Repairs are badly needed to the Nanaimo Curling Centre, with work being put off for several years to address some compounding and potentially critical issues. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

on the rocks

Upwards of $5.5M needed to repair Nanaimo Curling Centre

May 22, 2025 | 3:04 PM

NANAIMO — Faced with the choice of letting the facility fall apart or gradually fund critical repairs, local Councillors have said they have no choice but to act swiftly.

City Councillors gave their support to spending between $4 million and $5.5 million over a five to seven year period for a new roof and repair of the concrete slab at the Nanaimo Curling Club, helping solidify the long-term future for the 60-year-old Wall St. facility.

Speaking during a Wednesday, May 21 finance and audit committee meeting, City facility asset planning manager Jennifer McAskill said they’ve known the situation hasn’t been great for many years, but the facility was never atop the City’s to-do list.

“There has previously been a number of priorities that suit the organization’s strategic direction and Council’s vision better and that has caused this particular investment to be sat in the backlog portion. Unfortunately now it’s reaching a very critical point, the roof is actively leaking and it is being managed but it’s a significant investment into a fairly niche group.”

Around 480 people are Nanaimo Curling Club members, while many others partake in curling programming hosted at the facility.

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Other user groups, as well as special events such as meetings and celebrations of life are also hosted on a regular basis.

While the building’s structure itself is in good shape, according to a staff report, the roof is 11 years past its expiration date and the slab where ice is made has a slope of around two inches, requiring more energy to keep the playing surface frozen.

But spending big money on, as McAskill stated, a “fairly niche group”, was a decision point some on Council struggled with.

The roof of the Nanaimo Curling Centre on Wall St. is 11 years overdue for replacement, and is actively leaking. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Coun. Ben Geselbrecht said it was a difficult decision “…for the level of users, the degree of investment into the group. I don’t curl myself, a lot of my friend’s parents were big curlers and I know it was quite a tight knit community…I do have concerns on all the other levels of priorities in terms of the number of people that would be benefitting from that scale of investment.”

Just prior on Wednesday’s agenda, Council green lit an additional $6.7 million for critical HVAC improvements to the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre, which sees 1,500 people daily.

They’d also received a staff presentation on how the City has underfunded infrastructure upgrades, including road rehabilitation, for several years.

All the cost pressures had Geselbrecht and others looking for ways to stretch their dollars further.

“If we invest into this building…how can we use this building for a wider use in the community? I know there’s a big struggle…when we look at the homelessness situation and the need for a resource hub and the use of Caledonia as a shower program and that it’s not suitable for that, can that space be utilized for multiple use groups without creating conflict and being able to maintain services for the curling club.”

Coun. Ian Thorpe said the facility falls under asset management and the City, via Council, needs to do a better job properly financing it.

He said the 2025 55+ BC Games, to be hosted in Nanaimo in September, feature curling as a sport, however Thrope noted the club was unable to host the competition.

“Because of the antiquated equipment they have, would not be able to get the ice cooled and in earlier than they normally would do to be able to host the curling. Quite frankly, I find that embarrassing that our city is hosting a major event and our facility is not able to be a part of it.”

The Nanaimo Curling Centre is run on a co-management agreement between the club and the City, with the City responsible for the building’s structure including the roof.

Over the past five years, the City has spent around $175,000 in maintenance costs, in addition to just over $10,000 annually in utility costs.

Financing the upgrades will form part of budget discussions beginning this fall and be worked into future financial plans.

Pledged Nanaimo Curling Centre investments are expected to be endorsed at an upcoming City Council meeting.

A new curling facility for Nanaimo is estimated to cost in the $40 million range.

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