Canadian team celebrates after winning the FIBA Basketball World Cup third-place game.
Canadian team celebrates after winning the FIBA Basketball World Cup third-place game.
Article content
Basketball is reaching new heights in this country, and the Canadian government has noticed and is injecting considerable cash to help that continue.
The federal government is putting $76 million into a new home for the Canada Basketball program that will be located at Humber Polytechnic in Etobicoke, Ont.
A number of dignitaries were on hand for the official announcement Wednesday afternoon of the new community centre, which will be the home of Canada Basketball, with six gyms, a state-of-the-art training centre a domed field and more. There will be availability for the public and for Humber students and events will be hosted there.
There at Humber Wednesday were secretary of sport Adam van Koeverden, Ontario premier Doug Ford, secretary of state for labour and Etobicoke North MP John Zerucelli, Canada Basketball president and CEO Mike Bartlett, and Humber Polytechnic president and CEO Ann Marie Vaughan. Canadian hoopers RJ Barrett, Kelly Olynyk, Michelle Plouffe and Yvonne Ejim also took part.
“This is going to be such a great thing because, I don’t know if anybody’s noticing, but Canadian basketball is starting to become really serious,” Barrett told reporters. The Toronto Raptors wing is the son of senior men’s team general manager and 2000 Olympic team co-captain Rowan Barrett.
Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.
Article content
Why now?
“Sport has the power to shape lives and connect people in ways that very few things can,” said Van Koeverden, the former gold medalist in kayaking.
“As we continue our nation’s monumental year of sport, the Government of Canada is investing to establish the new home of Canadian basketball at Humber. The Hub will strengthen Canada’s sport system, help athletes at every level pursue excellence, expand participation and create more opportunities to host major sporting events here at home, proving once again that Canada is the best sport-hosting nation in the world. We’re building Canada Strong, from playground to podium.”
Van Koeverden had said in Calgary on Sept. 11 that the government will invest $112 million into sport, including more than $8 million to Alpine Canada, nearly $10 million for a Canadian soccer facility and nearly $34 million toward rehabilitating Calgary’s Olympic oval. It’s all part of a $1 billion investment in sport.
Canada Basketball has long been underfunded, needing to arguably work much harder than other sports in this country for governmental or corporate support, but the tide has been turning under the leadership of Bartlett, Barrett and others and with so much on-court success.
The Canadian senior men’s team sits fifth in the world in FIBA rankings and won bronze at the most recent World Cup and made its first Olympics since 2000. The women are in a retooling phase, but still rank seventh.
Only the United States has more current NBA players and Hamilton’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning two-time NBA MVP.
The federal government will also provide a $1.8 million Sport Support Program top-up to Canada Basketball’s overall annual funding, totalling $81.3 million for 2026-2027, they said.
“For more than forty years, Humber Polytechnic has given Canada Basketball’s athletes a place to train, today, we lay the permanent foundation for basketball in Canada,” Bartlett said.
“It is our objective to be Best in the world, when our teams take to the court, and Best for Canada, in how our sport represents our nation’s values. With this historic investment and partnership, we will soon have a home to ensure both of those promises are kept. We are grateful to the Government of Canada for recognizing basketball as a sport of national importance, and to Humber Polytechnic for continuing to help make the game accessible.”
The men have already all but qualified for next year’s World Cup and are aiming to medal there as well as in Los Angeles in 2028.
The plan is to break ground on the project next year.