Sports Performance Centre at Canada Games Park named after late St. Catharines philanthropist

The Sports Performance Centre at the Canada Games Park in St. Catharines was named after late, beloved community philanthropist David S. Howes today (May 25).

At the park, the the Niagara 2022 Host Society for the Niagara 2022 Canada Games, along with the Niagara Community Foundation (NCF) and Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO), made the announcement after the NCF’s David S. Howes Fund gave a $655,000 donation.

Located inside the Walker Sports and Abilities Centre at Canada Games Park, the performance centre will now officially be called the David S. Howes Sport Performance Centre.

The grant, which is the largest ever award by the NCF, will supply all of the high-performance sport training and testing equipment at the new performance centre and when the games are done in late August, they will help this facility to become the first regional training centre of the CSIO.

After the games, the performance centre will be managed by a new legacy organization called Sport Niagara, which will focus on advancing the development of sport within the Niagara community by working to maintain, build on and optimize the many benefits achieved by hosting the 28th edition of the Canada Games in the Niagara Region.

Howes, who passed away on January 12, 2015, was a well-known local figures, particularly to Brock University.

A past board member of the YMCA of Niagara, Past President of the St. Catharines Sports Council, Past President and Board member of the St. Catharines Golf and Country Club, and provincial appointee to the Niagara Parks Commission, Howes had a legendary reputation for supporting his local community by funding and serving on a wide range of boards and organizations.

In the case of Brock, Howes developed a relationship that saw him significantly guide and support the University through an era of major growth.

Besides spending 12 years on its Board of Trustees as a trustee, chair and immediate past chair, his personal support helped create, expand or improve facilities and events that enriched the student experience.

At the time of his death in 2015, then-Brock President Jack Lightstone said the loss is immeasurable. “Dave Howes was a giant. He lived and breathed Brock University in every aspect of his being. His commitment to Brock over many years has been a constant, and it will live on as long as there is a Brock University.”

The David S. Howes Theatre on campus bears his name in recognition of a gift made through his company, Lincoln Fabrics.

In 2012, he received an honorary degree from Brock for what Lightstone called his “commendable community leadership and commitment to our University, our students and our history.”

In 2013, he made a major gift to fully underwrite the cost of a bronze sculpture of University namesake and War of 1812 hero Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock, the university’s namesake.

Each spring, Howes would chair the President’s Golf Tournament, which has raised more than $900,000 for bursaries and scholarships that have helped more than 1,000 student athletes.

Born and raised in St. Catharines, Howes received his primary education in the city’s schools. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Western Michigan with a major in History and minors in English and Political Science.