Postponed Seniors & accessibility

Seniors Activity Centre expansion and needs assessment

A $30,000 study of whether the Seniors Activity Centre needs more space. It was planned for 2027. The Eaglecrest funding plan moved it to 2028.

Amount
$30,000
Got
$0
Where it stands
To 2028. Moved by the Eaglecrest funding plan, Jul 2025.

What it is

This is a $30,000 study, called a needs assessment. An outside consultant would look at how the Qualicum Beach Seniors Activity Centre is used today, and whether it needs more room.

The study would not pay for an expansion. Staff said Council would decide on any expansion later, after the study. Staff also listed other options to look at, such as renting or sharing other space, changing the current layout, and talks with the School District about the Qualicum Commons building.

Councillor Young brought the idea forward. She wrote that the centre was designed for about 600 to 700 members and now has 1,000 to 1,150 members.

What happened

  1. November 15, 2023At strategic planning, a new Seniors Activity Centre item was sent to the 2025 Blue Sky list of unfunded ideas. Councillor Young's amendment to make it 2024 failed for lack of a seconder. The motion carried, with Councillor Young opposed.
  2. October 21, 2024Committee of the Whole recommended a $30,000 needs assessment in 2027, paid from the Strategic Initiatives Reserve. Carried unanimously.
  3. 2025The 2025–2029 Financial Plan shows $30,000 for the study in 2027.
  4. July 23, 2025Council moved the study from 2027 to 2028 as part of the Eaglecrest funding plan (Resolution 25-180, carried 4–1, Councillor Harrison opposed). The resolution moves it to 2028, or until the reserve is paid back from property sales.
  5. April 1, 2026The adopted 2026–2030 Financial Plan shows $30,000 in 2028.
  6. September 9, 2026On a motion from Councillor Young, Council told staff to invite the Seniors' Centre to speak to Council before the 2027 budget, if it wishes to ask for rental space in Town buildings at a reduced rate.

Why it matters

  • The Seniors Activity Centre is a Town-owned building. The Town leases it to the Qualicum Beach Seniors' Activities Centre Association for a nominal (very small) cost.
  • The Town's Accessibility Plan says 56% of residents are over 65 and the median age is 67.5, based on the 2021 Census.
  • The study was to be paid from the Strategic Initiatives Reserve. The Eaglecrest plan approved taking $400,000 from that reserve, and the 2026–2030 Financial Plan says $542,000 was borrowed from it.
  • Staff told Council in July 2025 that the Qualicum Commons lease and the golf course purchase were not in the work plan, and that other work had to be rescheduled.
  • The 2026–2030 Financial Plan says Council's ability to go ahead with 2027 and later initiatives depends on paying back the Strategic Initiatives Reserve, expected in 2027 and 2028, and that Council will set priorities at its 2027 strategic planning.

Sources

Last checked September 19, 2026. Report a mistake.