Kanata is served by several major sports and recreation complexes, giving residents arenas, pools, gyms, fieldhouses, and sports fields for nearly every activity. The main facilities are the Richcraft Recreation Complex, the Tony Graham Recreation Complex (formerly the Kanata Recreation Complex), the Kanata Leisure Centre and Wave Pool, and the four-rink Bell Sensplex — plus the Canadian Tire Centre, home of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. Whether a family needs a swim lesson, a hockey rink, or a fitness class, Kanata rarely requires leaving the community. Jason Polonski, a Kanata-based REALTOR®, runs through each complex and what it offers.
This guide covers indoor and sports-facility recreation. For municipal parks and playgrounds, see Kanata parks; for trails, mountain biking, and nature recreation, see Kanata Outdoors.
Richcraft Recreation Complex
The Richcraft Recreation Complex on Innovation Drive is Kanata’s flagship City of Ottawa facility, combining indoor pools, an arena, a gymnasium, and fitness space with a branch of the Ottawa Public Library under one roof. It runs drop-in swims, skating, registered lessons, and fitness programming year-round, making it a go-to for families and an all-weather destination. Its all-in-one design — swim, skate, work out, and visit the library in a single trip — is part of what makes it so popular with Kanata residents.
Tony Graham Recreation Complex (formerly Kanata Recreation Complex)
The Tony Graham Recreation Complex on Charlie Rogers Place — long known as the Kanata Recreation Complex, or KRC — is a hub for ice and field sports. It offers two ice rinks for hockey, figure skating, and public skating, along with outdoor soccer fields, baseball diamonds, seasonal tennis courts, and meeting and banquet rooms for events. It anchors much of Kanata’s minor hockey and community sports, and its fields host leagues and tournaments through the warmer months.
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Kanata Leisure Centre and Wave Pool
The Kanata Leisure Centre and Wave Pool on Aird Place is a long-time family favourite, best known for its wave pool. Beyond swimming, it offers a fitness centre with cardio and weights, group classes, squash courts, and a full slate of swim lessons and Aquafit programs. The wave pool in particular makes it a hit with children, and the centre’s aquatic programming serves every age from toddlers to seniors.
Bell Sensplex
The Bell Sensplex on Maple Grove Road is one of the region’s premier multi-sport facilities, with four full-sized ice surfaces — including an Olympic-sized rink — that host minor and adult hockey, figure skating, and high-profile tournaments. It also features an indoor fieldhouse for soccer and field sports in the colder months, off-ice training and fitness rooms, and a range of skating and sports camps. For serious hockey and skating families, the Sensplex is a major draw to living in Kanata.
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Canadian Tire Centre
The Canadian Tire Centre on Palladium Drive is Kanata’s largest venue — home to the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and a stage for major concerts and events. While primarily an entertainment and professional-sports arena rather than a community rec centre, its presence in Kanata means residents have big-league hockey and top touring acts minutes from home, a genuine lifestyle perk covered further on things to do in Kanata.
Sports fields, leagues and outdoor facilities
Beyond the major complexes, Kanata is well supplied with community sports fields — soccer pitches, baseball diamonds, and courts — spread across its neighbourhoods and parks, supporting an active roster of youth and adult leagues. Additional field complexes sit just outside the community along the Carp Road corridor to the west. For the parks that house many of these fields and playgrounds, see Kanata parks, and for trail-based and outdoor recreation, Kanata outdoors. Families with young children will also find organized programs on family-friendly activities in Kanata.
Programs, leagues and registration
Most of Kanata’s public recreation — swim lessons, skating, camps, and fitness classes — is run by the City of Ottawa, with registration and schedules available through the City of Ottawa recreation portal, while the Bell Sensplex handles its own hockey and skating programs. Community associations and minor sports organizations add house-league and competitive options across hockey, soccer, baseball, and more. Because schedules and program availability change by season, families should confirm current offerings directly with each facility.
How recreation access shapes living in Kanata
Proximity to a good rec complex is a real factor in where families choose to buy — being minutes from a pool, an arena, or a fitness centre shapes daily and weekend life, and it is one of the amenities that keeps Kanata popular with active households.
It is a recurring theme in the benefits of living in Kanata and worth weighing when comparing the best neighbourhoods in Kanata. Jason Polonski, who lives in Kanata, helps families find homes close to the facilities their sports and routines depend on. Learn more about Jason Polonski, browse homes for sale in Kanata, explore day-to-day living in Kanata, or read verified reviews on his Google Business Profile.
Frequently asked questions about Kanata sports complexes
Kanata’s main facilities are the Richcraft Recreation Complex (pools, arena, gym, library), the Tony Graham Recreation Complex (ice rinks and sports fields), the Kanata Leisure Centre and Wave Pool, and the Bell Sensplex (four ice surfaces and a fieldhouse), plus the Canadian Tire Centre for professional hockey and events.
The Kanata Leisure Centre and Wave Pool on Aird Place and the Richcraft Recreation Complex on Innovation Drive both offer indoor pools with drop-in swims, lessons, and aquatic programs run by the City of Ottawa.
The Bell Sensplex on Maple Grove Road, with four ice surfaces including an Olympic rink, and the Tony Graham Recreation Complex are the main hockey and skating venues, hosting minor hockey, figure skating, and adult leagues.
The Kanata Recreation Complex (KRC) on Charlie Rogers Place is now the Tony Graham Recreation Complex. It continues to offer ice rinks, soccer fields, baseball diamonds, and event space.
Yes. Most public recreation programs — swimming, skating, camps, and fitness — are run by the City of Ottawa and can be booked through its recreation portal, while the Bell Sensplex manages its own hockey and skating programs.
Yes. The Canadian Tire Centre on Palladium Drive is located in Kanata and is home to the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, as well as a major venue for concerts and events.
