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BURNABY, B.C. – Burnaby City Council voted Aug. 28 to defer construction of a new Confederation Park Community Centre and is exploring other options for delivery, citing provincial government changes in how civic amenities are funded.

Council has asked city staff to report back in a timely manner with options to reduce project costs through a redesign and seek alternate sources of funding, a release said.

“We recognize the urgent need to provide residents with access to top-quality recreation and community centres, which is why we’re moving forward with a number of major projects over the next five years,” said Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley in a statement.

“As a city we are proud of the fact that for many years we have funded new facilities through our savings — not by borrowing or increasing taxes. Changes by the province will make that difficult to avoid in the future and this deferral will help minimize any impact to our residents.”

New city amenities were previously funded through the Community Benefit Bonus Policy, the release said, and the policy enabled the city to collect money from developers in exchange for added density in our town centres.

“Changes in provincial legislation have significantly reduced the ability of this program to raise funds. Although the province introduced a new funding tool in 2024, called Amenity Cost Charges (ACCs), the city’s ACC bylaw only came into effect in July 1, 2024. The new ACC fees will take several years to accumulate and based on the province’s rules, may only be used for a small portion of the project,” the release said.

The city will continue to develop four other facilities over the next five years: the Burnaby Lake Recreation Complex, the Cameron Community Centre and Library replacement project, the James Cowan Theatre redevelopment and the replacement of the Burnaby RCMP detachment. 

“These four projects are among many projects currently underway that will be funded through existing funds in the city’s Community Benefit Bonus reserve. With these projects, the funds from the reserve are fully committed,” the release said.