Ravensong Aquatic Centre Expansion Referendum

Below is a breakdown of eligible electors by area (Table 1) and the breakdown of the origin of the voters for mail ballots (Table 2) for the Ravensong Aquatic Centre Expansion Referendum. 

We are not able to provide a breakdown of the origin of the voters in the advanced polls as voted ballots were totaled together. Additionally, we are not able to provide a breakdown of 'yes' or 'no' votes by each voting area for the advanced polls and mail ballots. 

 Table 1

Table 2

Thank you for your interest and suggestions. Tuesday, April 22, 2025 the RDN Board will receive the official results and provide direction for the next steps.

The results have now been shared on the RDN website, social media pages and on this project page. You can view them at: rdn.bc.ca/2025Ravensong-results 

Votes will be counted, and preliminary results will be posted on the RDN website rdn.bc.ca/Ravensong-Referendum-Results as soon as possible after the close of voting (8 p.m.) on general voting day Saturday, April 5, 2025. They will also be added to the News and Highlights on the RDN homepage and shared on social media. 

Official results will be announced by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, 2025.

We have also shared this information in the FAQ section of the project page. 

A fitness centre addition was considered during the design planning and community engagement and was presented to the Regional District of Nanaimo Board as one of the options to be selected for the proposed facility expansion however, this option was ultimately not chosen in order to keep the project costs lower. The design that was selected does include structural aspects that would support a potential fitness centre expansion above the changeroom, administrative, lobby and multi-purpose portion of the facility for future considerations.      

My question below elicited a response which I appreciate. Some follow up: Tax Impact: while we see these numbers, what is not clear right now is the current (2024) tax contribution to the current facility?

Answer: The annual tax contribution per average household in the Town of Qualicum Beach, based on the 2024 BC Housing Assessment, for the Ravensong Aquatic Centre Service was $113.48. This information is identified in the first column on the table included with the initial question and response. 

It might help your case to show that figure as well. The Emission abatement: My original concerns on the questions below looked at the average cost of ~$1300/tonne to get all the possible GHG emission reduction (around 325 tonne per year). I now have looked more deeply and find 94% of those reductions are at a reasonable cost ($0.8 million) for about $115/tonne after energy system operational cost reduction. This is about the rate for carbon credits or CCS and acceptable in current government "climate cost" thinking and credit accounting. This is all within my sphere of GHG consulting. However, you then plan to spend and added ~$5.5 million (the number is 5.2 or 6.2 in two different charts). This added spending will only gain another 19 tonne reduction per year (about the average annual carbon footprint of a single Canadian) and after the loan costs per year and the operational cost savings this works out to an insane ~$20,000/tonne every year. No emission tax credit (even if gained) will compensate for that. This information has been forwarded to the Town Council. Whatever the outcome of the referendum, if it is a positive one, are the sharing entities still allowed to review these kinds of cost elements?

Answer: Yes, the cost per tCO2e abatement is high for the last emission reductions on the project. In this case, it included the measures needed to comply with the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) Zero Carbon building standard, maintaining eligibility for the Federal Green and Inclusive Community Buildings funding stream of which the RDN recently received a $7 million funding contribution from the federal government for the proposed expansion project. Emission reduction measures on the project also bring value that goes beyond basic abatement cost calculations, including local electricity generation potential, improved energy efficiency, technology demonstration, use of low impact building materials, and 25% cost contingency planning, all of which are included in the $5.49 million estimate.

If you're not on the voters list, you can register at the time of voting by completing an application form. You will be asked to provide two pieces of identification that prove who you are and where you live. One of them must have your signature on it. For a list of accepted identification please see our Resident Electors FAQ sheet or visit rdn.bc.ca/Ravensong-Referendum. There are additional requirements to register as a Non-Resident Property Elector, please see our Non-Resident Property Elector FAQ sheet. 

If you are already on the voters list, identification is not required.

To find out if you are on the voters list, please call 250-390-4111.

The B.C. Guidelines for Pool Operations are regulations set by the BC Health Department and dictate the standards for pool water temperatures in public swimming pools. The regulation requires that the temperature of the pool water must not exceed 37 degrees Celsius, except for a hot tub, which must not exceed 40 degrees Celsius. The regulation also states that the maximum allowable temperature for pools protects the public from heat stroke or other potential heat/exertion risks, especially in activities of higher exertion such as length swimming and aquafit. Ravensong Aquatic Centre is a community pool and not a competitive pool by nature and is also not used solely for competitive swimming. 

The pool is utilized by several different user categories such as public swimming, length swimming, physiotherapy, swimming lessons and aquafit. To balance comfort with the provision of safety, the Ravensong Aquatic Centre current main pool temperature is maintained at 29 degrees Celsius. If the referendum passes and the facility expansion proceeds, there will be further discussion and designs regarding the pool temperatures which will be based on programming needs, mechanical efficiencies, patron comfort and safety. There would be the ability to have different pool temperatures set for the newer pool addition than the current pool tank. However, there will be consideration of the programming planned for the pool to ensure that we maintain a safe environment for all users. 

If you are looking specifically for a warmer body of water while at the Ravensong Aquatic Centre, please consider using the leisure pool at the facility which is maintained at 34.5 degrees Celsius.    

1) The QB avg tax increase quoted in open meetings was $122 per home, or some 2.5 % of. The QB Town Council presentation gave that value rising to $310 by 2029. Even allowing for significant tax increases for other town priorities by that time, the Ravensong expansion will rise to 5% of our tax bill. Why was this not in the information sessions ? 

Correct, the annual impact per average household in the Town of Qualicum Beach, based on the 2025 BC Housing Assessment, is estimated at $122.36. Further, the following table was developed for the information sessions to represent the projected tax requisition for each participating service area which also includes the annual operating costs for the proposed facility expansion: 

2) The second issue is of interest to we “climate change” geeks! Current facility emissions are about 350 tonnes CO2E per year, some 2% of our QB RCI. I consult in this area and think claims of a 94% reduction may not stack up to scrutiny. The new facility power draw of some 1.8 million kWh per year translates to about 80 tonnes per year of CO2E emission not the 10 claimed. For those who might point to the use of solar panels (a sensible use of new technology) not much help there. The average life-cycle emission profile of solar panels globally is higher than the BC grid power. And if your panels are made in China, largely by coal-power…connect the dots..

The project uses annual, industry-standard, integrated BC electricity grid emission factors to calculate the emissions from the Ravensong Expansion’s expected electricity use. We use the integrated grid emission factor because the facility will be connected to the integrated grid. These emission factors are available here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/climate-change/industry/reporting/quantify/electricity. The emission factor values range from 9.7 to 11.5 grams of carbon per kWh of electricity (or 9.7 to 11.5 tonnes of carbon per GWh electricity). The facility will use 1.8 million kWh per year (or 1.8 GWh). Multiplying the emission factor times the electricity use indicates the facility emissions will be between 17.46 tCO2e/yr and 20.7 tCO2e/yr. Even using the lifecycle grid emission factor of 14g carbon/kWh gives a maximum of 25 tCO2e/yr. A 94% reduction from 350 tCO2e/yr is ~20 tCO2e/yr, consistent with the amounts indicated in the presentation to Oceanside Services Committee and shared with the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) Board (presentation is available here: https://www.getinvolved.rdn.ca/45563/widgets/191384/documents/141322. The project has never claimed to reduce emissions to 10 tCO2e/year.

3) On the same GHG impact, the total cost of the energy upgrades will be some $5.5 million financed over 20 years. Without going over all the details it works out to ~$1,500 per tonne of CO2E abated. Quebec and California base their carbon reduction plans on emission trading and Elon Musk (OK, I don’t like him either!) sits on mountains of saleable credits at about $120-150 per tonne or 1/10th of that part of the proposed expansion costs. This is also about the same cost of sequestration. Maybe I'm missing something? Your comments appreciated.

Yes, the cost per tCO2e abatement is high for the last emission reductions on the project, it is consistent with ‘going the last mile’ and in this case includes not only reductions for embodied emissions that would not be captured in the abatement cost calculation, but also the measures required to comply with the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) Zero Carbon building standard, maintaining eligibility for the Federal Green and Inclusive Community Buildings funding stream of which the RDN recently received a $7 million funding contribution from the federal government for the proposed expansion project. Emission reduction measures on the project also bring value that goes beyond basic abatement cost calculations, including local electricity generation potential, improved energy efficiency, technology demonstration and use of low impact building materials. 

While some systems and finishes will require updates or replacement over the next 20 years, the anticipated lifespan of the proposed new facility upgrade is 40 years or more before any major renovations or significant replacements would be needed.