Cut Kids & families

Qualicum Commons repairs

A community hub in the former elementary school. The Town set aside $590,000 for upkeep, then declined $1.5–2 million in repairs. It stays open until June 30, 2027.

Amount
$1.5M–$2M (estimate)
Got
$590,000
Where it stands
Kept open to June 2027. Community centre in the former elementary school: daycares, a school for neurodivergent students, dance, therapists. Town directed $590,000 to maintenance (Mar 2025, made public Oct 2025), then declined $1.5M–$2M in repairs (Apr 2026); lease extended one year.

What it is

Qualicum Commons is the former Qualicum Beach Elementary School. The School District owns it. Supporters say the school closed in June 2014, and community groups reopened the building as Qualicum Commons in September 2015.

Tenants named in news coverage include two daycares, Coast Karma Academy (a school for autistic and neurodivergent students), the Qualicum Beach School of Dance and an occupational therapist. Supporters say the building has 72 licensed childcare spaces, 92 students at the school, and 78 jobs. These are the supporters' figures, not the Town's.

The Town leased the building from July 1, 2025, to study its condition. It then estimated $1.5 million to $2 million for the most urgent repairs only. The Town decided not to pay for them, saying: “As the Town does not own this property, multi-million-dollar investments would not make financial sense.”

What happened

  1. June 2014The School District closed Qualicum Beach Elementary (according to supporters and news coverage).
  2. September 2015Community groups reopened the building as Qualicum Commons.
  3. September 4, 2024The Town and the School District announced they would work together on a long-term solution for the building.
  4. March 12, 2025In a closed meeting, Council directed that $590,000 go to Commons maintenance. The money came from a community amenity contribution, a payment made when land is rezoned, from the Eaglecrest Drive rezoning. This was made public in the October 2025 Financial Plan amendment.
  5. June 24, 2025The Town and School District announced a one-year lease, starting July 1, 2025, with options to renew.
  6. July 23, 2025Staff told Council the Commons lease and the golf course purchase were not in the work plan. Council pushed back 33 planned initiatives (Resolution 25-180, carried 4–1, Councillor Harrison opposed).
  7. April 7, 2026The Town announced it would not renew the lease. It cited failing building systems, floods in three areas, and $1.5 million to $2 million for urgent repairs. Tenants were told to leave by June 30, 2026.
  8. April 2026A petition to keep the Commons open gathered nearly 1,400 signatures within days, NanaimoNewsNOW reported.
  9. April 17, 2026The Mayor thanked the community for speaking out and said the Town was exploring ways to keep the Commons open.
  10. May 14, 2026The Town offered the Oceanside Commons Society a sublease. The Society would run the building and pay for capital repairs. The Town offered up to $80,000 toward some repairs.
  11. May 20, 2026Council set a June 1 deadline for the Society to sign. If it did not, the Town would renew the lease and at the same time give one year's notice. Council also asked to explore buying the property.
  12. May 22, 2026The Society had told the Town on May 21 that it would not sign. The Town confirmed it will run the Commons until June 30, 2027, and offered tenants one-year licences to that date.

Why it matters

  • PQB News reported that in 2024 the School District planned to close this building and the Craig Street Commons, citing about $4 million to $5 million in capital costs for the two buildings together.
  • The Town's April 2026 release contrasted the leased Commons with the Eaglecrest golf course, which the Town owns. It said Eaglecrest is being paid for through land sales and a $2.125 million private donation, without impact to taxpayers.
  • The 2026–2030 Financial Plan shows the $590,000 as 2026 capital funding, and a 2026 operating budget of $282,800 for the Commons, which the Town says is offset by tenant rent.
  • The Town told NanaimoNewsNOW that the School District said it cannot sell the property in the short term.
  • Supporters say more than 1,000 people use the Commons every week. That figure comes from supporters, not from the Town.
  • In 2024, Town staff listed talks about the Commons as one possible option for more Seniors Activity Centre space.

Sources

Last checked September 18, 2026. Report a mistake.