Newmarket, Ontario residents will see higher drop-in and membership fees for town recreation facilities starting February 1, 2026, impacting users of rinks, pools and gymnasiums. The revised rates include a $5.50 drop-in fee at the telMAX Indoor Skatepark and $3.75 per session for public skating or swimming. Families, youth sports groups and seniors will also notice changes to 10‑pass packages and RecPass memberships.
The fee adjustments are part of the town’s 2026 budget package, which received preliminary approval on Dec. 1, 2025 and was finalized on Dec. 8, 2025, and includes a 2.99% property tax increase. Town officials say the increases are needed in part to address higher construction costs — the Mulock Park construction estimate has increased by about 39% — and to recover revenue after freezing most fees during 2020 and 2021. The official RecPass fee schedule also lists shinny at $6.25 per drop-in, aquafit at $7.75, and an Adult RecPass at $39.42 per month (HST extra); the town applies a 30% surcharge to membership rates for non-residents.
Regular user Roberta Longley, a retiree, appreciates the new Adult 55+ pass option but worries about her budget. “I am anxious to see the facility go up to meet the demand, but I am concerned about the fees as a retiree,” she told NewmarketToday during a town hall discussion about recreation facilities.
Mayor John Taylor said the budget and fee adjustments are intended to strike the right balance between maintaining services and being mindful of taxpayers. As he put it during council deliberations, “You do not want to have the highest taxes in the GTA, but you also do not want the lowest.” The town has moved to a multi-year pricing model and streamlined its RecPass membership to give users more predictability and easier access to facilities.
