St. Stephen's church parking lot
Asked the Town to pay $20,000 a year for public use of the church parking lot.
- Asked
- $100,000
- Received
- $0
- Times at Council
- 4
- Where it stands
- Declined. Wider parking question deferred to 2027.
Who asked
St. Stephen's United Church. Brought to Council by Cllr Harrison.
What they asked for
An annual fee-for-service payment for public use of the church parking lot.
How the amount breaks down: $20,000 a year for 5 years (2026–2030), from property taxation.
The church calculated the value of non-church use (Community Hall, curling club, tourists, casual parking) at $1.50 an hour. The Town currently holds a $1-a-year licence for the lot (dated Sep 27, 2021) and plows, maintains and repaints it.
What Council decided
Scoping sheet closed Dec 17, 2025. Staff were directed to revisit private lots used informally for community parking in 2026; that item was deferred to 2027 on Sep 9, 2026.
How they voted: Dec 17, 2025: moved by Skipsey, seconded by Harrison. Unanimous.
Reason given
The Town already supports the church through a Permissive Tax Exemption covering the church and parking lot, plus the licence agreement (snow clearing, maintenance, line painting). The licence is to be reviewed.
Reasons are paraphrased from the minutes and staff reports, not direct quotes.
Timeline
- Committee of the Whole
- Committee of the Whole
- Special Council
- Regular 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)
- Committee of the Whole minutes, Nov 12, 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)
Last checked September 18, 2026. Report a mistake.