Facility rentals

Available facility rentals

The City of Guelph has a variety of well-priced facilities and parks available to rent to the public for sporting activities, meetings, parties, and special events.

Check out some of our facilities and parks that are available to rent and learn how to book rentals.

Find out today what our indoor and outdoor recreation facilities have to offer. For more information and to inquire about availability, call us at 519-837-5678, email [email protected] or complete a facility rental request form online.

Important dates

We are now accepting new rental requests for the Fall/Winter season (September 2023-March 2024) for the following amenities:

  • Ice
  • Indoor (Gyms, Community Rooms and Guelph Sports Dome)
  • Pools

Spring/Summer season: April-August 2023; accepting new requests:

  • Floor rentals: Date TBD
  • Indoor rentals (Gyms and Community Rooms): Date TBD
  • Guelph Sports Dome rentals: Date TBD
  • Aquatic rentals: Date TBD

How to rent a recreation facility or park

Information on how to apply for a one-time or seasonal booking rental of a recreation facility or park online.

Rates and Fees

Rates for renting facilities or parks are dependent on the following:

  • Facility amenity (e.g. community room, ice, pool)
  • Length of Time (e.g. hourly, half day, full day)
  • Extra fees (e.g. audio-visual equipment, lifeguards)

*Specific rates and fees can be found on the appropriate booking information websites.

Facility discounts

Youth facility discount statementYouth facility discount application

Resources

  • Make sure you have set up a recenroll.ca account complete with your credit card information.
  • Current liability insurance is required to rent a recreation facility or park
  • Individual or group renting must agree to facility rental terms and conditions before reserving space

1. Explore Facility Availability 

Explore and browse facility availability.

2. Rental Application and Agreement

Complete a rental request form or email [email protected]. Please note this is not a final agreement.

A Booking and Events Coordinator will reply acknowledging receipt of your rental application, availability and cost estimate (rental fees and insurance requirements). The Booking and Events Coordinator will create a rental agreement for the applicant to review and they must sign and return the rental agreement and arrange for payment.

Insurance Requirements

All City of Guelph rentals require insurance. Individuals can either purchase insurance through the City of Guelph for an additional fee or provide their own certificate of insurance, up to $2,000,000, listing the City of Guelph as additionally insured.

Facility Allocation Process

Effective January 2023

Process Statement

Aligning with the City’s strategic plan priority of building our future, the Facility Allocation Process informs the scheduling of City of Guelph owned recreation facilities and parks.

Purpose

The Facility Allocation Process outlines how space is scheduled and distributed in City of Guelph recreation and parks public facilities. We’re striving to foster equity and to be more inclusive in our programs and services. This process helps ensure that allocation is managed in a way that balances the needs of all users in a transparent, efficient, and responsible way.

Principles

The principles outlined in this process speak to how allocations are determined. Specifically, facility allocation will:

  • Use a consistent approach among users to ensure transparent distribution of facility space and time.
  • Be fiscally responsible.
  • Not supersede any existing agreements (i.e., GWSA, Guelph Storm, shared use agreements with schools).
  • May limit the allocated time for user groups if facility demand (i.e., rental requests) exceeds supply (i.e., facility time and space available).
  • Manage the scheduling of facilities to utilize space efficiently.
  • Ensure resident access to recreation opportunities through municipal programs initiated and operated by the Recreation Department.
  • Consider the needs of Guelph residents before residents of other communities.
  • Recognize the importance of relationships with community organizations to provide services that benefit Guelph residents.
  • Facilitate scheduling that will support ongoing maintenance and repair of facilities.

Definitions

City of Guelph Recreation Programs and Services

Recreation programs and services offered by the City of Guelph. Programs are open to the public, although in some cases may be targeted at a subset of the public (i.e., seniors, adults, youth). These programs are provided in response to resident demand.

Adult user

Individuals aged eighteen (18) years and older.

Commercial user

Groups that use recreation facilities with the intent of generating a positive net income.

Non-Resident user

Groups with less than eighty (80%) of participants residing in of Guelph.

Occasional user

Groups that use the facility on an irregular or non-consistent basis. Distribution of facility time will be completed on a first come, first serve basis.

Recurring annual user

A customer that uses the facility in a one off or single use manner each year.

Resident user

Groups with more than eighty (80%) of participants residing in Guelph.

Seasonal user

Customers that use the facility on a consistent (weekly or bi-weekly) basis for the entire season.

Senior user

Individuals aged fifty-five (55) years and older.

Special events

A broad range of activities planned to mark special occasions or to achieve special social, cultural, or economic objectives. These events vary in scope, purpose, size, cost, and complexity. Special events may include community festivals, trade shows or exhibitions.

Tournaments

International, national, provincial, and local events which are sanctioned by an appropriate governing body and bring recognition to or increase the public profile of the City of Guelph.

Youth user

Individuals up to and including seventeen (17) years old.

Distribution of Use

The City of Guelph will use the scheduling sequence to guide allocating space for all users.

Facility Allocation Scheduling Sequence

While the City of Guelph provides recreation programs and services directly, the City recognizes the valuable contribution that community organizations and groups play in delivering programs and services that meet community needs and interests.

Prior to any facility space and time being distributed between users, the City is responsible for addressing scheduled maintenance needs/issues, or unsafe conditions (e.g., putting ice in arena facilities and rekeying outdoor facilities). The user will be provided as much notice as possible when a tournament or special event creates an exclusion date in their contract, and alternate facility space can be discussed if available. City of Guelph recreation programs and services maintain their booked hours from previous seasons to accommodate for resident access, giving them opportunities to participate. Occasional users will be scheduled on a first come, first serve basis.

The following scheduling sequence is based on the process principles and will be used to allocate new or newly available facility space. Sequencing was based on a municipal comparator and industry best practices:

  1. City of Guelph Recreation Programs and Services
  2. Youth Resident Users – Seasonal
  3. Senior Resident Users – Seasonal
  4. Adult Resident Users – Seasonal
  5. Commercial Resident Users – Seasonal
  6. Recurring Resident Users – Annual
  7. New Requests from Resident Users
  8. Non-Resident Users

To be considered for the above scheduling sequence, a user must:

  • Be in good financial standing with the City of Guelph (i.e., user does not have outstanding debts from previous years).
  • Complete and submit an organization information form by the date specified in the booking package (if applicable).
  • Provide proof of their status when requested to do so (i.e., participant roster).
  • Utilize or return all allocated time.
  • Adhere to all contract conditions.

The City will take every measure to accommodate all user needs and requests. However, the City does not guarantee the automatic renewal of rental time.

Distribution based on past use

Efforts will be made to provide some consistency in facility scheduling (i.e., location, time, or hours booked) from year to year, or season to season. However, each season, we aim to provide balance around new or emerging requests.
Allocations will be completed on a seasonal basis. The Facility Booking Team will send last year’s allocation to users. It is the user’s responsibility to be aware of and meet booking timelines. Users will confirm their continued use of that time. Users that apply late will be considered a new request.

Users who need facility space beyond what they have been granted in previous seasons should identify the desired dates/times in their application form. All requests for additional time will be reviewed in the scheduling sequence as a new request. Please be aware that some space booked is for this season only and may not be part of the ongoing allocation process.

Once provided facility time from the City of Guelph, users are responsible for their program delivery (i.e., splitting up time between different age levels, teams, and skill levels).

Unused Allocation

All users must utilize or return all allocated times. The City of Guelph, in collaboration with users, will strive to minimize the impact of unused facility space. Users should notify their Facility Booking Coordinator that a space will not be used as soon as possible to provide opportunity for re-allocation. Repeat non-usage (i.e., users constantly returning allocated space) will result in losing the space.

Scheduling Tournaments and Special Events

Use the special event application process for tournaments and special events.
Requests should be submitted as early as possible – at time of applying for a tournament (before it is awarded). When possible, tournaments and special events are scheduled before regular season or occasional use rentals to avoid conflicts.
Staff will work with user, City programming and other impacted users to reach a mutually agreeable allocation. For instance, public access needs to be retained for items like public skating and public swimming.

Building our Future

It is our desire to have facility space available for new or emerging users. New or newly available facility space will be allocated using the scheduling sequence. If there is the supply (i.e., facility time and space available), the user may be granted allocation.

If the demand outweighs the supply, those requests that can’t be accommodated will be placed on a waiting list. If there is a continuing trend where demand (i.e., requests for facility time) exceeds supply, the tracked requests will help demonstrate the need for additional facility time and space to support our community and its future growth. The Facility Booking Team, in consultation with the management team will review these continuing requests that cannot be accommodated by facility allocation and booking staff.

References

The following documents are related to facility use:

  • Booking Information Package
  • Facility Rental Agreement
  • Cancellation and Withdrawal Policy
  • User Fees Bylaw