Rendering of pending/rejected upgrades to Ravensong Aquatic Centre. (RDN)

By NanaimoNewsNOW staff

results are in

Voters reject Ravensong Aquatic Centre referendum

Apr 5, 2025 | 9:26 PM

QUALICUM BEACH — Upgrades to Oceanside’s only aquatic recreation facility have hit a major hurdle.

Voters in the Regional District of Nanaimo have rejected the borrowing of up to $30 million to expand Ravensong Aquatic Centre, with 4,487 votes against recorded during a Saturday, April 5 referendum on the topic, representing just under 61 per cent opposition.

A total of 2,877 people voted in favour.

Results are considered preliminary and will be verified in the coming days, with official results published by Wednesday, April 9 and presented to the Board on April 22.

The longterm composition of RAC, which opened in 1995 to serve a much smaller population, is now unclear.

acceptance

Neurodiverse storytelling journey continues for busy Nanaimo mom

5h ago

on and on and on and on and...

Never-ending: Nanaimo university students show off interconnected custom designs

8h ago

Shutout Loss

Clippers season ends with Game 5 playoff loss in Cowichan Valley

15h ago

Without an approved borrowing mechanism, the RDN board of directors would have to implement tax hikes to forge ahead with investing millions of dollars in the facility.

Also at risk of being lost is a $7 million federal grant pledged from an environmental/inclusive fund to help absorb project costs.

The Regional District of Nanaimo pitched borrowing up to $30 million to double the size and revamp Ravensong Aquatic Centre (RAC), a 30-year-old facility.

The indoor pool facility is the only such facility in the Oceanside region, with eligible voters in Qualicum beach, Parksville, and electoral areas A,F,G and H casting their votes on Saturday, April 5.

Several advance voting opportunities, along with mail-in balloting was also done.

Last October, RDN directors advanced sending the project to referendum.

Final referendum results are anticipated to be released by the RDN on Wednesday, April 9.

The referendum was budgeted by the RDN at $240,000.

Doubling the size of RAC would add additional capacity for competitive and leisure swimmers. (RDN)

Follow us on Facebook. Join Everything Nanaimo on Facebook and stay connected with everything happening on central Vancouver Island.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

Follow us on: Twitter (X) | Bluesky | Facebook