Joint Multi-Use Recreation Feasibility Assessment

On this page:
1. Project Updates
2. Public Consultation and Survey
3. Staff Reports & Council Decisions
4. Frequently Asked Questions

Following completion of the 2021 Leisure Activities Plan, the Town of The Blue Mountains approved funding toward the delivery of a feasibility assessment regarding a multi-use recreation facility. The Town of Collingwood had also approved funding toward the delivery of a feasibility assessment through its 2019 Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan. Both Plans indicated that there were opportunities to utilize a regional approach to increase efficiency, reduce redundancy and provide accurate delivery of services throughout a future timeframe.

The feasibility assessment will confirm community needs for both the current timeframe as well as a defined future scope. This assessment will also review business alternatives to determine the most effective means of delivering services. Tools that will be used are expected to be an analysis of current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, in addition to community consultation, research of best practices, planning and forecasting tools, and the contextual review and application of other municipal plans and documents. The goal is to establish a better understanding of the needs of both communities, not to determine what a single facility will look like or where it will be located. The results are expected to provide Council with the information required to make a “go/no-go” decision on further progressing plans that could lead to a major capital project.

The model of integrating library services into a community centre has proven effective in several municipalities across the province. Therefore, as a measure of efficiency and timing opportunity, The Collingwood Library and The Blue Mountains Public Library will also be included as key contributors through the assessment.

Why Now?
Funding for individual feasibility studies was recommended through both The Blue Mountains’ 2021 Leisure Activities Plan and the Town of Collingwood’s 2019 Parks Recreation and Culture Master Plan. The municipalities have both received Council consent to work on a joint feasibility plan to investigate a regional approach.

Project Updates

December 3, 2025 - Council direction to pursue partnership approach

At their meeting on Monday, December 1, Town Council moved and voted in favour of a motion to pursue a partnership approach for the next phase of developing a business case for a Multi-Use Recreation Facility. Town staff will proceed to prepare a response to the letter from the Town of Collingwood entitled “RE: Proposed Multi-Use Recreational Facility, Town of Collingwood”, as outlined in the analysis section of Staff Report CS.25.046.

For more information, please view the Staff Reports & Council Decisions section of this page.

View Staff Reports

Staff from the Town of The Blue Mountains and the Town of Collingwood are continuing to refine the final draft report of the Multi-Use Recreation Feasibility Assessment. Once the draft report is finalized, a joint Council meeting will be scheduled where staff will present the findings of the study, and seek direction on next steps. Project team staff from Collingwood and The Blue Mountains will be meeting in the coming weeks with the goal of selecting a date for this joint meeting. An update will be posted as soon as a date has been selected.
The final report for the Joint Multi-Use Recreation Feasibility Assessment (MURFA) has been postponed until the new year. The MURFA Project Team has received a copy of the draft report from Colliers and is currently reviewing it. Given the importance of this project, time is being taken to carefully review the report and provide feedback to Colliers before the final report is presented to Council. The Town of the Blue Mountains and the Town of Collingwood Clerks’ departments are working to schedule a meeting in January that works for all involved. Once confirmed, the date and time will be provided to the public.
Colliers Project Leaders will be presenting a high-level overview of the Multi-Use Recreation Feasibility Assessment survey results at a Joint Special Meeting of Council between the Town of The Blue Mountains and the Town of Collingwood on Wednesday October 30, 2024 beginning at 5:00 p.m. The presentation will provide a summary of the public engagement completed to date, and will give both Councils the opportunity to ask any questions they may have. Staff are not asking either Council to provide further direction or make decisions on the project at this time. Colliers continues to work on gathering data and analytics required to put together the final project report. This report is anticipated to be completed and presented before the end of 2024.
The meeting was livestreamed on the Town of The Blue Mountain's website and on the Town of Collingwood's YouTube channel. Opening remarks begin at the 10:00 mark of the meeting recording.
View Meeting Recording
View Presentation Deck
Colliers staff will be attending multiple upcoming events in The Blue Mountains and Collingwood to host pop-up engagement events. These events will be casual, drop-in events where members of the public can ask questions about the project, get help completing the survey and generally learn more about the process. For the full list of dates and locations, visit the Public Consultation section on this page.
View Public Consultation and Survey
Members of the public are encouraged to complete the survey to share details about their usage and priorities for existing recreational and library facilities, and to share what is desired for future facilities. A simplified version of the survey has also been prepared for youth in the community under the age of 18. Both surveys will be open until September 30, 2024. Visit the Public Consultation section on this page for details
View Public Consultation and Survey
Staff Report CSOPS.23.050 was received by Town Council through the August 14 Committee of the Whole agenda. Council directed staff to collaborate with staff from the Town of Collingwood regarding a blending of resources to accomplish a feasibility assessment that incorporates both municipalities’ needs. Through this agreement, each municipality would contribute $100,000 to the study budget for a total of $200,000.
View Staff Report
The Blue Mountains Public Library (BMPL) Board presented a report to Town Council seeking support for a new library build to service the east end of the community. Council received the report and directed Staff to consult with the Craigleith Working Group, include the BMPL in development of the Multi-Use Centre Feasibility Study and requested the BMPL to provide a Needs Assessment Report in the Fall of 2023 concerning the proposed east end library build.
View Report

Public Consultation and Survey

The Town would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey or attend a consultation session. Colliers continues to work on gathering data and analytics required to put together the final project report. This report is anticipated to be completed and presented in early 2025.

Email Updates

For ongoing updates regarding this study, please subscribe to our dedicated project email list using the link below.

Staff Reports & Council Decisions

December 1, 2025 - Direction to pursue partnership approach

Staff Report CS.25.046 was presented to Committee of the Whole on Monday, November 17. The report included a full analysis of options to consider as the next step of the project. These options included pursuing a partnership approach with the Town of Collingwood, moving forward independently and directing staff to end work on the project. Committee passed a motion directing staff to move forward independently. This direction would not preclude The Blue Mountains from partnering with Collingwood, but would allow the Town to explore other opportunities or partnerships as well.

This motion was pulled for further discussion at the Council meeting on Monday, December 1. Following discussion, Council moved and voted in favour of a motion to pursue a partnership approach. Town staff will proceed to prepare a response to the letter from the Town of Collingwood entitled “RE: Proposed Multi-Use Recreational Facility, Town of Collingwood”, as outlined in the analysis section of the report.

Presentation of the report to Committee begins at the 7:07:20 mark of the meeting recording.

View Committee Meeting Recording

Discussion of the report by Council begins at the 6:24:00 mark of the meeting recording.

View Council Meeting Recording

Staff Report CSOPS.24.050 was presented to Council on Monday, June 24. The report provided background and an overview of the joint Multi-Use Recreation Feasibility Assessment. As part of the report, Colliers Project Leaders made a presentation outlining the project objective, approach, proposed work plan and next steps. They also answered preliminary questions from Council at the meeting, prior to the formal public engagement process beginning. Council voted 7-0 to receive the report for information purposes.
Presentation of the report begins at the 2:19:00 mark of the Council meeting recording.
View Meeting Recording

Holiday Closures and Service Impacts

Why Now?