‘We cannot afford to lose this space:’ Town not renewing lease for Qualicum Commons

The Town’s April 7 statement said the decision not to renew the lease was due to “the failing building systems, associated costs of repairs, and potential impact to…taxpayers.”

The property is currently owned by QBD, with the Town saying in an email to NanaimoNewsNOW, the school district “has advised it cannot sell the property in the short-term.”

Repairs or full replacements are needed for the HVAC and fire suppression systems, as well as repairs needed to the roof, windows, doors, plumbing, and electrical systems, with costs estimated between $1.5-2M for only the basic, immediate needs.

The Town said because they do not own the property, a “multi-million-dollar investment would not make financial sense,” and would result in a property tax increase.

Walker doesn’t buy that reasoning, citing the Ravensong Aquatic Centre, located in Qualicum Beach, but operated by the Regional District of Nanaimo, with a portion of operating funds provided by the Town.

“The Town recently gave money to the school board for the track in Parksville. It’s an amenity in our community, but it serves our community, but it’s not owned by the Town, and yet the Town moved a quarter of a million dollars towards the initiative, and I think that’s great that they’ve done that, but this idea the Town can’t invest in it because they don’t own it, it’s just not the case.”

The Town said it’s a different situation than the recent purchase of the Eaglecrest Golf Course lands for $8.5M, paid for in part by a $2.125 private donation and the eventual sale of Town-owned land in Eaglecrest, which is taking a considerable amount of time and resources.

Walker said they met with the Mayor and various council members twice this year, including at the Commons on Tuesday, April 7, the day the building’s tenants were told they needed to vacate by June 30.

He said Town Staff have gone “above and beyond” to make sure the building was in its best possible shape in the past year, and directly blames Town Council for the Commons’ uncertain future, while the Town says the building’s tenants were well aware the lease was only signed for a one-year term.

“There was tears in the room, there was significant anxiety. There were people in the room who run facilities, one of the childcare operators wasn’t even aware that they were being evicted from the space when they came to meet with us. It’s raw, it’s live, it’s happening in the moment…we cannot afford to lose this space.”

Walker wants another meeting as soon as possible between the OCS and the Town to come up with a long-term plan.

The Town said the OCS or another organization could approach QBD directly and work on a plan to enter into a direct lease agreement with them.

They also said they’re open to revisiting a business case to purchase the Commons if the property is put up for sale in the future.

The OCS was formed in 2024 as a community group to “advocate for the building’s future”, according to their website, qualicumcommons.ca.

The website, launched on Wednesday, April 8, already had almost 1,400 signatures and counting by Friday afternoon, asking the Town to work with the community to “develop a sustainable plan for Qualicum Commons.”

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by Jordan Davidson

‘We cannot afford to lose this space:’ Town not renewing lease for Qualicum Commons

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