Questions and Answers

The City undertook a comprehensive planning exercise to inform development of community space to keep pace with the growth of Burnaby neighborhoods. A 2019 Needs Assessment of community amenity space found the northwest quadrant of Burnaby was underserved. The proposed community centre will supplement the existing civic facilities located in Confederation Park and help meet the current and projected future demand for community services in Burnaby's northwest quadrant.

Currently, site preparation work for the new Confederation Park Community Centre is planned to begin in spring 2024, followed by construction that will likely take 3 years to complete.

Any impacts or closures to Eileen Dailly Pool or McGill Library will be communicated in advance. Visit Burnaby.ca/Confederation to stay up to date, shut down notices will be posted to this page as they occur as well as the Eileen Dailly and McGill Library facility pages.

Yes, there is a need to remove some trees to make way for the new facility as the construction of the new community centre proposes significant change to the flow and use of the southwest side of Confederation Park.

As a City, we place a high value on trees and have undertaken an extensive review with our forestry department to reduce the impact on existing trees. As part of this project, we are committed to planting 173 new trees to replace the 87 trees that will be removed, as per the City’s tree bylaw, along with new landscaping. We will always make an effort to replant replacement trees on public property close to the original location. When this is not feasible, we strive to plant as near to the area as possible.

No. The demolition of the seniors’ centre building needs to take place before we can begin construction of the new community centre. The new community centre construction will occur in the location of the current seniors’ centre.

We’ll relocate seniors’ centre programming to a temporary location in Christine Sinclair Community Centre in Spring 2024 until the new centre opens.

Yes, the temporary location will have staff offices and will be staffed appropriately.

Yes. The food program will continue and the days will remain the same.

Yes , the coffee bar will open in the lounge at CSCC.

Yes, there will be snooker tables available in the temporary location.

Yes.

No, the seniors’ centre weight room is not able to be accommodated in the temporary location. Members can access the existing weight room at Christine Sinclair Community Centre, Edmonds Community Centre, Willingdon Community Centre and Bonsor Recreation Complex. All of these locations have adaptable machines and accessible equipment, with Edmonds Community Centre providing the most options. Weight room staff are available to provide a general overview of the equipment at each location.

Yes, if the temporary location selected by the seniors’ members requires a shuttle service, this will be provided.

Yes, we can provide storage for CSA equipment during relocation.

Yes, we can provide storage for CSA supplies during relocation.

Yes, we can provide lockable storage for CSA program supplies.

Yes, it will be insured following the current practice.

Yes. Providing inclusive, multigenerational spaces in new community facilities have been proven to play a key role in the health and well-being of all ages in the community. The new community centre will offer access to more, higher-quality multi-purpose room space for programs and a dedicated seniors’ lounge that is larger than the existing lounge for members.

The facilities available for seniors’ programming in the new community centre will be greater in size than what is in the current seniors’ centre. Among other spaces, the new dedicated seniors’ lounge will be over 1,700 sq.ft., compared to the existing lounge that is 1,168 sq.ft. For more information about the plans for the new Confederation Park Community Centre, visit Burnaby.ca/Confederation.

The City has a process in place across all facilities for allocating spaces for programming. The process focuses on programming for the public and strives to achieve a balance between recreation services, sports groups, and community programs. The intent of the gymnasium is to accommodate a mix of programmed and spontaneous (drop-in/casual) use.

A comprehensive approach to traffic management that is consistent across Burnaby is being contemplated. Following the recommendations from the Traffic Impact Assessment Study commissioned by the City, a new traffic signal and pedestrian crosswalk is proposed at Albert Street and Willingdon Avenue. '

Additional parking stalls and bicycle lockers will be included in the new facility. Parking pick-up/ drop-off zones, electric vehicle parking and parking stalls allocated for temporary parking are also included in the design.

Plans to increase the width of the sidewalks and create a new multi-use path (MUP) will encourage pedestrian access and active transportation to the site. The MUP will be enhanced with pedestrian rest areas and landscaping to improve connectivity to the site from adjacent greenways and for pedestrians walking to the new community centre.

There will be level 2 charging stations that have two charges per head, similar to other City facilities. These will be paid stations. The number of stations is still being decided.

The café is intended for smaller social gatherings of a couple people or individual use, however there are multi-purpose rooms in the facility that will be able to accommodate meetings and similar purposes. Catering functionality and services will be an operational decision that will be made at a later date.

We are working closely with staff at the Confederation Seniors’ Centre to answer any questions or address any concerns you have. Please call Mikaela Graham-Radford, the Confederation Seniors’ Centre Supervisor, at 604-297-4814. For project-related questions, please email [email protected] or use the web form on the project page to send us your questions.