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The long-awaited Lewis Farms Facility and Park in west Edmonton is nearing completion.
The City of Edmonton hosted a media tour of the facility Tuesday, showcasing the progress on the project that is set to be completed in fall 2028.
The project will include a community recreation centre, public library and district park, all of which are still under construction.
On May 1, 2026, the City of Edmonton announced mistahaya wîkihk Community Recreation Centre as the official name of the facility.
The name, gifted by Elder Bob Cardinal of Enoch Cree Nation, is a reminder to all Edmontonians that this land once belonged to Enoch Cree Nation, said the city’s website on the project.
The west-end facility is the last of five mega recreation facilities the city started planning in 2005.
The project has faced a number of hurdles over the years, including delays and debates over its budget and scope.
Program manager Robb Heit talks about some of the circumstances around the project’s budget which is expected to total about $343 million, almost $32 million more than the city expected . (Maxime Lamache/Radio-Canada)
The project’s budget is expected to total about $343 million, almost $32 million more than the city expected.
“I’m tired because I’ve been on this project for 10 years, but I’m also very proud of it and also the people who work on it,” project manager Robb Heit told media after a tour of the facility.
“You can’t see the people behind [the project] who are the people who are building this, but I have nothing I regret. We plan for the future.”
The facility has been designed to accommodate the following amenities:
50-metre lane pool with diving platforms (3- and 5-metre height),Hot tubLeisure pool.Steam room.Waterslide.Twin arena.Multi-purpose, studio spaces and indoor playground space.Fitness centre and running/walking track.Double gymnasium and a separate half gymnasium.Medium-sized Edmonton Public Library branch.Commercial retail unit spaces and a daycare space.
Lewis Farms Facility and Park will have an aquatic facility with a 50-metre lane pool with diving platforms. (Caleb Perreaux/Radio-Canada)
A previous report on the project found it had already been scaled back in 2025. That includes shrinking the pool and gym, and cutting other amenities like a bouldering wall, skatepark and outdoor rink.
“The [budget] ballooning happened before with COVID-19, with all of the events since COVID-19, including trade wars,” Heit said.
“We got our budget set or estimated in 2019. We got our budget approved in 2021, two years later, roughly. So we were fighting headwinds along the whole way.
“What we did was take our core vision of the programs that had to be met and made sure those were kept safe.”
The facility and park are expected to serve more than 80,000 surrounding residents.