Turning loss into opportunity
For more than 45 years, the City of Meadow Lake’s arena served as a home for hockey, community events and everyday connection. When a fire destroyed the facility in 2021, the community lost of one of its most important gathering places. Rather than simply replacing the arena, the city seized the opportunity to build a larger, more modern recreation hub that would serve its residents and those across northwest Saskatchewan for generations to come.
With a clear vision for the future, municipal and provincial leaders moved quickly to secure funding and develop plans for a re-imagined recreation centre that could accommodate recreation, civic operations and community events under one roof. As planning progressed, the project evolved from an arena replacement into a multi-purpose community destination designed to support the region’s long-term growth.
Supported through federal, provincial and municipal project funding, the $50 million Meadow Lake Co-op Centre’s scope expanded well beyond an arena replacement. The multi-use facility now includes a new arena, field house, city administration offices, an events centre for community gatherings, and introduces leasing opportunities for local businesses. Two spaces are currently occupied, a sporting goods pro-shop and concession booth, with additional opportunities available for future community or business use.
In addition, the new arena supports both community and competitive hockey, with enhanced spectator areas, upgraded dressing rooms and amenities to accommodate larger tournaments and future junior-level programming.
Throughout planning and design, the city focused on creating a facility that was functional but also reflected the community’s identity. The project evolved collaboratively as priorities and funding opportunities emerged. Additional contributions from the Rural Municipality of Meadow Lake, for example, enabled the city to incorporate the field house into the final design. By strategically refining scope throughout the project, the city maximized the value of its available funding while delivering a modern, multi-purpose space designed to support future growth.
Quick Facts
After losing its original arena to a fire, the City of Meadow Lake initiated a project to build a $50M multi-purpose recreation centre to support long-term community growth.
Delivered using a Design-Build approach, the project brought together city leadership, consultants and the local community to help guide scope, funding and design decisions.
The new Meadow Lake Co-op Centre recognized as a regional gathering place, earning the Northern Saskatchewan PMI Chapter’s Project of the Year Award and the Saskatchewan Municipal Award for Top Municipal Initiative.
Strengthening community cohesion
The city engaged our team in the earliest stages of the project after connecting through the Kinetic Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) program. As project manager and trusted advisor, we worked with the city throughout planning, procurement, community engagement, construction and overall project delivery.
To support the city’s blossoming project vision, we recommended a Design-Build delivery approach that set clear quality objectives, project priorities, and encouraged Design-Builders to find innovative solutions to maximize available funding. Working closely with the City of Meadow Lake’s leadership and project partners, our project management team helped refine and prioritize scope changes, adapt to evolving project requirements, and navigate funding considerations while keeping the community’s long-term vision central to project decision-making.
In addition to our project management services, we brought together experts across multiple service lines to support the project’s success, including our furniture, equipment planning and move readiness teams. This integrated approach included furniture procurement and fit-up for city’s new administration offices, as well as operational planning to help staff transition into the facility and prepare for long-term operations.
The Meadow Lake Co-op Centre has quickly become a central gathering place. Since opening, the facility has hosted major events including an award-winning country music artist and the 2026 Saskatchewan Winter Games, which has created new opportunities for recreation, community programming and regional events. The centre has also received significant regional recognition, earning the Northern Saskatchewan PMI Chapter’s Project of the Year Award and the Saskatchewan Municipal Award for Top Municipal Initiative.
Beyond the facility itself, the project strengthened relationships across the broader community. During construction, the nearby Flying Dust First Nation opened its recreation facilities to accommodate recreational programming displaced by the arena fire. Following the completion of the Co-op Centre, the First Nation became a tenant within the facility, operating the pro-shop, and later co-hosted the 2026 winter games alongside Meadow Lake, reinforcing regional collaboration and shared community investment in the project’s success.
Today, the Meadow Lake Co-op Centre stands as a long-term investment in community wellbeing, regional connectivity and civic growth – built to support decades of activity, connection and local pride.
