Canada Games Complex at CBU Renamed Kehoe Forum

On Friday, April 25, Cape Breton University officially announced the new name of the Canada Games Complex. The facility will now be known as the Kehoe Forum in honour of Mr. Jim and the late Mrs. Roma Kehoe. The new name recognizes their long-time commitment and generosity to CBU and the Cape Breton community.

The Canada Games Complex was constructed in 1986 for the Jeux Canada Winter Games. The fully renovated Kehoe Forum includes an expanded Nancy Dingwall Health and Counselling Centre, a new fitness facility, an indoor walking track and a fully accessible ice surface for sledge hockey. This building will also be able to host large-scale events such as convocations, conferences, dinners and cultural celebrations.

The Kehoe Forum is also the official Home of Women’s Hockey, with the main tenants being the CAPERS Women’s Hockey Team and the Cape Breton Blizzard Female Hockey Association, which consists of more than 500 girls and young women at all levels of play. The fully accessible arena, the only one of its kind in Cape Breton, is also home to the Cape Breton Sledgehammers.

“My family and I are honoured to have our name on this building as we know the impact this facility has had on the community over the years. We believe in the impact it will have on both the CBU campus and on the community in the future,” says Jim Kehoe, owner of Joneljim Construction. “Roma would be so proud of what CBU is doing for women’s hockey. She also knew the importance of arenas as gathering places in our community. This is a great day for our family.”

With a community approach to their business, Jim Kehoe and the late Roma Kehoe, who passed away in 2024, have generously donated to the Cape Breton community through financial and volunteer efforts for decades. Mr. and Mrs. Kehoe have made substantial donations, personally and under their Joneljim companies, to Cape Breton University and other charities, such as the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation and the Hospice Palliative Care Society of Cape Breton. Mr. Kehoe is a past board member of the IWK Children’s Hospital, Cape Breton University and Nova Scotia Business Inc., a long-time Board Member of Talbot House, and served on the Financial Board for the Diocese of Antigonish. Mrs. Kehoe was one of the founders and a long-term volunteer of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation’s Festival of the Greens Holiday Gala, a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters and has generously given her time to many other local charities and initiatives.

“Mom and Dad believed that giving back to your community helps create a more vibrant, connected and resilient society,” say Claudette Porter and Paulette Kraitzek, daughters of Jim and Roma. “It’s a way to show gratitude for the support you receive and to contribute to the well-being of others. Mom always believed in providing safe spaces for all to enjoy. This arena will become a space that will not only pave the way for future athletes, but provide a community hub to enjoy and foster pride and confidence for students, kids, families and fans.”

“I can clearly recall the opening of this building for the ’87 Canada Games and how excited the community was to have this important infrastructure on the CBU campus. I have also seen how this community has benefited from the generosity and commitment of Jim and Roma Kehoe,” says David Dingwall, President and Vice-Chancellor of Cape Breton University. “We are proud to announce this new name and recognize a family who has given so much to this University and to Cape Breton Island.”

Another important aspect of the building is the historical roots of the Forum name and what it means to the communities of Cape Breton.

The notion of a forum can be traced back to the early Romans, who defined it as a public square or marketplace where business was conducted. A forum took on new meaning in the early 20th century when indoor ice rinks adopted the term. Perhaps the earliest use of Forum for a large building with an ice surface is the Montreal Forum, which opened in 1924 and was soon followed by the Halifax Forum in 1927.

From the Northside Forum and the Glace Bay Miners Forum to the Sydney Forum, the history of this name in our communities is representative of all that a university is and can be. It celebrates the history and future of the community and university, all genders and accessibility levels, and CBU’s students, alumni and others who will spend time in the new venue – a true public forum, fitting of its new names.

In the coming weeks,  Kehoe Forum staff will be working on fully commissioning the building and an official grand opening will take place in the fall.