Biosphere Society: Leigh House rent
Asked for Leigh House rent to drop to $1 a year from 2026, with no end date. Council budgeted two years of support instead.
- Asked
- About $24,000 (2026)
- Received
- $24,000 budgeted for 2026 (2 years in all)
- Times at Council
- 4
- Where it stands
- Two years budgeted (2026 and 2027). Not yet paid.
Who asked
Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Society. Brought to Council by Cllr Skipsey.
What they asked for
A fee-for-service agreement reducing the Leigh House lease (124 West Second Ave) to $1 a year, starting January 1, 2026. The proposal gave no end date; staff described it as five years.
How the amount breaks down: About $24,000 a year in rent the Town would give up, ongoing. This record counts the first year, 2026.
The Society leases Leigh House for about $24,000 a year. Earlier asks: a 2025 sponsorship package (Apr 16, 2025, referred) and a grant request delegation (Jun 18, 2025). The funding granted is tied to deliverables on Reconciliation and climate and hazard mitigation.
What Council decided
The lease stays. Staff were told to negotiate a two-year fee-for-service agreement: $24,000 in each of 2026 and 2027, from grants and/or the Strategic Initiatives Reserve. None of it had been paid by June 30, 2026.
How they voted: Apr 16, 2025: sponsorship package referred to strategic planning, moved by Skipsey, seconded by Vander Valk. Oct 24 Committee of the Whole: moved by Skipsey, seconded by Harrison. Unanimous. Dec 17 Council: moved by Young, seconded by Skipsey. Unanimous.
Reason given
Staff noted the lease is a modest but meaningful source of non-tax revenue, and that renting Town buildings for a nominal fee is not financially sustainable. A review of Town facilities is due in 2026, so staff recommended two years only.
Reasons are paraphrased from the minutes and staff reports, not direct quotes.
Timeline
- Regular Council
- Regular Council
- Committee of the Whole
- Special Council
Sources
Official Town of Qualicum Beach documents. They open as PDFs on qualicumbeach.com.
- Committee of the Whole minutes, Oct 24, 2025 (PDF, opens in a new tab)
- Special Council minutes, Dec 17, 2025 (PDF, opens in a new tab)
- Committee of the Whole agenda and scoping sheets, Oct 24, 2025 (PDF, opens in a new tab)
- Regular Council agenda and staff reports, Sep 9, 2026 (PDF, opens in a new tab)
- Regular Council minutes, Jun 18, 2025 (PDF, opens in a new tab)
- Regular Council minutes, Apr 16, 2025 (PDF, opens in a new tab)
Last checked September 19, 2026. Report a mistake.