In our first issue, we covered the challenges facing our community as it struggles to address shortfalls in recreation facilities. We spoke about the needs of the community and how new projects could be funded.
In this issue, we dig deeper and we’d like to introduce you to two people whose advocacy for recreation has made it the number one election issue in 2026.
Abby Mercier grew up in Abbotsford, moved away and returned to a city whose population had grown significantly, but found no new facilities to serve that growth. Brook Kuyer moved to Abbotsford from North Vancouver and the lack of recreation facilities and opportunities immediately caught her attention.
As parents, this sparked concern for how these shortages would affect their own families, but as they began speaking to others, it was clear this was an issue of wide concern. So, they began seeking out local user groups, other parents, and eventually began engaging with City Councillors. While generally supportive, sitting Councillors were not unanimous in their positivity or engagement on new facilities. However, Abby and Brooke began to expand their work to include gathering user group priorities, ideas on funding, and the development of long-term fiscal strategies.
Key among the discussion points was the location of new proposed facilities.
Historically, the City of Abbotsford has an awful track record on picking facility locations. When the Abbotsford Recreation Centre (ARC) was expanded, the ground wasn’t tested. Piles were required and the budget grew to more than 5 times the original estimate. During Plan A, the Rogers Forum was originally planned at another location. Once moved to the University of the Fraser Valley site, again soil testing was not done and $2 million was required to remediate that issue. Additionally, there was no space for parking and resolving that cost many more millions.
Today, the new proposed facilities initially relied on a “land-swap” so that they could be built on what is now Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) land. That swap was not approved and a new location on Lefeuvre Road put forward. The Lefeuvre Road option was put forward in haste and there are many implications to consider.
“We want the city to respond with urgency, but we also need a well-considered alternative, not a quickly assembled plan that may fail to address the community’s needs — that is our concern with the approach to Lefeuvre.”, say Abby and Brooke.
We hope this is not history repeating itself.
Recreation is not just about building new facilities. Abby and Brooke add, “Our advocacy has focused on both increasing recreation capacity and improving the facilities and fields we already have. User groups have raised many concerns about field conditions, including reports of teams from neighbouring communities refusing to play on certain fields due to unsafe conditions. We need ambitious, long-term plans, but residents also deserve safe, accessible, and well-maintained facilities today.”
Abby and Brooke, along with being advocates for recreation, they are also a litmus test for how our city is perceived. Their advocacy translates directly into the perception that Abbotsford as lacking. The facilities they advocate for are critical to the quality and enjoyment of life for the people of Abbotsford, but also critical for attracting professionals, businesses and creating healthier, safer and more connected communities.
It is hard to estimate how many families visit Abbotsford as a place to relocate and then choose not to. However, we know they pass us by because amount of building in our neighbouring communities that have more and modern facilities is outpacing development in Abbotsford. They are growing faster because they have more to offer.
How do we move forward?
In a recent all-candidates meeting, the topic of public consultation came up. Kristy Mills, Amrik Narang and Rick Thiessen all spoke of the negative reaction residents have to the consultation process and how they feel public input falls on deaf ears.
In our last issue, we put forward the idea of a Recreation Commission made up of sports organization leaders. Remove the politicians and the bureaucrats and let the community truly control the future of its recreational facility development and maintenance.
So, how do we pay for all this?
Various Council candidates have put forward ideas around funding recreation projects. They range from suggestions by Doris Woodman-McMillan to partner with Sevenoaks, churches and gurdwaras to maximize facility use, to Patricia Driessen who would like to see the Exhibition Park and MSA Arena sites utilized with a more long-term strategy. Partnering with other levels of government and the business community are all part of the mix.
However, the truth is we don’t need funding, we need commitment from the Council table. Let me explain.
Right now, Abbotsford has a total outstanding debt of approximately $31 million dollars. Per capita, we have the lowest debt per household than nearly any other city in the lower mainland. Only Burnaby has a lower debt ratio than Abbotsford. In 2032, Abbotsford will be debt free.
Debt free sounds good right? In 2032, Abbotsford will pay the last installment of its Plan A debt. Annually, we’ve paid $4.5 million and we propose we keep putting that in a dedicated budget for recreation facility development. The Plan A deal was that when it was paid off, the property tax increase (11%) would be removed. We all know that will never happen. Instead, let’s invest in the community.
Further, we cannot ignore the fact that debt is a way to get things done. Council Candidate Preet Rai recently did a calculation based on the comparison of increased building costs over the last 20 years and applying that to the next 20. “If you borrow $100 today, in 20 years, you will have paid principal and interest totaling $165 at 4% interest. If you wait 20 years to build without debt, the same project will cost you $250. It is, in fact, cheaper to borrow the money now and pay the interest than wait to build the projects later”.
What does this mean?
The city is in good financial shape. We can build without new taxes, and we have the revenue from our Plan A debt servicing to save for the future. Citizens like Abby and Brooke are demanding new facilities. Everything is in place that tells us now is the time to invest in Abbotsford recreation.
Doing nothing is no longer an option.
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Learn more about Abby and Brook by visiting their website at: abbyrecadvocacy.com or Instagram at: @abbyrecadvocacy.