French Creek School and Parkland Purchase Referendum

On April 8, 2025, the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) Board approved a resolution in camera to purchase the former French Creek School site, a 3.7 hectare (9.15 acre) property located at 2350 Alberni Highway, Coombs, from School District 69 (SD69) for $1,300,000. Part of the purchase would be funded through long-term borrowing which requires elector approval.
On May 27, the RDN Board approved the resolutions required to proceed to referendum to obtain the assent of the electors of the Electoral Area 'F' Community Parks and Halls Local Service Area for borrowing up to $824,000, plus interest, repayable over a period of no more than ten years, to purchase the property. The general voting day for the referendum will take place on Saturday, October 25, 2025.
The purchase of the property is included in the approved 2025-2029 Financial Plan. If the referendum is approved by the electors, the purchase would be funded through $376,000 of Electoral Area ‘F’ Community Parks and Halls reserve funds, $120,000 of Community Works Funds and long-term borrowing of $824,000 plus interest.
The estimated annual cost per average household in Electoral Area F for the loan repayment is $22.71 per year over the ten year loan term. Future use of the property will be determined after public engagement if the referendum is successful.
For More Information and to Get Involved
- Stay informed by clicking on subscribe to leave your email address and receive email updates
- Visit our What's New updates that will share information on the referendum including how and when to vote
- Explore this webpage to find out more about the agreement to purchase the property, the property and next steps including staff reports and other documents in the Background Documents and links
- Check out the FAQ's, which answer common questions and will be added to along the way based on what we are hearing
- Drop-in and see us out the upcoming information sessions on September 27 at the Errington Farmers Market or on October 1 at the Coombs Fairgrouds
- Advanced voting day will be held Wednesday, October 15 and 22, 2025 and general voting day Saturday, October 25, 2025 from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. at the Coombs Fairgrounds
- For more information on the referendum, including the three ways to vote, who can vote and voting locations, visit rdn.bc.ca\French-Creek-School-and-Parkland-Purchase-Referendum
- Ask a question and we will do our best to answer it and share the information with everyone