New Westminster, BC – New Westminster City Council has announced the City will pursue two design options for the future New Westminster aquatics and community centre following the completion of the latest phase of public consultation. City staff will explore design options for a community recreation facility based on the initial proposed solution, as well for a facility with enhanced competition hosting capabilities. City Council will support the construction of an enhanced competition hosting facility if the City is successful in obtaining a significant Federal Government grant.

From February to April 2018, the City of New Westminster led a broad community and stakeholder engagement process aimed at building upon previous studies and consultation, as well as gauging the community’s support for the recommendations made in the 2017 Aquatics and Community Centre Feasibility Study. The engagement process consisted of a series of public meetings, stakeholder meetings, pop-up community events, a survey, and a digital information campaign.

“The City of New Westminster is very pleased with the recent community engagement process for the new aquatics and community centre facility and are satisfied with the results,” said Mayor Jonathan X. Coté. “However, we also acknowledge the concerns raised by the Hyack swim club that the proposed facility does not meet their future needs. We are open to exploring the viability of an enhanced competition facility recognizing that significant funds will need to be obtained from senior governments in order for this option to proceed.”

The 2017 Feasibility Study included three concepts for the new facility, and option #3, which includes a 54m x 8 lane pool with community-focused deck space, was selected as the preferred option by the Mayor’s Task Force on the Canada Games Pool and Centennial Community Centre as it was determined to be the most suitable based on site constraints, budget, and programming requirements. Through the public engagement process, the community demonstrated support for the proposed option with 72% of survey respondents indicating that they believe this accurately reflects the overall needs and priorities for New Westminster. 

“Over the past two years, City staff have been working closely with the Mayor’s Task Force on the Canada Games Pool and Centennial Community Centre to guide the ongoing planning for the replacement facility and advance the project to the next stage,” said Dean Gibson, Director of Parks and Recreation. “The public consultation to date has provided us with extensive input enabling us to prepare applications to senior levels of government for funding. We heard from a diverse range of community members and stakeholders, and thank everyone for participating and sharing their feedback.”

In addition to preparing Federal and Provincial Infrastructure Grant applications, next steps for the project also include issuing a request for proposals to secure a design team to develop detailed designs, conducting a parking analysis for both facility options, as well as commencing technical studies to assist in establishing further certainty around project scope and costing.

For more information on the project, please visit youractivenw.ca

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Contact:

Dean Gibson
Director of Parks and Recreation
City of New Westminster
604-527-4628 or