Canovas Energy Hub is located at 1-3905 – 39 Avenue, Lloydminster, Sask. (photo courtesy/ City of Lloydminster)

By Kenneth Cheung

CENOVUS ENERGY HUB

Puck drops on a new era: Lloydminster’s $101M Cenovus Energy Hub to open Oct. 1

Jul 21, 2025 | 12:51 PM

Lloydminster’s new Cenovus Energy Hub is set to open its door on Oct. 1, marking the start of the city’s major recreation investment in years and closing the chapter on the aging Centennial Civic Centre.

“I think that’s going to be the shock and awe, as I’ll call it,” said Mayor Gerald Aalbers. “I think people will be very impressed to see it’s built. It’s well built, it’s functional… and it’ll serve our community for a very long time.”

The grand opening will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the morning, followed by free public skating and facility tours in the afternoon.

The $101-million multi-use arena has been under construction since 2023 and is set to replace the 58-year-old Centennial Civic Centre, which, according to Aalbers, had only four years of life left based on structural assessments.

Now nearing completion, the new complex includes two indoor ice surfaces: a 2,500-seat event arena that can expand to 4,500, a 500-seat community rink and an outdoor rink for seasonal use.

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The facility was designed with flexibility in mind. In addition to hockey and sledge hockey, it will host concerts, trade shows, powwow and indoor sports like basketball and volleyball, thanks to a removable flooring system.

“You are able to leave the ice underneath, so all of a sudden there’s a huge cost advantage for operational cost…we now have just an endless possibility of using that facility for a number of different events,” Aalbers said.

In addition to plans for the Alberta Speed Skating Provincial Championships and the Lloydminster Skating Club’s ice show and year-end carnival, the city said it is also working with local organizations that are currently bidding for future events, according to a recent report to city council.

(City of Lloydminster)

Substantial completion is expected by Aug. 18, with ice installation beginning immediately after. The city is aiming to host the Lloydminster Bobcats’ first home game at the new arena this season.

The Bobcats are among four organizations that have signed lease agreements, alongside the Junior B Bandits, Lakeland College Rustlers, and the Lloydminster Minor Hockey Association. Under a separate five-year agreement, the Bobcats will also run food and beverage services, returning seven per cent of gross sales to the city.

The facility was also designed with accessibility in mind. A $100,000 grant from the U13 Blazers girls’ hockey team—awarded through Chevrolet Canada’s Good Deeds Cup—helped fund barrier-free features, including ramps and bench-level access.

“Our arena was not fully accessible and the girls really felt compelled to try and bring attention to this in our community,” Aalbers said.

(City of Lloydminster)

The total cost of the project is $101.3 million. The city secured $16.3 million each from the governments of Saskatchewan and Canada through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program(ICIP). To help fund its share, council approved a borrowing bylaw for $7.4 million, with the remaining costs covered through $16.9 million in municipal contributions, plus ongoing fundraising and sponsorships. Alberta has not yet provided any provincial funding for the project.

To date, more than $259,000 has been raised through local fundraising efforts, and over $6 million has been contributed by sponsors, among them Cenovus Energy, Synergy Credit Union and Lloydminster Co-op.

The facility is expected to become a tourism draw and boost the region’s economy.

“If Garth Brooks is travelling by bus from Saskatoon to Edmonton and his bus breaks down, it won’t cost a lot to fix it except one good concert,” Aalbers joked.

“We truly believe that people will come here.”

In the long run, the Cenovus Energy Hub is also expected to anchor a broader entertainment district, with future plans that include walking trails, slow-pitch diamonds, a campground, a pavilion and commercial developments.

“It’s great to have memories of the old,” Aalbers said. “But we will be creating some great memories of the new.”

—

Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com