Northern Alberta is getting one of its most ambitious recreational facilities in years.
Lac La Biche County is building a $44.9 million aquatic centre attached to the existing Bold Centre recreation complex, with a mid-2026 opening on track. The facility has been under construction since February 2024, and as of the most recent update, interior work is progressing with leak testing on the main pools completed and mechanical and electrical systems being connected throughout the building.
The project is the largest capital investment in Lac La Biche County's history. It is also the first public pool the community has ever had.
What the facility includes
The new aquatic centre covers 30,000 square feet and attaches directly to the Bold Centre building. The amenity list is significant for a community of this size.
The facility includes a six-lane, 25-metre competition lap pool with diving board and viewing gallery, a leisure pool with resort deck, beach entry, teaching area, and water features warm enough for young children, a lazy river with play elements, two water slides one full-sized and one designed for toddlers two hot tubs including a family hot tub and an adults-only hot tub, an outdoor patio and hot tub, a steam room and sauna, a Nordic spa and wellness area, and multipurpose rooms available for booking.
What the Bold Centre actually is
The aquatic centre is not being built in isolation. It is an addition to the Bold Centre one of the largest regional recreation complexes in northern Alberta.
The Bold Centre opened in 2011 and covers more than 200,000 square feet. Under one roof it houses a full NHL-sized arena, a second ice surface, a curling rink with eight sheets, a gymnastics facility, a fitness centre, an indoor walking track, squash courts, a climbing wall, multipurpose rooms, and a food court. It serves not just Lac La Biche but a wide regional catchment covering multiple rural municipalities and First Nations communities across the Lakeland region.
When the aquatic centre opens, the Bold Centre becomes one of the most comprehensively equipped recreation facilities in rural Alberta. The addition brings the one major category the building was missing. Residents who have driven to Athabasca, Edmonton, or Fort McMurray for aquatic programming won't have to anymore.
The Bold Centre's 15th anniversary also falls in 2026 the same year the aquatic centre opens, which the county has flagged as the foundation for major celebration programming.
What a Nordic spa means and why it matters here
The Bold Centre aquatic centre includes a Nordic spa an amenity that raises the facility above a standard community pool.
A Nordic spa is a wellness circuit based on Scandinavian bathing traditions. The experience involves alternating between hot environments such as steam rooms, saunas, and hot tubs, and cold environments such as cold plunge pools or cool water features, with rest periods between each. The contrast between hot and cold is used to improve circulation, reduce muscle tension, and support recovery which is why Nordic spas have become standard in high-end athletic and wellness facilities across Canada.
In Alberta, Nordic spa experiences have traditionally been concentrated in resort destinations: Banff, Jasper, and Canmore all have premium facilities that attract visitors specifically for that experience. Finding a Nordic spa inside a county recreation centre in Lac La Biche is unusual and it reflects the county's deliberate positioning of this facility as a regional wellness destination, not just a community pool.
For residents of Lac La Biche and surrounding communities, it means access to a premium wellness experience without the drive to a mountain resort town. For visitors, it is the kind of amenity that justifies a trip.
Who built it and how the budget changed
In March 2023, Lac La Biche County announced it had selected EllisDon and DIALOG as the design-build team for the aquatic facility. At that point the project was expected to cost $27 million, with $15 million coming from federal and provincial government grants and $12 million from the county. Turnbull Construction Project Managers Ltd. was hired to oversee the project.
EllisDon and DIALOG are not small regional contractors. Their combined portfolio includes the Royal Alberta Museum, the Walterdale Bridge in Edmonton, and the Calgary Cancer Centre projects that demonstrate the kind of large-scale institutional construction experience the Lac La Biche facility required.
By October 2023 roughly seven months after the design-build team was announced the budget had escalated significantly. County council approved a borrowing bylaw for $44.9 million, nearly $18 million above the original estimate. The increased budget reflects the progressive design-build process, in which the final contract price is not locked in until the design is sufficiently developed. Cost escalation of this kind is common in major construction projects where detailed design work reveals scope and complexity that was not fully captured in early estimates.
The funding breakdown at the approved budget: $6 million from the federal government, $9 million from the Government of Alberta through Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding, and $29.9 million from Lac La Biche County through a 20-year borrowing term at six percent interest.
The original completion target was fall 2025. Construction has since progressed to a mid-2026 opening.
Why Lac La Biche built it
The county completed two years of feasibility studies and community consultation before committing to the project, starting in 2021. The process identified aquatic programming as the top recreational priority for residents across the county.
Lac La Biche sits at the junction of Highways 55 and 36, roughly 220 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. It is a regional hub for Indigenous, Métis, and francophone communities across a large geographic area. The county has been explicit about the economic rationale alongside the community rationale the aquatic centre is intended to attract new residents, retain existing families, and position Lac La Biche as a sport tourism destination capable of hosting regional and provincial swim competitions.
"The opening of the aquatic facility at the Bold Centre will be the envy of northeast Alberta," the county said in its concept plan, "acting as an amenity to attract new residents, visitors and keeping families in the County."
Mackenzie Zilinski, Communications and Partnerships Officer with Lac La Biche County, confirmed the facility is expected to attract new community members and visitors to the region and will serve as a hub for recreation and wellness programming.
Where things stand now
Construction is nearing completion as of mid-2026. Crews are focused on interior finishes, pool commissioning, and preparing the building for operational readiness. The main east entrance to the Bold Centre has been closed during construction access has been available through the food court on the west side of the building.
Lac La Biche County has also opened sponsorship and naming opportunities for the facility, giving community members and local businesses the chance to be formally associated with the finished product.
Lac La Biche County will announce a specific opening date as commissioning is completed. Current construction updates, the project timeline, and sponsorship information are at boldcentreaquatics.com and laclabichecounty.com.
Sources:
Lac La Biche County — Aquatics Facility project page (laclabichecounty.com/p/aquatics-facility)
Bold Centre — Aquatics Facility page (boldcentreaquatics.com)
Alberta Major Projects Registry — Lac La Biche Regional Aquatics Centre Addition (majorprojects.alberta.ca)
Lac La Biche County Council — borrowing bylaw approval, October 2023
CFWE Northern Alberta — Construction of New Aquatics Centre in Lac La Biche Near Completion, March 27, 2026 (cfweradio.ca)
