FAQs

The Parks and Recreation Plan is a guide for the City to deliver parks and recreation facilities, programs, and services. The updated plan will guide future priorities and investments in parks and recreation over the next 10 years (to 2035), and will include an aspirational 25-year vision (to 2050). 

The 2008 Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan identified who is using services, how effectively services were provided, and which services were most important at the time. The updated plan will help the City understand and meet the needs of New Westminster’s current and growing population, guiding decisions about parks and recreation facilities, programs, and services for the next 10 years. This includes guidance on how parks and recreation facilities, programs, and services can be improved to meet more people’s needs in New Westminster. 

The last plan for parks and recreation was created in 2008 and many of the recommendations have been achieved. Click here for an overview of the plan and implementation to date. As New Westminster grows and changes, the City needs an updated plan to set the direction for parks and recreation services for the coming decades. 

New Westminster is a densely populated community, and more growth and development are anticipated. This means there is limited opportunity to expand the parks system other than by acquiring land that is used for other purposes. Within this context, community input will help the City understand current challenges and opportunities for improving parks and recreation spaces and programs—and make decisions on how to better meet our diverse community’s needs.

Parks include community parks—such as Moody Park, Queen’s Park, Glenbrook Ravine, and Westminster Pier Park—as well as smaller neighbourhood parks and off-leash dog areas.

Recreation facilities include the new təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre, Queensborough Community Centre, Century House, New West Youth Centre, Moody Park Arena, Queen's Park Arena, and Queen's Park Sportsplex.

Programs include drop-in and scheduled recreation and sport activities (e.g., swimming, skating, fitness, gymnastics, table tennis, yoga, basketball) and general activities (e.g., bingo, mahjong, music, crafts, peer support groups, etc.).

Your input will help us understand participation, satisfaction, and needs related to parks and recreation facilities and services in New Westminster. Community input will help identify what improvements are needed, and future ideas for parks and recreation services. After each round of engagement, we will share back what we heard with the public. Community input will be balanced with technical analysis and research. With all of this information, we will draft a new Parks and Recreation Plan. 

Draft recommendations for the plan will be developed by Fall 2024. There will be an opportunity for residents to provide feedback on the draft recommendations of the plan before it’s finalized.

The final updated plan is anticipated to be complete by summer 2025. 

Changes outlined in the plan will be implemented over the next 10+ years.