New Westminster, B.C. – The City of New Westminster will extend the closure of the Massey Theatre after testing during renovations found lead contamination in the building. The City had planned to return the theatre to its operating partner, the Massey Theatre Society, on December 1. Additional work is required before the theatre can safely reopen.
“Massey Theatre has brought performers and audiences together since it opened in 1949. Renovating a building of that age can uncover issues that change the scope of the work,” said Mayor Daniel Fontaine. “We know how disappointing this delay is for everyone who had plans for December. The safety of the people who work at, perform in, and visit the theatre comes first and is our top priority. We’re extending the closure until it is ready to welcome people back.”
In 2025, the City identified and addressed lead contamination during the demolition of the former New Westminster Secondary School gymnasium connected to the theatre. Our hazardous materials consultant reviewed the site at that time and identified areas requiring mitigation, which the City addressed.
As part of the current construction work, surface testing on October 30, 2026, found lead contamination in the building. Follow-up surface testing took place from November 2 to 6. The results came back this week, reconfirming those results. Air quality testing came back negative, consistent with earlier air testing conducted by the City in 2025 and by the school district before it transferred the facility to the City.
The City is investigating the source of the lead contamination and whether the recent findings relate to what was found at the gymnasium in 2025. The City has restricted access to the affected areas while the project team prepares for cleaning.
“Once the affected surfaces have been cleaned, we’ll retest the affected areas,” said Kathryn Holm, Acting Director of Engineering and Public Works. “Our hazardous materials consultant will review those results and advise the City on what needs to happen before the theatre can safely reopen.”
The City of New Westminster recognizes that people who have attended an event, performed, or worked at the theatre may have questions about what the findings mean for them. The City will share more information as it becomes available. Updates can be found on the Massey Theatre project page.
The City is working with the Society on a path to safely reopen the theatre in 2027. In reviewing the options, the City will consider what work is needed and how each option would affect programming and project costs. Once a decision has been made, the City will provide an update on the renovation schedule and future programming. To mitigate some of the impacts created as a result of the planned construction closures, the City of New Westminster provided financial assistance in 2025 and 2026 to support the Massey Theatre Society’s operations.
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Media Contact:
Ashleigh Young
Manager of Communication
City of New Westminster
media@newwestcity.ca