Portage Regional Fieldhouse

The City of Portage la Prairie, RM of Portage la Prairie, and Southport Aerospace Centre Inc. have partnered to develop a conceptual design for a new Regional Fieldhouse, creating exceptional recreational opportunities for our region. This partnership, which began in 2025, has recently received tremendous support from the Province of Manitoba, contributing $5,000,000 toward construction. 

The Fieldhouse is envisioned as a vibrant community hub where athletes, families, and residents of all ages can stay active, connect, and thrive. While additional approvals are still required to move the project forward, stakeholder engagement remains a key part of the process to ensure the right decisions are made for the long-term benefit of our region. Together, this project represents a bold step toward enhancing recreation, wellness, and community life across the region.

Recreation doesn't stop at the City boundaries, and access shouldn't either. Southport Aerospace Centre Inc. sits within the RM, just 5km south of the City of Portage la Prairie. It's central, accessible, and positioned to serve the entire region.

Southport has experience operating and managing recreational facilities. Adding a fieldhouse to existing recreation spaces creates something bigger than a single building; it creates a hub, a multi-use, multi-generational centre for activity and connection.

Across the province, communities are building indoor turf facilities (fieldhouses) to provide year-round access to training, recreation, and competition space. However, the majority of these facilities are located in Winnipeg, leaving much of rural Manitoba without similar opportunities.

This presents a clear opportunity. By developing a fieldhouse here, we can create a year-round sports and recreation facility that currently does not exist within an 80 km radius — expanding access, supporting local athletes, and strengthening our regional community.  

The fieldhouse will be located just south of Central Plains RecPlex (Southport), with an adjoining hallway to the RecPlex.

This project is currently in the early planning stages. Details remain preliminary and are subject to change as planning progresses.

Potential Tax Impact

Council is supportive of this project and is exploring options on how to fund it. Funding options would generally include:

• Borrowing money from a bank and repaying it over time (with interest), or
• Using City savings (reserves) and repaying those funds over time, or
• A combination of both borrowing and savings.

As this decision has not been finalized, the exact tax impact is not yet known. Based on current information and a range of possible funding approaches, a residential property with an assessed value of $250,000 will see an estimated annual tax increase between $41.06 and $72.56.

This estimated range is based on several assumptions, including:

• A City contribution of $5 million;
• No additional grants or sponsorships beyond what has currently been contributed by the Province of Manitoba ($5,000,000);
• No growth in the tax base (no new homes or businesses);
• Assumed interest rates if borrowing is required; and
• Different possible repayment timeframes for debt or reserve repayment (paying the money back over 15 or 20 years).

The City of Portage la Prairie, the RM of Portage la Prairie and Southport Aerospace Centre Inc. will be actively pursuing additional grants and sponsorships for this project. If additional funding is secured, the City’s contribution would decrease, which would also reduce the tax impact on residents.

As decisions have not yet been made, further details will be shared as Council discussions continue.

Follow the link for additional information: Portage Regional Fieldhouse