Island Health COVID Immunization Site in Parksville Community Centre

March 1, 2021

Parksville Council is pleased to announce an agreement has been reached with Vancouver Island Health Authority to lease the Parksville Community Centre from March 15 through September as a COVID immunization site. Island Health expects the vaccination clinic will be operational twelve hours a day, seven days a week providing vaccinations to about 60,000 Oceanside residents during this time.

The agreement with Island Health necessitates exclusive use of the facility, with the exception of the commercial kitchen. The clinic will require access to onsite loading and parking spaces from March through September and fortunately, the City of Parksville is able to accommodate this request at a rate of $1, which would not have been possible if the centre was being operated independently for rental purposes. Over the next two weeks, notice of the lease agreement with Island Health will be provided to the public according to statutory regulations.

Boys and Girls Club of Central Vancouver Island fully supports this critical community initiative. Should the City be successful with the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, renovations to the centre will begin once Island Health has completed all immunizations, with the centre expected to re-open to the community in January 2022.

We wish to remind residents Provincial Health Officer orders and guidelines remain in place, even when you have received the vaccine. We all need to continue to protect each other by avoiding social interactions outside our immediate household, washing our hands often, staying home when sick, staying physically distant from people outside our households, and wearing a mask in public indoor spaces. For information on the Island Health immunization plan, please refer to https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/plan

For more information:

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