FAQ's

There are three ways to vote:

• Mail Ballot Voting – Mail ballots are available to eligible electors who apply. Applications are available online(External link), you can request an application be mailed to you by calling 250-390-4111, or pick one up in person at Ravensong Aquatic Centre(External link) or RDN Head Office(External link). Applications will not be accepted after 4:30 p.m. on April 3, 2025.
• Advance Voting – Wednesday, March 26 and Wednesday, April 2 from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. at the Qualicum Beach Community Hall, 644 Memorial Avenue, Qualicum Beach.
• General Voting Day – Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. 

Visit rdn.bc.ca/ravensong-referendum(External link) to find your voting location.

Eligible Resident Electors and Non-Resident Property Electors of the Electoral Areas and Municipalities that contribute to the Regional District of Nanaimo District 69 Swimming Pool Local Service can vote in the referendum. This includes Resident Electors and Non-Resident Property Electors of the City of Parksville, the Town of Qualicum Beach, and Electoral Areas E, F, G, and H.

To vote in the referendum, voters must be Eligible Resident Electors or Eligible Non-Resident Property Electors. 

 Resident Electors must:

• Be 18 years of age or older on General Voting Day; and
• Be a Canadian Citizen; and
• Be a resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months immediately before the day of registration; and
• Be a resident of the municipality or electoral area; and
• Not be disqualified under the Local Government Act or any other enactment from voting in an election or be otherwise disqualified by law.

 Non-Resident Property Electors must:

• Not be entitled to register as a resident elector of the municipality or electoral area; and
• Be 18 years of age or older on General Voting Day; and
• Be a Canadian Citizen; and
• Be a resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months immediately before the day of registration; and
• Be a registered owner of real property in the municipality or electoral area for at least 30 days immediately before the day of registration; and
• Not be disqualified under the Local Government Act or any other enactment from voting in an election or be otherwise disqualified by law.

 In addition, for non-resident property electors:

• The only persons who are registered owners of the property, either as joint tenants or tenants in common, are individuals who are not holding the property in trust for a corporation or another trust.
• If more than one person is the registered owner of the property, only one of those individuals may, with the written consent of the majority of the owners, register as a non-resident property elector.

 Note:  Corporations cannot vote.

Electoral Areas and First Nations Reserve Land Locations

Listed below, by Electoral Area, are the First Nations Reserve Lands located within the boundaries of the Electoral Areas that contribute to the Regional District of Nanaimo District 69 Swimming Pool Local Service and can vote in the referendum. To view where these Reserve Lands are located within the Electoral Areas, click on the following maps:

• Snaw-naw-as First Nation Electoral Area E(External link)
• Qualicum First Nation Electoral Area H(External link)

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(External link) or visit rdn.bc.ca/Ravensong-Referendum(External link). There are additional requirements to register as a Non-Resident Property Elector, please see our Non-Resident Property Elector FAQ sheet(External link). 

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 RDN is required to follow provincial legislation for the referendum which does not permit online voting. Learn about the three ways to vote at rdn.bc.ca/Ravensong-Referendum(External link).

If more than 50 per cent of the cast ballots vote the same way on the question stated, that result is binding.

Eligible voters will be asked: 

Are you in favour of the Regional District of Nanaimo adopting Ravensong Aquatic Centre Loan Authorization Bylaw No. 1921, 2024, which will authorize the Regional District of Nanaimo to borrow up to thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) in order to finance the Ravensong Aquatic Centre expansion?

The referendum will be decided by the Service participants as a whole not by each participating area. Eligible electors in Electoral Areas E, F, G and H (as well as the City of Parksville and Town of Qualicum Beach) will determine the outcome as a whole. If eligible electors vote in favour of the question, all Service participants will partake in the cost. 

This method of approval was also utilized for the establishment of the District 69 Swimming Pool Local Service Area Bylaw No. 899.

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) is preparing for an expansion to the Ravensong Aquatic Centre in Qualicum Beach that requires long-term borrowing. Elector approval is legislated for any amount of long-term borrowing. 

Long-term borrowing is anything over 5 years.

If the referendum passes the next steps would be to obtain health and building permits, finalize costing, and issuing tenders with the goal of breaking ground in January 2026.

The Ravensong Aquatic Centre expansion as proposed would not occur. 

The RDN Board would review the available reserve funds, the existing Ravensong Aquatic Centre asset management plan and anticipated community growth to inform future planning.

A referendum or assent voting is used to obtain the approval of the electors of a regional district or specified area so the regional district board may proceed with a proposed matter.

Yes, the Regional District of Nanaimo election bylaw allows for electors to vote by mail. Mail ballots will be provided to eligible electors who apply. Please visit rdn.bc.ca/Ravensong-Referendum(External link) for more information.

Applications are available online(External link), you can request an application be mailed to you by calling 250-390-4111, or pick one up in person at Ravensong Aquatic Centre(External link) or RDN Head Office(External link). Applications will not be accepted after 4:30 p.m. on April 3, 2025.

To be counted, your mail ballot must be received by the Chief Election Officer no later than 8 p.m. on general voting day, April 5, 2025, at the Regional District of Nanaimo, 6300 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6N2.  

Proxies are allowed in circumstances where an elector needs assistance to mark their ballot because of a physical disability or difficulties with reading or writing. In this case, an elector may be assisted in voting by an election official or by a person accompanying the elector.

Loans issued to the Regional District of Nanaimo come from the Municipal Finance Authority of BC(External link) or MFA for short. 

The Municipal Finance Authority of British Columbia (MFA) was created in 1970 to contribute to the financial well-being of local governments throughout BC. The MFA pools the borrowing and investment needs of BC communities through a collective structure and can provide a range of low cost and flexible financial services, regardless of the size of the community. The MFA is independent from the Province of British Columbia and operates under the governance of a Board of Members appointed from the various Regional Districts within the province. The MFA provides long-term, short-term, and equipment financing, investment management, and other financial services to communities and public institutions in BC.

During large scale capital projects, internal short-term borrowing is used initially. Depending on the magnitude of the project, this borrowing may be converted to long-term periodically as the project progresses and costs accumulate or all at once upon the project’s completion. MFA provides an opportunity to access long-term borrowing every Spring and Fall.

Votes will be counted, and preliminary results will be posted on the RDN website as soon as possible after the close of voting (8 p.m.) on general voting day Saturday, April 5, 2025. Official results will be announced by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, 2025.

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No, the question on the referendum ballot will remain the same.

The federal contribution will reduce the RDN’s reliance on borrowing the full amount of the proposed $30 million and therefore reduce the tax implications. It will also provide a financial buffer during a shifting economic period. Direct tax implications will be calculated at a later date following the referendum.

The Approval in Principle has been issued for the Ravensong Aquatic Centre Expansion Project based on the successful application submitted. The Project has been approved as a new build that would be designed to Net-Zero Carbon standards. Therefore, the $7M GICB funding is approved-in-principle for this project only. Due to the competitive nature of the GICB program, major scope changes would require approval by the Minister and there is no certainty of whether approval will be granted.

The main focus of the expansion would be:

• A new 4 lane 25 meter pool
• A new leisure pool
• A new lazy river
• 2 new multi-purpose rooms
• Upgrades to the lobby including a viewing area
• Upgrades to the change rooms including more universal change rooms, washrooms and showers
• New sauna and steam room
• Energy efficient pool filtration and mechanical systems

More details about the expansion project can be found in the FaulknerBrowns Architects Presentation to OSC found in Background Documents.

In 2020 the RDN held open houses to get feedback from the public and user groups on what features they thought were important to include in a future expansion. Design and costing were reviewed and presented to the RDN Board for consideration.

After receiving feedback on the design options, the RDN Board made the decision to move forward with the Original Option design. History of the design options and decision making process can be found on the Expansion project page.

The Regional District of Nanaimo recently acquired a Class B Cost Estimate. Outlined in the table below is the current project budget and the sources of funding. Details of the estimate can be found in the background documents. 

The RDN has been successful in securing a federal investment of up to $7 million for the Ravensong Aquatic Centre Expansion project in British Columbia through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program. The federal contribution will reduce the RDN’s reliance on borrowing the full amount of the proposed $30 million and therefore reduce the tax implications. It will also provide a financial buffer during a shifting economic period. 

The term of the loan is estimated as 20 years.

If the referendum is approved and the total $30,000,000 is required to be borrowed, the annual debt repayment costs are estimated in the table below. The estimate uses the MFA interest rate of 4.5% and a 20 year borrowing term. 

The RDN has been successful in securing a federal investment of up to $7 million for the Ravensong Aquatic Centre Expansion project in British Columbia through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program. The federal contribution will reduce the RDN’s reliance on borrowing the full amount of the proposed $30 million and therefore reduce the tax implications. It will also provide a financial buffer during a shifting economic period.

All amounts are approximate as MFA interest rates are subject to change at time of borrowing. Calculated from BC Assessment 2025 Average Residential Values also subject to change. 

The allocation of annual taxes is calculated as the percentage of usage of the service by each participating area determined by a usage survey carried out by the Regional District of Nanaimo every five years as per the service area Bylaw 899. The percent usage per area is outlined in the table below.  

The annual tax requisition is allocated among the service area participants based on the results of the usage survey. This amount is then converted to a per thousand dollars of assessment rate and applied to individual homeowners on the basis of their assessed property values. Given that each Area has a different survey allocation and each homeowner has a different assessed property value, the estimated annual taxes will vary.

If the RDN is approved to receive grant funding, those funds would decrease the amount of borrowing required and therefore reduce the cost to taxpayers.

The RDN has been successful in securing a federal investment of up to $7 million for the Ravensong Aquatic Centre Expansion project in British Columbia through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program. The federal contribution will reduce the RDN’s reliance on borrowing the full amount of the proposed $30 million and therefore reduce the tax implications. It will also provide a financial buffer during a shifting economic period.

Additional operating costs and revenue for an expanded facility have been included in the 2025-2029 Financial Plan(External link). Estimates were calculated for pool admissions and rentals, staffing, programming, maintenance, and operations. However, these estimates will be further refined in subsequent budgets should the expansion project proceed. For example, the potential reductions from the Net Zero energy design are not incorporated in the Financial Plan as well as the recently announced funding contribution from the Government of Canada. 

The estimated annual tax impact of the entire Ravensong Aquatic Centre Service over the 2025-2029 Financial Plan is outlined in the table below. This includes the operations of the building as it is, considerations for operation of an expanded building and the estimated borrowing costs.  

Should the project not proceed, revenues and expenditures related to an expanded facility will be removed from the 2026-2030 Financial Plan for the RDN Board’s review and consideration to reflect operating the facility in its current form.

If the Ravensong Aquatic Centre expansion referendum is approved, construction is planned for the start of 2026. 

A more detailed timeline can be found in the background documents. 

If the Ravensong Aquatic Centre expansion referendum is approved, the construction is estimated to take from 24 up to 28 months.

A more detailed timeline can be found in the background documents.

The construction sequencing has been designed to minimize the amount of closures as much as possible. There will the three timed closures throughout the construction period. 

The first closure would be at start of construction, this will allow for the installation of temporary walls and a temporary entrance and demolition of the existing offices, lobby and universal changerooms. 

The second closure is planned at the transition point between the existing facilities to the new pool space to allow for the relocation of the temporary entrance and to allow for safe and controlled access to the new space. 

The final closure is planned at the end of construction to allow for cleanup and take down of the temporary structures.

The total closure time is estimated to be up to 9 months collectively. More information can be found in the Background Documents. 

After receiving feedback on design options, the RDN Board made the decision to move forward with the original option design which did not include a fitness centre, however, the structural preparation for a future fitness centre has been included as part of the expansion project.

History of the design options and decision making process can be found on the Expansion project page.

Yes it was considered. However, it was determined an expansion of the Ravensong Aquatic Centre would be more cost effective and operationally efficient than building a new facility in Parksville. In 2018 a review of options for aquatic facilities in the area stated the Oceanside area would be challenged financially sustaining two indoor aquatic facilities. The City of Parksville reviewed the feasibility of building and operating a swimming pool in Parksville. In 2023 the City requested the RDN consider building a facility in Parksville. This was not supported by the RDN Board. History of the feasibility project can be found on the City’s Let’s Talk Parksville webpage(External link). You can also review the recording and minutes of the January 30, 2024, Regional District of Nanaimo regular Board meeting(External link) where a resolution was unanimously approved stating that the Board abandon “Parksville Pool Feasibility Service Establishment Bylaw No. 1894, 2023”.

The Class B Estimate from the consultant includes new vertical Regenerative Filters that are designed to provide high efficiency filtration with less water waste. Natural filtration is not accepted as a filtration standard for public swimming pools as per B.C. Health Regulations. The consultant also includes a liquid chlorine system in the design. The B.C. Guidelines for Pool Operations requires a minimum level of chlorine disinfectant.

The selected design would increase the facility’s footprint from 1,019 m² to 2,833 m² for a net increase of approximately 1,814m².

The RDN is currently monitoring the effects that potential tariffs may have on current and planned capital projects. As part of implementing capital projects, cost estimates are reviewed and updated prior to tender. Should overages occur, the RDN Board receives a report for any large-scale capital project that requires funding beyond the budget in the approved five year Financial Plan. After reviewing the report, the Board then determines the next steps.

The slope of the new leisure pool addition meets accessibility standards of a 1:12 vertical rise to horizontal run. The depths are zero depth at the beach entry to 1 metre in the deepest part of the leisure pool. The new 4 lane lap pool portion will be 1 metre in the shallowest end to 1.3 metres at the deepest end.

Ravensong Aquatic Centre is located in the Town of Qualicum Beach at 737 Jones St and is owned and operated by the Regional District of Nanaimo. 

Ravensong Aquatic Centre is home to"

• 25 metre 6 lane pool
• Leisure pool 
• Steam room 
• Infrared sauna 
• Whirlpool 
• Mens/Womens/Universal changerooms
• Lockers

More information is available at rdn.bc.ca/ravensong-aquatic-centre(External link).

Currently, the facility remains the most used indoor recreation facility in the Oceanside area. Swim visits and program attendance have continued to increase over the past 10 years. As a result of several reviews, it can be reasonably stated that the facility is at capacity in it's current state.

In 2006 the need for increased aquatic services was identified in the RDN Recreation Services Master Plan.

In 2019 the RDN Recreation Services Master Plan identified the Ravensong Aquatic Centre as at capacity for aquatic services.

In 2020 the RDN held open houses for public feedback on features important to consider in an expansion.

Between 2021 – 2023 the RDN Board, with staff support, explored design options and alternatives to address community needs.

In 2024 the RDN Board made the decision to obtain updated designs and detailed costing and approved proceeding with a referendum.

The Ravensong Aquatic Centre operates under “Regional District of Nanaimo District 69 Swimming Pool Local Service Area Establishment Bylaw No. 899, 1993” which was most recently amended in 2024. The sharing of the services costs is 100 per cent (100%) based on the percentage of usage of the service as determined by a survey of usage carried out by the RDN. The participating areas and their percentage of usage can be found in the table below.

Drop-in anytime between 5p.m. and 7:30p.m. There will be information boards(External link) to explain the proposed Ravensong Aquatic Centre expansion and details about the referendum. RDN staff will be present to answer questions about the expansion and referendum. There will not be a presentation or a microphone. 

If you have questions about other RDN services, projects or topics please send them to inquiries at inquires@rdn.bc.ca(External link) or call 250-390-4111 and they will be connected with the appropriate RDN staff person who will respond to their inquiries during regular office hours.

Staff will walk through the information boards(External link) and answer questions about the proposed Ravensong Aquatic Centre expansion and referendum.

Join at: Zoom meeting at: bit.ly/RACinfo(External link) or join by telephone by dialing: +1 587 328 1099. When prompted, enter meeting ID: 638 3104 2387and passcode: 385739

The session will be recorded and posted to getinvolved.rdn.ca/rac-expansion-referendum.

The Ravensong Aquatic Centre expansion and referendum information session information boards are available in the Background Documents and in the lobby at Oceanside Place and Ravensong Aquatic Centre.

If you have any questions, submit them through our Q&A tool, or email RACreferendum@rdn.bc.ca(External link).