Moving to Toronto in 2026? Here's How to Get Active Without Spending a Fortune

Published 2026-05-09 by the GetMovingTO team.

If you just moved to Toronto, welcome. The rent is too high, the winters are colder than people warn you, and the rec centre system is one of the best-kept value secrets in the city. This guide is for new arrivals — newcomers to Canada, students, transferees from other cities — who want to get active without paying $100 a month for a private gym.

I have lived in Toronto for 18 years and I still meet people who have been here for two or three years and have never been to a City rec centre. Do not be that person. Here is what to do.

What the City rec system actually is

The City of Toronto runs over 150 recreation centres across the city. They are funded by your property taxes (or your landlord's, if you rent), they are open to every Toronto resident, and they run a constant rotation of fitness classes, swimming, sports, arts programs, and youth and senior programs.

There are two ways to use them. You can register for a structured program (a 10-week fitness class, a swimming course, a kids' camp) which requires signing up in advance. Or you can drop in to ongoing classes — pay at the door, no commitment, walk away after one session if it is not for you.

Drop-in is the easier entry point. You do not need an account, you do not need to plan, and the cost is usually $3–$8 per class.

Find your nearest centre and just go

First step: figure out where the nearest City rec centre is. Use GetMovingTO, type in your address, and you will get a list of every centre within walking and biking distance plus what is on this week. Most Toronto neighbourhoods have a centre within 15 minutes' walk.

Second step: actually walk in. Tell the front desk you just moved here and ask for a tour. They will show you the gym, the pool, the fitness centre, and the change rooms, and walk you through the schedule. The staff at these centres are friendly and used to giving the orientation.

The 24 free centres

There are 24 designated free recreation centres in Toronto where every drop-in class, every swim, and every fitness centre visit is free. They are concentrated in lower-income neighbourhoods but every Toronto resident is welcome at all of them.

Some of the best free centres include Regent Park Aquatic Centre (downtown east), Wallace Emerson (downtown west), Driftwood (Jane and Finch), and Scarborough Centennial. If you live near one, your fitness costs in this city can literally be zero.

The Welcome Policy (and why you should ask about it)

The Welcome Policy is the City's fee subsidy program. If your household income is below a certain threshold (it adjusts annually but is around $40,000 for a single person and higher for families), you qualify for $549 a year in free recreation programming per family member.

This is not means-tested in an aggressive way and the application is straightforward. If you are a newcomer, a student, or in a lower-income job, ask about it at any rec centre or apply online at toronto.ca. It is real money and most people who qualify for it have no idea it exists.

Building a weekly routine

The trick to making a rec centre actually work as your gym is to anchor a routine around your local centre. I would suggest starting with two drop-in classes a week — one fitness, one swim or yoga. Pick consistent times: same days, same hours. After a month it becomes habit.

Once you have the routine, branch out. Try aquafit. Try a Saturday morning yoga class. Try drop-in basketball on a Tuesday night. The variety is the whole point of the system — you can sample 10 different activities for the cost of one private fitness class.

And use the centre as a third place, not just a gym. The lobbies have couches. The cafés (a few of them) make decent coffee. People stick around after class and chat. If you are new to the city, this is one of the easier ways to actually meet people.

Seasonal stuff worth knowing

Toronto has four real seasons and the rec centres adjust. Summer brings outdoor pools, splash pads, and free outdoor fitness classes in parks. Fall and winter are when registered programs run hardest — swimming lessons, hockey, structured fitness classes — and registration days are competitive (set an alarm for 7 a.m.).

Winter is also when the indoor walking tracks, fitness centres, and pools become essential. If you are new to Canadian winter, the rec centre is your best friend from December to March. It is warm, well-lit, and full of other people who are also fighting off seasonal depression with movement.

A short list of things to do this week

If you have read this far and you are still not sure where to start, here is a concrete first step. Open GetMovingTO. Type in your home address or work address. Pick one drop-in fitness class that starts in the next 48 hours. Show up. Pay $5 at the door. Take the class.

That is it. Do not overthink it. The hardest part of using Toronto's rec centre system is the first visit. Once you have done it once, you will have a clearer sense of what is at your local centre and you will start fitting it into your week without effort.

Welcome to Toronto. The pool is warm, the classes are cheap, and the city is bigger than the parts of it you have seen so far.

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