The District of Squamish is planning to spend $1 million to hire consultants to update the municipality’s parks and recreation master plan and to assess potential upgrades to Brennan Park Recreation Centre.
The district has allocated $400,000 in 2025, $300,000 in 2026, and $300,000 in 2027 for the work, which is scheduled to run from October 2025 through February 2027. A newly formed Recreation Centre Task Force will oversee the project. It includes staff from Recreation, Facilities, Finance, and Communications.
Scope of Work
The consultants will develop a master plan to analyze parks planning, recreation programming and facility development. The work will include community engagement, a review of trends and best practices, service delivery analysis, and an assessment of current facilities.
The consultants will also conduct feasibility studies covering electrical, environmental, and archaeological considerations, as well as recreational use trends and municipal best practices. The outcome will inform future investments in recreational amenities and will be used to update the Community Amenity Contribution policy and the Development Cost Charge bylaw.
It has been 12 years since the district’s last recreation master plan was adopted. The update will incorporate recent recreational planning work for Brennan Park and address community growth and overall recreational needs. Consultant selection is scheduled for October through December 2025. The task force will report its findings to the Capital Committee for integration into the district’s long-term financial plan.
Various funding sources will be required for any future construction projects, and staff will explore funding strategies as part of the validation work.
Challenges Ahead
District documents reveal several concerns about the process. Staff warn that the work is complex and could face delays. Multiple feasibility studies may be required, and there is concern that repeated rounds of engagement could lead to “community fatigue.” Without a single funding source secured, future construction may have to be phased or scaled back.
“There is already an indication of community fatigue around the validation of the project, leading to reduced participation and overreliance on existing data, which may limit the understanding of the current community needs. The future engagement has a risk of being biased to a few community groups and their specific needs rather than the community as a whole,” the report notes.
