Vecova announces closure of main building in 2025, saying it's 'simply not sustainable' to keep open

Vecova, a Calgary organization serving people with disabilities, has announced its main facility on 33 Street N.W. will close next year.

In a Wednesday news release, Vecova said the closure comes after plans to construct a new Centre for All Abilities fell through after the organization was unable to secure the government funding required to make the project a reality.

"This is an exceptionally difficult day," said Kelly Holmes-Binns, CEO of Vecova. "We've served as a community hub for 55 years, offering life-changing programs and services."

Officials say the current facility, built in 1969, has been deemed "beyond its life cycle" and approximately 30 per cent of the building has already been closed due to its poor condition.

Holmes-Binns says that about 100 people will lose their job, or about 15 percent of the workforce.

Vecova says the cost to renovate the current building would be 75 per cent of the cost to construct a new building entirely.

(Initial estimates for the construction of a new building were $122 million, but that number has since inflated from 2022.) 

Vecova offers a wide range of programs including aquatics, health and fitness, social enterprise ventures and employment services.

"We will continue serving as a community leader for people with disabilities," said Holmes-Binns. "We'll advocate for accessibility and continue many services, including housing."

Programs that will no longer be offered by Vecova after June 2025 include:

• All pool-related programming, including swim lessons, public swimming and aquatics classes;
• All fitness and recreation programming;
• Summer camps;
• Adaptive recreation programs;
• Facility rentals; and
• Bottle Depot in the fall 2025.

The news is troubling for parent Rhonda Stone, whose 11-year-old daughter has autism and regularly uses the facility.

"I'm feeling sad, I think it's a big loss to the parent community," said Stone.

"I've found a home here at Vecova, being able to feel safe bringing my daughter here, that her needs will be met."

Stone says there are no other places she has found that offer the same types of services.

"Now I'm back at square one, having to find programs that exist, which many don't," she said.  "Many are full. Many have waitlists."

The organization is currently working with the City of Calgary to determine the building's future.

"Vecova is more than just the building," said Holmes-Binns. "We'll deliver our cutting-edge programs wherever we can."

Vecova serves more than 350,000 individuals annually.

Holmes-Binns says they are committed to relocating programs to alternate locations to minimize disruption for clients.

"Despite our best efforts, the facility is simply not sustainable anymore," said Holmes-Binns. "The building is safe, but operating it long-term has become untenable."

She says Vecova will continue providing housing, employment, mental health and other vital services.

Vecova says it applied for grant funding from all three levels of government, including securing $9.1 million from the city, contingent on grant funding from the province and federal government. It asked for more than $49 million from Ottawa.

"This was their third try for a federal government grant, and they said 'no,'" said Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp.

"So are we not doing a good enough job advocating for our own facilities, especially for those in need? And I'll be completely honest, super disappointed with the federal government."

The province, meanwhile, says Vecova requested $25 million.

In a statement from minister Jason Nixon's office, a spokesperson said there have been no changes to funding agreements or services with Vecova.

"Vecova requested $25 million from the provincial governments for their recreation facility. That project did not meet the funding requirements of the government," said press secretary Alysha Wishloff.

"Individuals accessing Vecova’s provincially funded services through the Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) program will not be affected by the closure of Vecova’s recreational facility."

Vecova and the province have a three-year contract that serves 201 PDD-eligible individuals, according to the province.

A spokesperson for Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada provided a statement on Thursday.

"The Vecova closure is impactful and upsetting to the Calgary community. We understand the rightful emotions that accompany any impact to a centre that connects communities together," the statement read.

"The GICB program was highly competitive, with about 1,900 applications requesting over $15 billion in funding since its launch. Though we were encouraged by this response, the extremely high level of interest meant that many high-quality projects were unfortunately not able to be selected for funding.

"To maintain partner confidentiality and the integrity of application processes, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) does not share specifics on individual funding applications; HICC communicates the reasons for decisions directly to applicants and works together with them to announce funding agreements when applications are successful.

"For details on funding discussions, we invite you to contact the project owners."

For more information, you can visit Vecova.ca.