Lack of government funding for a replacement building in the works for the past decade means a Calgary disability support organization will close the doors of its aging main building next year.

Vecova said Wednesday that despite securing $9.1 million in funding from the City of Calgary in 2022, they haven’t been able to move their Centre for All Abilities forward due to a lack of funding from other orders of government.

Their current building, which operates Calgary’s only full-size warm water swimming pool and other fitness activities, along with housing many of the organization’s support programs, was first opened in 1969. Vecova had plans to build and open a new facility near their current location along 32 Avenue in northwest Calgary.

Those plans were dashed after the federal government, then the provincial government opted not to fund the estimated $125 million project.

“It is a very difficult day and a very sad day for us here at Vecova,” said the organization’s CEO Kelly Holmes-Binns.

“This building has been a central hub in our community here for decades, and it’s going to be a loss to the community and to our staff.”

The cost of renovating and modernizing the current building would be roughly 75 per cent of a new building, the organization said. Meanwhile, maintenance and repairs on the main building have become costly. Thirty per cent of the building has already been closed due to being in poor condition.

Vecova will continue to offer fitness and aquatic programs until June 2025. It currently serves 350,000 visitors annually. Once closed, the organization told community members in a letter that the pool-related programming, fitness and rec programming, summer camps, adaptive rec program, facility rentals and the bottle depot will close at that time.

“We have individuals who have been coming here for decades to receive services. This is their home, and it is going to be sorely missed by many, many individuals and our staff as well,” said Holmes-Binns.

“This is a place where we hear from the community that they feel they can come and no matter what their level of ability, feel included and like they belong when they come through our doors, and it’s unlike anything they experience anywhere in the city.”

‘Heartbroken’: Coun. Sonya Sharp

Area representative, Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp said that her own kids have had lessons there, and her elderly parents also used the facility. It’s going to leave a big gap in recreational services in the community.

“I was pretty heartbroken,” Sharp told reporters at the noon break during the Oct. 2 Executive Committee meeting.

“There’s so many unknowns still, and so I know the facility is going to provide the supports they can. In the meantime, there are other pools and facilities around the northwest that everyone can use.”

Sharp said that recreation facilities cost a lot to operate, and in the case of this location, and others like the Inglewood pool, the age of the facility makes upgrades cost prohibitive. Bigger facilities are being built and there’s a desire to have people use those recreation buildings, but Sharp said she understands citizens want to use facilities where they’re comfortable.

“I know that a lot of people that live in the communities are creatures of habit,” she said.

“They love to go to their local facilities. So, this is going to leave a lasting impact to the community in the northwest.”

Holmes-Binns said that they will continue to deliver many of the services they offer today – housing, support services, employment programs, mental health services and community access for people with disabilities. They’ll just be delivered from a different location, preferably in the northwest, she said.

“We’re open to all the options that will best meet the needs of our community,” Holmes-Binns said.

They will be hosting an open house on Oct. 17 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Vecova Atrium for those patrons who have more questions.