Breaking News Qualicum Commons

On June 20, 2025, the Town of Qualicum Beach and the Qualicum School District announced that they had finalized a lease agreement for the Qualicum Commons property.

By way of background, the Qualicum Commons property is the old elementary school on Primrose Street. The school was closed in 2014. Most recently, the School District leased portions of the building to various for-profit and not-for-profit groups.

A primary issue for the School District was the ongoing cost of maintenance and repair, as well as major capital costs, and has been struggling to find a solution for a number of years. According to the joint announcement, a solution has been found. The announcement stated that "beginning July 1, 2025, the Town will assume responsibility for the building and surrounding grounds through a one year lease, with options for future renewals. This structure ensures uninterrupted programming while the Town and community partners collaborate on planning for long term stewardship and capital upgrades."

What does this mean for the Town and, more importantly, for you as a taxpayer? Good question. Unfortunately, no financial information was given in the announcement. Presumably, the lease will provide further details such as the Town's obligations for repairs, maintenance and capital upgrades. I have requested a copy of the lease via the Town's public enquiry form but to date have not received it and, since discussions regarding this matter seem to have been conducted in closed council meetings, no further information can be provided. However, this, we do know: in a report dated May 21, 2024, the School District indicated future capital costs of $3,055,000 for the Qualicum Commons building, comprised of $1,005,000 for roofing, $1,700,000 for HVAC, $200,000 for electrical safety and alarms, and $150,000 for the electrical systems. Assuming that the Town will be responsible for the ongoing repairs, maintenance and capital improvements pursuant to the lease (I suspect that this will be the case, as it begs the question of why the School District would enter into a lease with the Town if it was still willing to support the expenses), where will the money come from? Another good question. As you may know, the Town recently published its 2025-2029 Financial Plan and passed its 2025 budget. As far as I am aware, there are no specific provisions for funding Qualicum Commons. This will be relevant if the Town has taken on financial obligations under the lease. Until such time as the terms of the lease are made public, or a disclosure is made by the Town or the School District, this question will remain unanswered. I will provide further information when, or if, the lease is disclosed by the Town.

For further details regarding Qualicum Commons please see our earlier articles here.

James Noel June 21, 2025

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