
Parking spots are as scarce as hen’s teeth at the Warman Home Centre Communiplex (WHCC) on busy days.
And with the current construction of a second indoor ice surface on the north end of the building, the parking lot has shrunk even more.
Warman City Council is looking to alleviate the problem by expanding the current parking facility. A number of options are currently being considered, including purchasing land on the north side of Clubhouse Boulevard across from the facility, as well as buying property on the east side of Centennial Boulevard.
However, another option proposed in a report prepared by the city’s Recreation and Community Services Department and tabled at the Warman City Council committee of the whole meeting on Monday, March 18, appeared to find the most favour among councillors.

The proposal involves expanding the existing parking lot south into R.J. Gidluck Park. About half the existing soccer field would be converted to a gravel-surface parking area, creating an additional 200 stalls.
The city already owns the land, although it is subject to a joint-use agreement with the Prairie Spirit School Division. Other advantages of the proposal include: proximity to the WHCC; an additional hard-surfaced space that can be utilized for programming and events, as well as additional space for the midway and related amenities at the annual summer fair.
During the March 18 council meeting, Warman Recreation and Community Services Manager Paul McGonigal said the Warman Minor Soccer association was not opposed to the smaller footprint for the soccer field, since the majority of participants in their program are very young and only utilize a half field anyway.
Warman Mayor Gary Philipchuk said expanding the parking lot into the soccer pitch would provide a much safer alternative for patrons than having to cross Centennial Boulevard, one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city.
“It would alleviate most of the parking issues if we use part of R.J. Gidluck Park,” said Philipchuk.
A formal proposal is expected to come to Warman City Council at a later date.
The shortage of parking stalls during peak periods has been on council’s radar for several years. A 2023 report by the city’s recreation and community services department noted that on average, the parking lot is at capacity during 28 events. It also noted there are three events per year that exceed the on-site parking capacity of the lot.
In 2023, Warman City Council voted to enter into a lease agreement with KH Developments to use the property north of the WHCC for overflow parking. The agreement was for period of five years, and included a fee of $45,000 to KH Developments to grade and gravel the site to make a parking lot.

It was also noted in 2023 that construction of the WHCC expansion would eliminate 150 parking stalls, reducing the overall number of parking stalls from 576 to 426.
Those predictions of a parking shortage, particularly on extremely busy weekends, have been borne out.
During the Cheer Classic weekend earlier this month, the number of vehicles during a peak three-hour period on Sunday, March 10 was more than double the capacity of the lot. The event, one of the largest of its kind in western Canada, saw 1200 vehicles attempting to squeeze into a parking lot capable of handling fewer than half that number. Vehicles spilled out into the overflow parking space on the east side of Centennial Boulevard, as well as nearby streets and shopping mall lots.
That high volume of traffic is limited to a very small number of events. But, once the WHCC expansion is complete, city officials agree the capacity of the parking lot needs to be expanded to handle even regular-size functions. The additional ice surface is likely to mean minor hockey tournaments will once again be hosted in Warman, with a corresponding increase in vehicle traffic and demand for parking.
In addition, the city’s recreation and community services department anticipates an increase in demand for off-season activities like ball hockey and lacrosse. This will translate into increased demand for parking as well.