The Government of Canada funds upgrades for Squamish’s public recreation complex

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA NEWS RELEASE

Today, Patrick Weiler, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, announced over $11.7 million in funding for the retrofit of the public recreation facility in the District of Squamish.

“The Brennan Park Recreation Centre has been at the heart of Squamish since 1977. This deep retrofit project will upgrade a well-loved and well-used community complex into a more accessible, inclusive, and energy-efficient building. It exemplifies the kind of green infrastructure that creates cleaner and healthier communities and helps us achieve our goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 while greatly reducing operating costs. With projects like this, our Government is supporting community-oriented initiatives to ensure public facilities can meet the diverse needs of the residents they serve now and into the future,” said Patrick Weiler, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.

“This funding is an important first step in our plans to upgrade this well-used and much-loved community asset while simultaneously working to address critical end-of-life facility replacements. Brennan Park Recreation Centre is an essential hub in our town and we wish to thank the federal government for these funds and our MP Patrick Weiler for supporting our funding efforts on a project that will greatly improve our recreation and wellness facility, support our climate action goals and improve the environment in which we come together to learn, play and gather,” said Karen Elliott, Mayor for the District of Squamish.

The Brennan Park Recreation Centre serves over 65% of Squamish residents once or twice a week, providing a vital social and recreational space for residents and nearby communities. The deep-energy retrofit will see significant green benefit. These improvements will reduce the facility's energy consumption by an estimated 36.6% and greenhouse gas emissions by 294.5 tonnes annually through the replacement of the HVAC system with energy saving units, electrified heating, and insulation upgrades to the ice arena wall and roof. In addition to these upgrades, accessibility and inclusivity improvements will include the addition of an elevator, automatic entrance doors, adjusted counter heights, and gender-neutral washrooms and changerooms. Renovations to the interior will also allow the facility to increase its programming space to meet the needs of Squamish’s growing population.