Brantford approves plans for new sports and entertainment complex

A concept image shows what Brantford's new sports and entertainment centre could look like. (Courtesy: Brantford City Council documents, Dathe Wong, Canada Stantec.

The City of Brantford will be getting a new sports and entertainment complex just a few years after approving millions of dollars in renovations for its Civic Centre.

On Thursday, Brantford City Council approved a plan to move forward with the new facility built next to the TD Civic Centre on Market Street, which is currently the home arena for the Brantford Bulldogs.

In 2025, the Ontario Hockey league approved transferring ownership of the team to a group that included NHL player Zach Hyman. The deal cemented Brantford as the team’s home, but also included a Memorandum of Understanding for a 15-year-lease agreement that would see the Brantford Bulldogs become the anchor tenant for a new sports and entertainment facility.

When the Bulldogs moved to the telephone city in 2023, it was understood they could not stay permanently unless major improvements were make to bring the arena up to OHL standards. To reach that threshold, the city spent $7.5 million to renovate the Civic Centre.

The city already hosts four NHL-sized ice rinks at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre. However, the seating is not considered adequate for an OHL arena, with only 1,000 seats in the main arena and 250 seats at each of the other ice pads.

“Brantford means a lot to hockey. It’s the home of Wayne Gretzky,” Stewart Hyman, CEO and alternate governor of the Brantford Bulldogs, said at a special city council meeting Thursday. “It’s known worldwide as one of the centres for developing amazing youth hockey, as well as junior hockey.”

Hyman said the city has been incredibly welcoming to the team and they appreciate all the support they have received both from council and fans.

Plans for the new facility envision a four-storey building with spaces for the Bulldog team, private suites, 5,235 seats and media areas.

“Hockey is a big thing, but it is not only what this building is for,” Dathe Wong, design director with Canada Stantec, explained while showcasing the conceptual building designs. “This is an image of a concert when this house is full. The scoreboard retracts, the lighting etc., etc., is set up for a concert. You can imagine that this is certainly designed to host this kind of event as well.”

The project is expected to cost $152 million, including a $5 million contingency fund.

$140 million of that funding would come from municipal debenture, a form of debt, and the remaining balance would be covered by a reserve funded by city land sales, casino revenues, fundraising, sponsorships, operator contributions, revenues from the Municipal Accommodation Tax and incremental tax increases from development in the downtown area.

“The [sports and entertainment complex] would not require any contribution from existing taxpayers,” a city document stated.

Michael Bradley, the city’s CAO, said parking will take a diversified approach.

“There will be parking on site. Acknowledging, given where the building is, we will lose parking from what is currently existing on the site,” he said. “The site will have about 360 spots on it.”

Meantime, the city has begun discussions with the casino to try to find more solutions. There is also a city-owned parkade nearby at 59 Icomm Drive. That three-level parking garage has 941 spaces.

Construction is expected to start in early 2026 and wrap up in early 2028.