Aquatic Facility Referendum

If you meet the following criteria, you can vote in the 2026 General Local Election and Aquatic Facility Referendum:

• Be 18 years of age or older on voting day
• Be a Canadian citizen
• Have lived in British Columbia for at least six months
• Be a resident of Fort St. John, or qualify as a Non-Resident Property Elector
• Not be disqualified from voting by law

You may be eligible to vote as a Non-resident Property Elector if you live outside Fort St. John but personally own property within the City and meet provincial voting requirements.

To qualify, you must:

• Be 18 years of age or older on voting day
• Be a Canadian citizen
• Have lived in British Columbia for at least six months
• Have owned the property for at least 30 days before registering
• Not be eligible to vote as a resident elector in Fort St. John
• Not be otherwise disqualified from voting

Important things to know:

• The property can be residential or commercial. What matters is who owns it, not what type of property it is.
• The property must be owned by an individual. If it is owned by a corporation, numbered company, partnership, society, trust, or another legal entity, no voting rights are attached to that ownership.
• If a property has multiple owners, only one owner may vote for that property and must have written consent from a majority of the other owners.
• Owning multiple properties does not provide additional votes.
• Owning a business does not provide voting rights unless the property is personally owned by the individual.

Anyone who believes they may qualify as a non-resident property elector is encouraged to contact the Chief Election Officer before voting. Property ownership and eligibility can often be verified in advance, helping avoid delays at the voting place.
 

Borrowing for a long-term capital project requires voter approval. The referendum is being held in conjunction with the 2026 General Local Election to reduce referendum costs and so residents can decide whether the City should have the authority to borrow up to $90 million while project validation, funding applications, and other planning work continue. 

Approval would authorize the City to borrow up to $90 million toward the project. It would not require the City to borrow the full amount immediately. Project validation, detailed design, funding applications, fundraising, sponsorship work and other approval steps would continue before construction. 

If borrowing is not approved, the proposed project cannot proceed under the current funding plan. Council would need to consider how to address the community's long-term aquatic and recreation needs.

The existing facility would continue to age and require investment. Future options would depend on its condition, construction costs, available funding programs, and community priorities at that time.

The North Peace Leisure Pool is approximately 30 years old and is experiencing increasing mechanical and capacity challenges. It also no longer provides the space needed for the range of programs and activities the community wants. Planning for replacement has been informed by community feedback, technical studies, and facility planning since 2018. 

Visit the City's Let's Talk Aquatic Facility webpage to view previous engagement materials, summaries, and feasibility studies.

The current facility has aging mechanical systems, space limitations and capacity constraints. Its lap lanes are narrower than current regulation competition lanes, the leisure and program areas are limited, and some amenities have already been affected by aging infrastructure, including the permanently closed hot zone identified in the facility comparison. 

Renovating the existing building would still require working within its current footprint and structural limitations. Significant investment could be required without fully addressing program capacity, accessibility, spectator space or future growth. The proposed project is intended to provide a longer-term solution rather than only extending the life of the existing facility. 

The Peace River Regional District owns the North Peace Leisure Pool and the City of Fort St. John operates it on their behalf under an operating agreement.

The pool continues to operate, but it is approximately 30 years old and is experiencing increasing mechanical and capacity challenges. The proposal is intended to plan for replacement before the community is forced to respond to a major failure or extended closure. 

The concept design reflects community feedback and technical analysis of current and future needs with a strong emphasis on a facility that serves all ages and user groups.

The proposed features include:

• 8-lane, 25-metre pool with diving boards
• 3-lane, 25-metre warm water pool
• Leisure pool with lazy river and swim lesson space
• Waterslide, hot pool, sauna, and steam rooms
• Splash pad and family-friendly amenities
• Multi-purpose and program rooms
• Spectator seating and viewing areas
• Café and gathering spaces
• Indoor fieldhouse with a full-sized artificial turf field

If funding allows, additional amenities may include a drop slide, a ninja-style obstacle course, an aquatics climbing wall, and a cold plunge. Designs are preliminary and will continue to evolve.

The proposal would expand both aquatic and indoor recreation capacity. The current concept includes an eight-lane, 25-metre lap pool, a three-lane warm-water pool, a larger leisure pool, expanded hot and cold zones, indoor waterslide features, more public and program space, and a substantially larger fieldhouse. 

In total, the water surface area proposed for the new facility is more than double that of the current North Peace Leisure Pool, at 1135 square meters. Visit the City's Let's Talk Aquatic Facility webpage for a full comparison.

Over the past decade of community engagement, the community identified a need for more year-round indoor recreation space. The proposed 11 vs 11 full-size fieldhouse could be divided into smaller activity areas to meet the needs of our community and user groups.

Potential fieldhouse users include:

• soccer
• lacrosse
• football
• baseball
• rugby
• cricket
• birthday parties
• other community programming

The facility is being planned to meet modern accessibility requirements and improve access to aquatic, recreation, viewing and support spaces. While specific accessibility features will continue to be refined through validation and detailed design, planned accessibility improvements currently proposed:

• Ramp access into pool basins and the warm-water pool
• Barrier-free access throughout the facility
• Universal and accessible changerooms
• Accessible washrooms and shower facilities
• Family changeroom spaces
• Improved spectator viewing areas with accessible seating locations
• Accessible program and meeting rooms
• Wider circulation routes and improved wayfinding
• Accessible parking and drop-off areas
• Enhanced accessibility for people using mobility devices, walkers, wheelchairs, and strollers
• Improved access for people of all ages and abilities to participate in aquatic programs, fitness activities, recreation, and community events

The proposed facility is intended to provide a more inclusive recreational experience for residents and visitors by incorporating modern accessibility standards that exceed those accommodated in the existing facility. As design development progresses, the project team will continue identifying opportunities to improve accessibility throughout the building and site.

Yes. The proposed facility includes 11 total swim lanes across the lap pool and warm-water pool, creating more space for lane swimming, lessons, aquatic fitness programs, and public use. The increased capacity will help reduce scheduling conflicts, improve availability for recreational and fitness swimmers, and enable multiple activities to take place simultaneously. This means more opportunities for residents to access lane swimming throughout the day while still accommodating lessons, aquatic programs, and community use.

The proposed facility includes dedicated swimming lesson space, providing greater flexibility for lessons while allowing other aquatic activities to continue at the same time. Increased pool capacity will also help the City offer more swimming lessons, reducing waitlists and making it easier for children, youth, and adults to access learn-to-swim programs. By providing additional space for instruction, recreation, fitness, and aquatic programming, the facility is designed to better meet current demand and accommodate future community growth.

The proposed project is more than a replacement pool. It includes aquatic facilities, a full-size fieldhouse, changerooms, spectator and community spaces, accessibility features, parking, site infrastructure, design, construction and project delivery costs.

The estimate reflects today's construction market and is being reviewed through the Integrate Project Delivery validation process, which involves architects, engineers, contractors, tradespeople, cost estimators, and other experts. 

The City does not intend to fund the full $185 million project through borrowing. The plan combines voter-approved borrowing with City reserves, Peace River Agreement funds, regional and senior government funding, and capital fundraising. The borrowing authority provides flexibility while the City continues to pursue funding from other sources. 

The referendum seeks approval for the maximum borrowing scenario, but approval does not require the City to borrow the full $90 million. Our goal is to reduce the borrowing as much as possible.

The estimated increase depends on the final amount borrowed. Across the three current scenarios, the estimated average residential increase ranges from $17.68 to $26.53 per month, while the estimated average commercial increase ranges between $137.41 and $206.10 per month.

Use the property tax calculator below to estimate potential impacts to your property.