The City of Miramichi is in the process of constructing a major new multi-use community recreation complex (the “Multiplex” – Arbec Wellness Centre) which will significantly enhance the level of recreation services enjoyed by residents of the City of Miramichi and surrounding communities. Alongside this major capital project is a need to modernize the City’s operational policies governing its allocation practices, cost recovery targets, applicable fees and policies regarding subsidization.

This Project will include a systematic review of the policies and procedures related to recreation facility allocation, fees and subsidization, an evaluation of practices in comparable municipalities, as well as extensive community and stakeholder engagement.

The end goal of the Project is to make recommendations and present an action plan to Council that ensures that access to facilities, both indoor and outdoor, is fair, equitable, responsive to cost recovery targets, and represents a sustainable model of recreation service delivery across all facilities that are managed by the City.

The resulting plan will be informed by the City’s plans to open the new recreation centre by the Fall of 2026 and related plans to decommission existing recreation assets which are, as a result, deemed surplus to requirements.