ABC promises funding for five community centres, Sunset pool, while Renfrew is left behind

The ABC majority on city council has released more details about its four-year capital plan, which will be set this summer ahead of October’s municipal election. As we reported last week, ABC’s keystone promise is to invest $400 million to renew five community centres. While the park board is advocating for a larger overall budget for community centre renewal, ABC actually has the power to move its plan ahead. 

This week, Mayor Ken Sim and Coun. Lisa Dominato, flanked by most of the ABC caucus, announced that the Dunbar, Kerrisdale, Hastings, Kensington, and Roundhouse community centres would be the lucky recipients, based on “facility condition and community usage.” 

“Community centres are at the heart of Vancouver’s neighbourhoods, and this is about making sure they reflect the needs of the city we are today,” Sim said. 

While some of the facilities, like Kensington and Hastings, were identified as top priorities for renewal in a comprehensive community centre strategy approved by the park board in 2022, others, like Kerrisdale and Dunbar, were ranked much lower (eighth and eleventh, respectively). 

One community centre notably absent from the ABC announcement is Renfrew, which was ranked second-highest in the park board priority analysis. As we reported last year, Renfrew is a 60-year-old facility that is already at capacity. It’s a result of the neighbourhood having some of the lowest per capita community centre access in the city, and that’s not including the approximately 18,000 people projected to move there as part of the new development plan for the area, passed by council last year.       

A more complex case is the Britannia Community Centre. The much-needed redevelopment of that site has been in the works for more than seven years, and money for planning was set aside in the previous capital plan. However, due to a lack of funding from the province – which is responsible for the schools there – and the city’s historic neglect of the current ice rink and pool, ABC shifted those planning funds to pay for repairs and upgrades to the existing facilities.

ABC said part of the new plan would be “advancing the renewal and redevelopment” of Britannia’s city-owned facilities. “Britannia continues to be a priority,” Dominato told Vancity Lookout. “In fact, we recently met with members of the Britannia Community Center Association, and we've looked at some of the vision they have for that property. It's complex in terms of the land use and ownership, but we are looking to work with them and exploring partnerships to help deliver on that vision.” 

One of those partnerships may be with the Vancouver Canucks for a new training facility at the site, but Sim said he couldn’t comment on that. “There are ongoing talks with a lot of different groups that remain confidential,” Sim said. 

Another key project that would be funded under ABC’s plan is a new 25-metre pool at Sunset Park near Punjabi Market. “I’m delighted,” Sunset Community Association president Bhalwinder S. Waraich said following the press conference. “We used to have an outdoor swimming pool, and when it was knocked down [in 2008], the South Vancouver community was promised it would be replaced … so it’s long overdue,” he said. 

ABC’s motion, which also includes other minor renewals and projects, will come to council on April 22, where it’s expected to be approved by the ABC majority. 

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