Whitby’s biggest-ever recreation project delivers new sports and wellness hub

The Town of Whitby’s largest-ever recreation investment opened to the public in mid-September.

The $154.9 million Fieldgate Sports ComplexConstruction of Whitby Sports Complex (WSC)StatusAwardValue$125.4MLocationWinchester Rd E & Baldwin St, Whitby ONSectorPublic – CityTypeFitness/Rec Centers · LEED Certification · New ConstructionData as of October 5, 2026View Project Page → will serve as a hub for recreation, sports, wellness and community connection. The complex was built to accommodate the town’s growing population and address the need to replace aging facilities.

Whitby is one of Canada’s fastest-growing municipalities, with its population of approximately 140,000 (Statistics Canada 2024) expected to reach 190,000 by 2031.

The 160,000-square-foot complex on Baldwin Street South near the Highway 407 intersection was designed by Perkins&Will Architecture and built by Ledcor. Its nature-inspired design is meant to mimic shards of ice splitting through dark rock during the spring thaw.

The sports complex’s aquatics centre is the largest in Durham Region with a 25-metre, 10-lane main pool and separate leisure pool. The double gymnasium includes an indoor walking track. Flexible spaces provide spaces for community meetings and programs.

Outdoor amenities include the town’s first artificial turf sports field, lit pickleball, tennis courts and basketball courts, a skatepark, a pump track and a playground. It was named the Fieldgate Sports Complex in December 2025 following council approval of a $1.5 million, 10-year naming rights agreement with Fieldgate Homes.

The project was identified as a priority through Whitby’s Community Strategic Plan and long-range recreation planning.

Commissioner of community services John Romano says community input played a significant role in shaping the final design as the town undertook one of the largest public engagement initiatives in its history. Feedback was gathered through surveys, public meetings, stakeholder sessions and staff engagement, with more than 7,000 people participating throughout the planning process.

Residents consistently named outdoor recreation space as a priority and the town acquired an additional 13 acres next to the site to create Roybrook Park, to support more outdoor amenities, such as the skatepark and pump track, and pickleball and tennis courts.

“The Fieldgate Sports Complex is more than a recreation facility — it’s a reflection of our community’s vision for the future,” says Mayor Elizabeth Roy. “Delivering this facility is one of the 62 action items in Whitby’s Community Strategic Plan, and it’s so exciting to see it come to life. “

It’s the first zero carbon building and LEED Gold facility in Canada to include a twin-pad arena, gymnasium, and aquatics facility, according to the town.

Sustainable features include a geothermal district energy system that will use ground-source energy for heating and cooling and a rooftop solar photovoltaic array of hundreds of panels that will generate about 15 per cent of the energy to run the facility.

No fossil fuels will be used for daily heating. Other efficiency measures include low-emissions cooling, using specialized low Global Warming Potential refrigerants for the arena, and mechanical systems that capture and redirect excess heat (such as routing thermal energy from the arena) to pool heating and under-seat spectator viewing areas.

Accessibility features include a 120-square-foot suspended accessibility ramp in the main lobby, wheelchair ramps, ramp access into the swimming pools, widened automated doorways and barrier-free signage and slip-resistant flooring. It incorporates gender-neutral and universal washrooms and change rooms and the outdoor children’s playground is fully accessible.

The surrounding property will have a rewilded landscape design with a focus on native plants and biodiversity, while optimizing the ground for natural stormwater management.

Romano expects the facility will become one of the town’s busiest recreation facilities. In advance of the community celebration and grand opening in September, the complex’s two arenas were officially opened earlier this summer to host the annual Ontario Lacrosse Festival at the end of July. It was the world’s largest youth lacrosse event, with an attendance of around 55,000.

The Fieldgate Sports Complex will be used by multiple sports groups such as the Whitby Minor Hockey Association, Whitby Pickleball, the Whitby Minor Lacrosse Association and the Whitby Girls Hockey Association.

With ice sports moving to the new complex, another Whitby sports complex, the 1973 Luther Vipond Memorial Arena in Brooklin, will be used for expansion of local play and training space for floor-based sports such as lacrosse, ball hockey and soccer, and for community events such as the Brooklin Spring Fair. A longer-term vision for the Vipond arena will be explored through a new Brooklin Memorial Park Master Plan planned for development in 2029.