The Halifax region’s historic Mayflower Curling Club has gone green in a new net-zero carbon location.

The federal government said it invested $4 million in the new facility located in Timberlea, N.S. The government invested the money through the through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program.

The program was launched in 2021 with an initial $1.5-billion allocation and received a $500-million boost in 2024 to fund green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades across Canada until 2029.

“The new and improved Mayflower Curling Club is a wonderful addition to our community,” Lena Metlege Diab, MP for Halifax West, who is also the minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship. “The federal government is proud to support facilities like this that are committed to reducing their carbon footprint while ensuring their space is welcoming and accessible to everyone.”

The Mayflower was the home club of late legendary curler Colleen Jones, a Halifax native who won six Canadian women’s championships, two world titles and a slew of other provincial, national and junior, women’s, seniors and mixed titles. She and eight sisters learned how to curl at the previous version of the club when they each turned 14, the age at which their parents deemed they were old enough to life a heavy curling rock.

Heather Smith, a multiple champion at the provincial, Canadian and world levels, and 2024 world senior men’s champion Paul Flemming have also called the Mayflower home. A number of other elite curlers, including Nova Scotian Shawn Adams, winner of several provincial, Canadian and world titles at various levels, have also competed there. So has Newfoundland and Labrador’s Brad Gushue, who has captured a multitude of provincial, Canadian, world and Olympic crowns.

The new $22-million Mayflower club, which opened in time for this season, includes new EV-charging stations in the parking, more natural lighting that reduces the need for electric lighting during the day and what the government calls “maximal solar-panel installation” on the outside.

The facility’s interior includes building materials and equipment that exceed building-code requirements for insulation  insulation, heating systems, appliances, and lighting. Additionally, an energy recovery system has been installed, allowing surplus thermal power to be used and reducing the energy needed for heating, ventilation, domestic hot water, floor water heating, and dehumidification.

The building is also fully accessible for people with disabilities. According to CBC, the new Mayflower can accommodate up to 900 members, while the previous version’s capacity allowed for 600.

“The Mayflower Curling Club is grateful and excited to receive this significant support from Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada,” said Kirk MacDiarmid, the club’s president. “We have created a vibrant, inclusive community centre and we look forward to making it even more sustainable. Our vision is to have curling for everyone in a facility that has only positive impacts on the community and the environment.”

The previous version of the Mayflower club opened in 1962 and was torn down in late 2025.

Michael Christie a former president of the club, told CBC that the previous building, located on Monaghan Drive in Halifax, had become harder to maintain and less competitive compared to other local curling rinks when it came to attracting members and major events. The new facility has attracted many new club members.

“I would suspect most people are excited with the opportunity of the new club and appreciate what the location was,” he told CBC. “We have to recognize that curling clubs are businesses as well, right? So they need to grow and develop along with their community.”

The original Mayflower club was founded in 1905 and used as a temporary morgue for Titanic victims in 1912. The building was destroyed in the Halifax Explosion in 1917.

Pictured: Mayflower Curling Club

Photo: Mayflower Curling Club