Our questions and answers below are for the new Cameron Community Centre and Library project, as well as for Temporary Cameron Community Centre and Library at The City of Lougheed Shopping Centre (9855 Austin Ave). Answers are updated as more information becomes available.
Project timing and impacts
Currently, construction is planned to begin in the fall of 2024 and will likely take approximately 3 years to complete.
The current facility closed on August 18, 2024.
No, the facility will be closed during construction. While construction of the new facility is underway, the Temporary Cameron Community Centre and Library at The City of Lougheed Shopping Centre (9855 Austin Ave) will provide the community with continued access to a range of programming, activities and services. Find more information about the temporary location below.
We expect construction to take place from Monday to Friday from 7 am to 5 pm. Construction activities will follow City bylaws if work is required to end later or be completed on weekends.
We will be installing a brand new 2-directional, 3-metre-wide cycle track with green paint at crossings that will connect existing bike routes at Beaverbrook Drive and Morey Court.
Temporary Cameron Community Centre and Library – timing, location and impacts
The Temporary Cameron Community Centre and Library, located at The City of Lougheed Shopping Centre, opened on September 3, 2024. The temporary library opened in April 2024.
The Temporary Cameron Community Centre and Library will be available to the community throughout construction until the new facility opens. Once the new facility is open, the temporary location will be closed.
The Temporary Cameron Community Centre and Library is located on the lower level across from the cellphone providers aisle and near Guest Services. The closest access points are:
- the east entrance off North Road near the food court
- the north entrance near the Silhouette tower on Cameron Street
No, there’s no dedicated parking available for the temporary location; however, there is ample parking available at the shopping centre, including accessible rooftop parking with elevator and escalator access.
Recreation facilities will be open:
- Monday to Friday: 9 am-9 pm
- Saturday: 9 am-7 pm
- Sunday: 9 am-6 pm
Library facilities will be open:
- Monday to Thursday: 10 am-8 pm
- Friday to Sunday: 10 am-6 pm
On statutory holidays, if the shopping centre is open, the temporary location will be open, subject to change.
The Temporary Cameron Community Centre and Library provides 1,536 sq. m of space for recreation and library programming and services.
Public washrooms will be accessible next door to the temporary location in The City of Lougheed Shopping Centre.
Yes, multi-purpose and meeting rooms will be available to rent. Priority will be given to existing rental groups from the current Cameron facility. We’ll share more information as it becomes available.
Temporary Cameron Community Centre and Library – programming and services
The temporary location provides space for a range of programming, activities and services until the new facility opens, including:
- full library services, including a new teen space
- seniors’ lounge and social spaces
- dance and music programs for all ages
- health-focused programs
- arts, crafts, bingo, cards and games
- book and garden clubs
- programs for preschool, children and families
Not all programs and activities, including gym and sports programs, transitioned to the temporary location. You’re invited to join in existing programs and services at the City’s other recreation facilities.
Some fitness classes and preschool programs will be offered at the nearby Charles Rummel Centre at 3630 Lozells Avenue. The closest City weight room is at Edmonds Community Centre at 7433 Edmonds Street. Patrons are invited to join in existing programs and services at the City’s other recreation facilities. We’ll provide programming information as it becomes available.
Punch cards can be used at the City’s other recreation facilities.
Some fitness classes will be offered at the nearby Charles Rummel Centre at 3630 Lozells Avenue. City of Burnaby cycling studios are available at the Christine Sinclair Community Centre and Bonsor Recreation Complex, and patrons are invited to join in existing programs and services at the City’s other recreation facilities. We’ll provide programming information as it becomes available.
Yes, we are offering select fitness classes at the temporary location and some fitness classes will be offered at the nearby Charles Rummel Centre at 3630 Lozells Avenue.
Unfortunately, there is not enough room to accommodate all requested spaces and some difficult decisions had to be made based on maximizing public benefit.
While recognizing the racquet sports are valued and important, the Northeast Quadrant Recreational Needs Assessment identified that space demands, trends, needs and facility options for racquet sports should be explored on a citywide (and potentially regional) scale, whereas the new facility is sized to serve the current and future residents of the northeast quadrant of Burnaby. You can access racquetball and squash courts at Bonsor Recreation Complex and tennis courts are available at the Burnaby Tennis Club on Kensington Avenue. For outdoor court locations, please visit Burnaby.ca/OutdoorCourts. Visit Burnaby.ca/Centres for more information.
Yes.
No, there will not be a weight room in the temporary location. The closest City weight room is at Edmonds Community Centre at 7433 Edmonds Street andyou are invited to join in existing activities and services at the City’s other recreation facilities.
Yes. Programming information is available on Burnaby.ca/WebReg.
The Seniors’ Society and many of the seniors 55+ programs offered by the City will be available at the temporary location. There will be a seniors’ lounge, but unfortunately space does not allow for a snooker room. A snooker room will be available in Christine Sinclair Community Centre to accommodate both Cameron and Confederation Seniors’ Centre during construction of both projects.
Programming information is available on Burnaby.ca/WebReg. Most seniors’ activities will be moving, except for badminton, snooker and slo-pitch. The Kitchen Table program will be discontinued due to the availability of food services in The City of Lougheed Shopping Centre.
Yes.
Yes. A new teen space will also be available.
Yes, all storytimes will be offered at the temporary location.
Yes, all Burnaby Public Library items can be returned to the temporary location. Returns will need to be made during business hours as an after-hours book drop will not be available.
Cameron Park
The west side of the park that includes the playground and splash park will remain open during construction. The corridor along the north end of the park will also remain open, allowing park users to travel along the existing east-west path from Cameron Street at Lost Creek, up and around the construction zone to the splash park and playground. We’ll post information on the project web page and on onsite signage outlining any closures as construction begins.
Yes, the splash park and playground will remain open during construction. No upgrades are currently planned.
While construction is underway, the 8-10 curbside parking spaces currently available on the north side of Cameron Street (west of the current facility) will remain. We’ll post information about any impacts to parking on our project web page.
We’ll encourage all trades to use public transit; those who choose to drive will park offsite.
There is a need to remove some trees due to the size of the new facility. As a City, we place a high value on trees and have undertaken an extensive review with our forestry department to reduce the impact on existing trees. Unfortunately it is necessary to remove 166 trees identified to be in conflict with the construction site footprint, logistics, safety and access. The project team estimates that 70% of the wood could be reused directly back onsite and at other local sites. Potential reuses for the wood include:
- Finishings for interior design, play structures, benches, and/or other utilities within the new community centre.
- Ecological stream restoration and habitat structure enhancement on local streams in conjunction with BC Wildlife Federation.
This large-scale wood salvage and repurposing plan will reduce resource consumption, air pollution and carbon emissions.
In addition to our repurposing plan, the 166 removed trees will be replaced with 779 new trees mainly located on the site. Any remaining trees will be planted in areas with low tree canopy to ensure Burnaby’s urban forest is enhanced as per the City’s Tree Bylaw and Tree Management Policy for Public Lands.
There will be approximately 300 underground parking stalls as part of the new facility, including pick-up/drop-off zones and parking stalls allocated for temporary parking.
We will continue to promote transit and active transportation to the site, including enhancing the pedestrian connectivity within the site, upgrading the existing street frontage to provide a multi-use path (MUP), and provide secure bicycle racks.
As residential and commercial development occurs in the area, other developers will be expected to undertake traffic impact assessments that reflect the traffic conditions at the time of development and implement the appropriate traffic demand management strategies that incrementally will contribute towards the wider traffic management in the area overtime.
The portable toilets that are currently onsite at the park will remain onsite until the spray park closes at the end of September. The spray park will reopen in May.
The rainbow crosswalk will need to be removed as we add below-grade infrastructure. The replacement crosswalk design will be stamped asphalt.
Bus stop 52864 (westbound Cameron Street at Bartlett Court) will be impacted toward the end of construction. We’ll provide information about any additional impacts as more information becomes available.
To mitigate risks, we’re incorporating rainwater harvesting for landscape irrigation, increasing the diameter of the storm sewer main, adding jellyfish filters to clean garbage and oil out of storm water and redesigning bioswales with perforated pipe French drains.
Other questions
Prequalification was posted August 1 to August 16, 2023 on BidCentral. Tender packages will be released sequentially to prequalified trades.
Please contact Dylan Cote, General Superintendent, Graham Construction, 604-340-5576.