Federal government invests $76 million in national basketball centre in Toronto

Federal authorities have allocated $76 million to construct a national basketball centre in Toronto. This investment will fund the creation of the facility, which will serve as the home base for Canada Basketball. The new centre, located at Humber Polytechnic's North Campus, will feature six gymnasiums for use by provincial, national, and international basketball teams.

Additionally, the facility will include a high-performance training centre, a domed playing field, and spaces dedicated to community, academic, and athletic activities.

The funding for this ambitious project is sourced from the federal government's Build Communities Strong Fund. This fund is designed to allocate $51 billion over the next decade, with an additional $3 billion annually thereafter, towards the development and maintenance of public infrastructure.

Humber Polytechnic previously provided temporary training space for the national basketball teams. However, the new national basketball centre will offer a permanent solution, potentially enabling Canada Basketball to elevate the sport in the country. Michael Bartlett, president and chief executive officer of Canada Basketball, emphasized in a statement that having a permanent home can contribute to Canada's goal of becoming the best in the world in basketball.