The Sports Dome: what's actually been decided
Last verified June 14, 2026 · Every claim links to its source · Jump to sources
The short version
No dome has been approved, budgeted, designed, or sited. What council has actually decided (April 2026): commission a feasibility study — if grant money can be found to pay for it. If not, staff will ask for $50,000 in the 2027 budget to fund the study. The only public cost figure is from a 2023 staff report: up to $6.3 million for the largest (football-capable) option. Everything beyond that is conversation, not decision.
The only published cost figures
The $50K is the study; the $6.3M is the 2023 estimate for the largest option — no decision to build, and no cost estimate newer than 2023. Source: Township staff reports.
Where the idea came from
The dome was first raised in a public deputation to council in 2023, and has been championed by Deputy Mayor Keith Bell, who calls it a long-held dream. A 2023 staff report costed various dome types — up to $6.3M for the football-sized version — and council at the time said it wasn't affordable, while letting Bell keep exploring partnerships. A June 2025 motion for a staff feasibility report failed; in October 2025 council reconsidered and approved one, with Coun. Sherri Bell the only vote opposed. [OrilliaMatters, Oct 9, 2025]
Location is not fixed. Bell has suggested the Ramara Centre; Coun. Jennifer Fisher asked that multiple locations be examined. Bell has also publicly denied a rumour that the library would close to make room: "That never happened." [OrilliaMatters, Oct 9, 2025]
The case for, and the case against — in their own words
For pursuing it
Deputy Mayor Keith Bell: points to the schools and kids in Ramara who could use a year-round facility — "another project we need to consider for families, development, for a lot of reasons, for everybody." His timeline: "probably five to 10 years away, but you've got to plant the seed now."
Mayor Basil Clarke: "I would hope, myself, that we never put it to rest" — favouring continued pursuit of public or private partnerships.
Coun. Jennifer Fisher (on the study): a feasibility study could settle the affordability question once and for all — "Then we can put it to rest."
Against
Coun. Sherri Bell (the lone vote against in October 2025): the ~$6M cost "is not in the township's budget"; taxpayers can't afford it and staff are already stretched. "It seems that it's a pet project that we're trying to move forward on the back of the taxpayers, and I can't support that. It's not fiscally responsible." She'd welcome a private operator instead: "As a private enterprise, feel free to come in… fill your boots."
All quotes: [OrilliaMatters, Oct 9, 2025]
What comparable townships do
For context on the affordability question, the research on small Ontario municipalities is consistent. Municipally owned air domes cluster in larger cities; small and mid-sized townships that own and run one are rare, and a clean rural-township example (population 8,000–30,000) with published capital and operating figures was not found. Where domes pencil out, the numbers usually assume a school board or club carrying daytime use or capital; where that partner failed, the municipality absorbed the loss (Guelph took over a defaulted dome in 2018, running roughly $336,000 in operating cost against about $88,000 in revenue, and kept it only because it was the sole year-round field). A consultant benchmark is roughly one artificial-turf field per ~65,000 people, well above Ramara's ~9,500 — which is why studies suggest a dome only works on a regional catchment, not one township alone. What comparable townships more often build instead: arenas, multi-use community centres, aquatic/wellness centres, and shared facilities with school boards or the YMCA. [Owen Sound (RC Strategies) feasibility study; GuelphToday / Global News; municipal recreation sources. Figures from feasibility studies are projections; some comparators are larger than Ramara and cited only for operating lessons.]
What's been decided, step by step
| When | Decision / event |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Deputation raises the idea; staff cost report (up to $6.3M, football-size); council: not affordable, but partnerships can be explored |
| Jun 2025 | Motion for a staff feasibility report fails |
| Oct 2025 | Council reconsiders and approves a staff feasibility report (Sherri Bell opposed) |
| Mar 23, 2026 | Staff report "Sports Dome Preliminary Research and Next Steps" recommends commissioning a feasibility study, contingent on grant funding |
| Apr 13, 2026 | Council ratifies: feasibility study to proceed if grant-funded; otherwise a $50K (incl. HST) request goes into the 2027 capital budget |
[Council highlights, Mar 23, 2026] [Council highlights, Apr 13, 2026]
What nobody knows yet
There is no published business case, no site plan, no operating-cost projection, no funding plan (tax levy, debt, grant, or private), and no cost estimate newer than 2023. Which grant program staff are pursuing for the study hasn't been named publicly. The next decision belongs to the 2027 budget — set by the council elected October 26, 2026. Mayor Clarke is not seeking re-election; Deputy Mayor Bell, the dome's champion, has filed to run for mayor. [Council highlights, Apr 13, 2026] [OrilliaMatters (Clarke)] [OrilliaMatters (Bell candidacy)]
Sources
OrilliaMatters, Oct 9, 2025 — "Feasibility of Ramara sports dome to be considered with 'fresh eyes'" · Township council highlights, Mar 23, 2026 · Township council highlights, Apr 13, 2026 · Owen Sound (RC Strategies) feasibility study; GuelphToday / Global News (Guelph dome operating record) · OrilliaMatters — Clarke not seeking re-election · OrilliaMatters — Bell files for mayor