City to Enter Lease with BGCCVI to Operate PCC

November 16, 2021

At the meeting on November 15, Parksville Council authorized staff to undertake the necessary steps to enter into a five-year lease agreement with BGC Central Vancouver Island (BGCCVI) to operate a portion of the Parksville Community Centre (PCC) as the BGCCVI Parksville Child and Family Centre and to manage community use of the PCC. The report to Council from the Chief Administrative Officer was included with the November 15 Council agenda.

Following the November 1, 2021, closed meeting, Council rose and reported on direction provided to staff to issue a request for expressions of interest (RFEI) for the renovations to the PCC as outlined in the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund grant. This RFEI was posted to BC Bid and the City’s website on November 10. As required under the Community Charter, notice of intent to lease the property will be posted on the City's website and published in the PQB News.

The City will retain the Emergency Management Oceanside offices and an expanded meeting space at the Jensen side of the building. The remainder of the PCC will be operated by BGCCVI as a full-time child and family centre with the provision of 91 new daycare spaces as well as programs for different age groups, family supports, outdoor recreation space and buses to facilitate daycare activities. The PCC is scheduled to open for programs in the summer of 2022 with full opening of the 91 licensed childcare spaces in September 2022 along with community access to the centre. The City’s online engagement platform, Let’s Talk Parksville, will soon feature information and updates on the project.

BACKGROUND
In October 2020, Council approved a resolution to work with BGC Central Vancouver Island for the provision of new licensed childcare and associated programs. As part of this announcement, the public was advised the agreement between the City and the Parksville Community Centre Society (PCCS) expired on December 31, 2020. A letter of intent between the City and BGCCVI was signed in October 2020 and in partnership with BGCCVI, the City submitted a grant application for the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund to secure funding for a licensed childcare facility. Under the provisions of the letter of intent, should the grant application be successful, the City announced its intention to enter into an agreement with BGCCVI to operate the PCC as the Parksville Child and Family Centre. In December 2020, Council provided the public with Council resolutions related to the PCCS since 2015.

In May 2021, the Province of BC announced the City was successfully awarded a grant for $2,034,829 to complete significant renovations to the Parksville Community Centre to facilitate the 91 new childcare spaces and community programming. Council received notice of the award on April 7, 2021 and directed staff to prepare the legal documentation to facilitate the lease of the PCC to the BGCCVI. The letter of intent with BGCCVI was provided to the public.

In March 2021, Parksville Council announced an agreement with Vancouver Island Health Authority to lease the PCC from mid-March through September as a COVID immunization site. BGCCVI fully supported this critical community initiative, and the timelines were adjusted to support the use of the PCC as a regional vaccine clinic for an initial six-month period. The facility will continue to be used as a vaccine clinic for COVID-19 immunizations for children and the City, BGCCVI and Island Health are working together to balance safe access to the building with the renovation schedule.

For more information:
Deb Tardiff, Manager of Communications
dtardiff@parksville.ca; 250 954-3073