We’re now reaching 77 seasons of curling in this building and this club has witnessed a lot.”

The Future of Curling Committee was formed in 2022 when the Kamloops and McArthur Island curling clubs signed a memorandum of understanding that laid the groundwork towards a new joint curling facility.

The committee – which also includes representatives from the Kamloops Sports Council – has been sharing ideas for a new facility with the city over the past few years.

“When we eventually leave for a new venue, there will be some sadness but despite the many great memories, I don’t think anyone will argue that it is time,” Windsor added, noting the transition period for curlers in Kamloops has been “exhilarating and challenging.”

“The transition of McArthur Island Curling Club [MICC] to an ice rink was a difficult but necessary step on the road toward today’s announcement. We want to thank club members and the MICC board for keeping the long-term picture in mind an making the integration process so smooth.”

Kamloops Curling Club member Coburn Fadden, who will be making his Brier debut next month, said the new proposed facility presents “a great opportunity” for the future of curling in Kamloops.

“It’s definitely hard feelings about the club shutting down, but it’s not really. It’s almost like a renovation,” Fadden said. “We’re getting something bigger and better and a it’s a huge opportunity for the City of Kamloops.”

Build Kamloops Committee Chair Kelly Hall confirmed Friday (Jan. 23) there will be “new opportunities” for the Legion and the Rocky Mountain Rangers to be a part of this new development, as the city recognizes the “deep history and emotional significance” of the two nearly 80-year-old buildings.

“What we’d refer to as a veteran’s village, pretty much what we normally see as a Legion,” Young said, of a concept for the Kamloops Legion to be represented in the new facility.

“We’d have a lounge, a kitchen, a games room and meeting rooms where we’d be able to host veterans, seniors and members of the community,” he added. “Also, we’d like to see some short-term, long-term veteran housing — low-income housing.”

Growing demand for indoor racquet sports

Kamloops Pickleball Club president Shannon Flannery is among those who are encouraged by the opportunity for indoor court space in the new facility.

“We absolutely need indoor courts,” Flannery said. “We have a number of outdoor courts that help us in the summertime, but in the wintertime, we’re very limited on our resources.”

Pickleball is not the only racquet sport with needs in Kamloops. Squash, racquetball and tennis players have also been invited to upcoming community engagement sessions.

The city said the new facility will support the growing demand for indoor racquet sports, while also increasing Kamloops’ capacity to host national and international events and training camps.

Hall said the city also expects to communicate with the lacrosse community, considering Memorial Arena’s importance to the sport.

“It’s something that we can consider when we take a look at plans with user groups,” Hall said. “You’ve got a substantial pickleball community within Kamloops so there’s going to be a significant opportunity there. Is there a lacrosse opportunity? That’s something that I think the community has got to bring forward and we’ve got to talk about it.”

The city has already announced it will embark on a “multi-year, phased engagement process” to ensure the new facility is “functional, financially viable and reflective of Kamloops residents’ needs and aspirations.”

“We will invite curlers, racket sport enthusiasts, heritage groups, local businesses and the broader community to help shape a facility that reflects the needs and aspirations of the City of Kamloops,” Hall said.

Construction still years away

The ambitious redevelopment will cover a 3.6-acre parcel of land as the city has bought the properties at 761 Lansdowne Street and 770 Victoria Street using a mix of reserve funds and provincial grant money, though a purchase price was not immediately available.

The city already owned the Kamloops Curling Club and the Memorial Arena properties.

“This site was selected because it offers the right space in the right place to meet community needs today and support our long‑term vision for downtown,” a statement from the City of Kamloops said, noting local curlers also wanted to remain downtown.

Hall added the new facility will revitalize the east end of downtown as it aligns with the city’s Downtown Plan.

“This project will replace almost an entire city block into a vibrant hub for active living that integrates curling, racquet sports and has the potential for much more, including fitness space and community gathering areas,” Hall said.

“It’s giving the curling community as well as the racquet sport community an opportunity to see a vision, and I hope the rest of the city of Kamloops recognizes that as well.”

A price tag for the new development is also not yet known, but the city has already received approval to borrow up to $10 million for future Build Kamloops initiatives like the curling and racquet sports facility as part of the 2024 alternative approval process (AAP), which survived a legal challenge.

Hall stressed there is a lot of work to be done before shovels hit the dirt, noting work will only begin once the new arena multiplex in Dufferin has opened its doors. Work on that project is expected to begin later this year and wrap up by 2029.

“We look forward to the next steps and continuing the conversations about how this facility can meet the needs of the community and how it’ll contribute to revitalizing the downtown,” added Hall.

More information on the curling and racquet sports facility can be found here.

by Victor Kaisar & Marty Hastings

Veterans, sports groups enthusiastic about plan to replace Memorial Arena, Kamloops Curling Club

Growing demand for indoor racquet sports

Construction still years away

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