The District of Squamish is spending $1 million to hire consultants to study what needs to be done at Brennan Park Recreation Centre.
You know what else costs money? The recreation master plan we paid for 12 years ago. The one that’s been gathering dust while the community has spent over a decade asking—begging, really—for upgraded recreation amenities. The 2013 master plan already laid it all out: new arena, fitness centre, pool upgrades, proper gymnasium and yes, an ice rink.
This is what it said 12 years ago: “A high priority is to begin planning for the replacement of the existing ice sheet with a 1500-person spectator area. A new ice arena would provide an excellent opportunity to repurpose the existing arena for flexible dry-floor recreation space desired by a variety of organizations.”
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Now, here we are in 2025, being told we need “validation work” before anything can happen. Validation of what, exactly? That families want a pool? That community groups need ice time? That our community has grown and our recreation facilities haven’t kept pace? We don’t need consultants to tell us that. Five-year-olds in Squamish know that.
Endless Cycle of Analysis, Paralysis, Analysis
This isn’t about disparaging consultants. They’re professionals with real expertise, and there is a place for specialized studies on electrical systems, environmental impacts, and archaeological assessments. What I’m questioning is why it takes $1 million and two more years of studies to move forward on upgrades the community identified as priorities over a decade ago.
The district already knows what people want. There’s been “previous needs analysis work.” There have been years of community requests. An entire master plan was adopted in 2013 that outlined what Squamish needed.
What we do need is building, not studying. But that will require “various funding sources”—grants, partnerships, maybe a referendum to approve borrowing money. The new consultants will likely present their report in 2027, and then what? Presumably, more discussions about funding strategies, a referendum?
Community Fatigue Is Real
The district’s own documents acknowledge “community fatigue around the validation of the project, leading to reduced participation.”
Of course, people are fatigued. They’ve been asking for upgrades for years. They participated in the last master plan process. They’ve attended community meetings. They’ve filled out surveys. And now they’re being asked to do it all over again, to show up to more engagement sessions, to repeat what they’ve already said, to validate needs that have already been validated.
Let’s be clear: The $1 million isn’t buying us a rink, a pool, or a gym. It’s buying us PowerPoint presentations. It’s buying us a “background documentation review” of plans we already paid for. It’s buying us “population and demographic modelling” for a community that everyone knows is growing.
To put it bluntly, it’s buying the district time. Time for the district to say “we’re working on it” without actually building anything. Time to push difficult funding decisions down the road. Time to add another layer of process between community needs and community action. Yes, feasibility studies for electrical and environmental impacts are necessary, and archaeological assessments are required. Sure, consultants bring valuable expertise to complex projects.
But let’s not pretend this is just about those studies. This is about a district that’s had 12 years to act and is now spending $1 million to study the problem again instead of solving it.
What We Need to Know
Why did the 2013 master plan sit on a shelf for 12 years? What stopped the district from acting on it? If the plan was inadequate or outdated, why are we only addressing that now? And if the needs were clear back then, why are we re-validating them instead of building?
Do we need consultants for that?
Gagandeep Ghuman is the editor of the Squamish Reporter.
On point!!!
YOu are bang on! We do not need another study. I know many years and many things have changed since the library was built. The library went to referendum 2 maybe 3 times never getting agreement from the community. Referendums were the only way to spend tax dollars before the Province gave the way out…the counter petition process ,which obviously means little…check the new public works facilities. That went to counter petition twice. It held up the first time because so much community effort went into it besides the time and money to organize. The ink was barely cold on the first petition when Council agreed to another. Council was not listening to the public and the 2nd petition did not get the support required as noone drove the counter petition process and the time the energy was not there. The result is this new facility that its not complete and way over budget! We should never have left the referendum requirement. It keeps Council in tune with it’s public and we don’t build facilities we cannot afford.
Now we sell property at below market value to help cover costs.
The Library after failing the 2 or 3 times went to a Design Build process and we got a submission that was within our means , saving almost a million dollars. Staff should be recommending Council move forward with a request for proposals for a design built upgraded recreation centre using the 12 year old master plan and community input received in the past few years. We don’t need to wait another 5 years while we continue to overbuild our neighbourhoods and commercial needs to meet developer desires and the Province’s ridiculous mandate.
All we all need to know is was the Request for Proposal system used in this effort? Was the answer to this proposal application include the qualifications of the Program Managers? What experience in this type of program does the “consultant have? Has the proponent done this type of work before? If so we can expect a “cut and paste” project report. What is the hourly rate for work done under this proposal? To everyone’s surprise, this project was completed a number of years ago at great cost and nothing was done until about 16 months ago when the first phase of many phases was started and who knows how much the overall project will cost???? The figure’s bounced around in 2015 was $82 million????
Exactly!!
Right on, Gagan! And well said. Such a comedy of errors that I don’t know what to say. Except I am truly fatigued!!
This is why people do not respect government. Someone needs to take action, but that takes work. Why bother when you can sit around, pontificate and collect a salary. It is ridiculous and people should get vocal about it. Plan attendance at a council meeting and let them have it. Don’t give up!
Thank you for speaking the truth! I was involved in the process for many years, indirectly supporting Squamish to develop the recreational master plan. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see that all these years have passed and still nothing has been done. (It was one of the main reasons I left th community.) Now, to hear that they are wasting more money and time – I hope Squamish residents take a stand and say enough. I wouldn’t allow this $1 million for more consultants go through. The only people they should be I no eating in are recreational facility specialists to actually make the building plans, and people who can get out their and secure the funding needed.
Why am I not surprised at this constant need to hire consultants and who take tax payer money that can be spent on more important things, but hey Squamish keep voting these clowns into office and you expect different? Leaving Squampton was the best thing I did years ago. Good luck!
I have been living in Squamish last fifty years and never seen what is happening
The whole council should be fired
The Mayor did nothing just running his bike shop
Nobody in Municipality know even how to maintain swimming pool
They should learn from other municipalities how they run the maintenance of swimming pools