Recreation Facility Rentals

The City of Sarnia has made purchasing general liability insurance for your rental easy with our User Group Insurance Program.

Use the online portal to create an account and get a quote or purchase insurance within minutes.

Insurance must be purchased within 24 hours of your rental request or your rental may be cancelled.

Access Insurance Portal

Visit the insurance portal FAQ section for guides on how the use the portal or support assistance.

Updates to your insurance, including cancelling or updating an existing policy, must be done through the portal.

If you already have an insurance policy, you can choose to use your own insurance and submit a Certificate of Insurance (COI).

Please review the general liability insurance requirements FAQ section.

Contact parksandrecreation@sarnia.ca within 24 hours of your rental request if you would like to submit a COI, otherwise your rental may be cancelled. The COI must be provided no later than 2 weeks before your rental date.

Any questions about the facility rental process? Please contact staff by email at parksandrecreation@sarnia.ca, by phone at 519-332-0330 ext. 3700, or in-person at Strangway Community Centre.

Review our facilities below. Each page includes information on the facility, location, amenities, capacity limits, and more. View availability and book through Xplor.

Arenas and Ice – Bookings can be made between 7 and 45 days, to the hour, before the desired date and time of your rental up until June 30, 2025. Last minute ice can be booked within 24 hours for a 25% discount.

Community Rooms – Bookings can be made between 7 and 45 days, to the hour, before the desired date and time of your rental.

Picnic Spaces – Bookings can be made between 7 and 45 days, to the hour, before the desired date and time of your rental. Season runs May 17 to October 11, 2025.

Speciality Facilities – Bookings can be made between 7 and 45 days, to the hour, before the desired date and time of your rental. Season runs May 17 to October 11, 2025.

Sports Facilities – Bookings open March 1 for the season, and can be made between 7 and 45 days, to the hour, before the desired date and time of your rental. Season runs March 15 to November 30, weather permitting.

Insurance purchased through the online portal meets all of the City’s general liability insurance requirements.

To provide your own insurance to meet our general liability insurance requirements, the Certificate of Insurance (COI) must:

– Be in an amount of not less than two million dollars ($2,000,000), or five million dollars ($5,000,000) in the case of licensed rentals or activities deemed to be high-risk in nature (i.e. hockey), covering each date/activity within the rental contract;

– Be placed with a reputable insurer who is licensed to carry on business in Ontario and acceptable to the City;

– Include “The Corporation of the City of Sarnia” and its representatives and employees as an additionally insured;

– Include bodily injury, property damage, and personal liability coverage;

– Contain a separation of insureds and cross-liability clause;

– Provide that it will not be cancelled or materially altered without at least sixty (60) days prior written notice to the City delivered to the Community Services Division.

If staff discover that you have attended a facility for a rental without providing the proper insurance or having a firmed rental contract, you may be prohibited from future rentals.

Licensed rentals are those that have alcohol present and are allowed in specific facilities only. View the details of rentable facilities, including which permit alcohol, under the facility information FAQ section.

To have alcohol at your rental, you must obtain a Special Occasion Permit (SOP) from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) which can be done online through the AGCO website. Only obtain a SOP after you’ve received your tentative rental contract.

The SOP must be provided to staff no later than 2 weeks before your rental date. If you fail to provide the SOP, your rental will not be permitted to have alcohol and you will not be refunded the licensed rental rate.

Licensed rentals cannot be booked online. To book a licensed rental, please contact staff at parksandrecreation@sarnia.ca or 519-332-0330 ext. 3700.

Facility availability can be viewed up to 90 days in advance. Online rental requests can be submitted between 7 and 45 days in advance of your rental date, to the hour (e.g. if your rental date is July 3 at 1 p.m., you can book as of May 19 at 1 p.m.).

Please contact parksandrecreation@sarnia.ca if your rental date is within 7 days. Rentals with less than 3 business days notice cannot be guaranteed.

Last minute ice (within 24 hours) can be booked online. Please view the last minute ice FAQ section for more details.

We do not place holds on any facility, excluding weddings at the Seaway Kiwanis Pavilion, for short-term rentals. Payment is due at the time of submitting a rental request and is subject to our Payment and Cancellation Policy.

For some scenarios (e.g. large attendance, vendors, out-of-country guests), we may grant an exemption to book up to 60 days in advance. Please contact parksandrecreation@sarnia.ca to see if your rental meets these criteria.

Last minute ice (within 24 hours) can be booked for a discount of 25% off the rental fee.

Last minute ice can be booked online through Xplor by selecting the “Last Minute Ice Rentals (Within 24h)” option under “Arena Ice/Floor Rentals”.

Insurance is still required for last minute ice rentals. If staff discover that you have attended a rental without providing the proper insurance, you may be prohibited from future rentals.

Payment terms may vary, but for short-term rentals, payment is required at the time of submitting your rental request per our Payment and Cancellation Policy.

Payment can be made online through Xplor, in-person at Customer Service at City Hall, or by phone at 519-332-0330 ext. 3131.

Rental contracts will be cancelled if payment is not made, with an Administration Fee or interest being charged.

For user groups or long-term rentals, payment plans are available.

All facility rentals are subject to our Payment and Cancellation Policy. An Administration Fee will apply to all refunds. Below cancellation timelines apply:

Received more than 14 days before the rental date – full refund or account credit, less the Administration Fee.

Received less than 14 days before the rental date – account credit for the full amount, less the Administration Fee.

Received same day or afterwards – no refund or credit will be issued.

* Ice cancellations are submit to a 14 day cancellation policy

* Sports field cancellations are subject to a 7 day cancellation policy (some exclusions may apply)

After reviewing the Policy, send your cancellation request to parksandrecreation@sarnia.ca.

Please note that cancellations to an insurance policy booked through the insurance portal must be done online and staff cannot issue refunds. Please contact Instant Risk Coverage with any questions.

Rental rates vary based on factors such as the facility type, amenities, or time of booking.

Rental rates can be found in Xplor or on the facility pages under the facility information FAQ section.

In addition to the rental rates, you are required to obtain general liability insurance for your rental. You can find more information in the General Liability Insurance section.

Generally, access to the facility you rented begins at your rental start time and you must clean up and vacate the space by the end time specified in your rental contract. Additional time must be purchased in advance of your rental date, subject to availability.

For ice rentals, you will receive access to two dressing rooms 30 minutes prior to your rental start time, and 30 minutes after your rental end time.

Dressing rooms are included in all ice and floor rentals. You will receive access to your assigned dressing rooms 30 minutes prior to your rental start time, and 30 minutes after your rental end time.

Dressing room assignments will be displayed on the TV monitor in the lobby of the arena.

You can bring in vendors for your rental. This includes individuals or corporations providing a product, service, appearance, or presence at your event such as serving food, selling liquor, performing, providing equipment, etc.

All vendors must be listed in your rental request and each vendor must provide proof of insurance at least 2 weeks before the rental date.

Inflatables are not permitted indoors.

Outdoor events may be permitted to have inflatables if they are provided by a third-party vendor who can submit proof of insurance. Inflatables must be secured by weights as no digging or staking is permitted in park spaces.

No animals (i.e. petting zoos, pony rides, etc.) are permitted at indoor or outdoor rentals, excluding service animals.

Dog feces must be immediately picked up and disposed of in a designated garbage can. Please review the Parks By-law for more information.

Need some help using our online recreation portal, Xplor? Access how-to videos and FAQs via our support page.

Please view the guide or videos on how to use the insurance portal.

For direct support, including questions about insurance options or coverage, please contact Instant Risk Coverage at support@instantriskcoverage.com or 1 (800) 517-1390.

For questions about the user group insurance program, please visit the FAQ section on the portal.