TORONTO — A new national basketball centre will be built in Toronto with an injection of $76 million from the federal government.
Humber Polytechnic’s North Campus will be the future home of Canada Basketball, with six gymnasiums for provincial, national and international hoops.
“For more than 40 years, Humber Polytechnic has provided temporary training space for Canada Basketball’s national team athletes, but today we lay a permanent foundation for basketball in Canada,” Canada Basketball president and chief executive officer Michael Bartlett said Wednesday in a statement.
“It is our objective to be the best in the world whenever our teams take to the court, and to be the best for Canada, in the way our sport represents the values of our nation. Thanks to these historic investments and our partnership with Humber Polytechnic, we will soon have the best home for basketball to ensure both of those promises are kept.”
Canada’s men ranked fifth in the world and the women seventh Wednesday. Canada ranked sixth in women’s three-on-three.
The Canadian women’s wheelchair basketball team faced Japan in a world championship quarterfinal Wednesday in Ottawa.
The Toronto facility will include a high-performance training centre, a domed playing field and other spaces for community, academic and athletic uses.
The federal money for the project comes from the Build Communities Strong Fund, which provides $51 billion over the next 10 years and $3 billion per year after that, to build and renew public infrastructure.
“As we continue our nation’s monumental year of sport, the Government of Canada is investing to establish the new home of Canadian basketball at Humber,” Secretary of State Adam van Koeverden said in a statement.
“The Hub will strengthen Canada’s sport system, help athletes at every level pursue excellence, expand participation and create more opportunities to host major sporting events here at home, proving once again that Canada is the best sport-hosting nation in the world.”
The announcement comes as Ottawa rolls out a major investment in Canada’s sport system. The federal government announced $755 million over five years in April, with another $118 million annually after that, to help host international sporting events, support athletes and boost participation in sport.
Last week, Ottawa announced Alpine Canada would be the first group to receive supplementary funding, adding $2.77 million to the $8 million in core funding it will receive this year.
The federal government also committed $26 million, which was matched by Alberta, toward Calgary’s Olympic Oval in July for upgrades to the 39-year-old venue built for the 1988 Winter Games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2026.
The Canadian Press
