Charity supporting people with disabilities to shutter due to aging facilities, lack of government funds

Vecova, a local charitable organization that focuses on supporting people with disabilities, announced Wednesday it will close its main building in northwest Calgary next year. 

The complex, located along 33rd Street N.W., houses Vecova's health and fitness programs and unique warm water swimming pool, as well as its head office and adjacent bottle depot. Vecova says the fitness facilities are slated to shut down in June, and the recycling centre will close in the fall of 2025.

"This has been a difficult yet responsible decision to ensure the viability of the organization as our building is past its lifespan and continues to require increasingly costly repairs," read's a notice on the front page of the organization's website. 

Vecova cited aging infrastructure coupled with increased maintenance costs as the reason for its decision to wind down, adding that roughly 30 per cent of the 55-year-old building has already been closed due to poor condition.

Over the course of the past decade, the organization has been pursuing the construction of a new facility, which it calls the "Centre for All Abilities." The City of Calgary had earmarked about $9.1 million to support the new centre, but Vecova says it has been unable to secure sufficient funding from the federal or provincial governments in order to make the project a reality.

Vecova CEO Kelly Holmes-Binns says the organization has already spent significant funds in planning the centre over the past 10 years, and that the Centre for All Abilities would offer expanded versions of existing programs and facilities.

"The federal funding was applied for three different times, and we were declined each time," Holmes-Binns said.

"We were told there was a limited pool of money and many, many applicants."

According to Holmes-Binns, the building — which opened in 1969 — was designed to last only 50 years. Now, in year 55, the facility is continuing to deteriorate to the point where it's no longer safe or viable to repair. 

"Most of our programs with Vecova will be continuing, including our housing support services, our employment programs, mental health services, our community access programs and a couple of our social enterprises," she said. "Those will be continuing, but from a different location, and may look a little different in the future."

She says Vecova welcomes more than 350,000 visitors at its facility every year. Further, almost 100 employees — or 15 per cent of the organization's staff — will be losing their jobs due to the facility's closure, according to Holmes-Binns.

"It's going to be a significant loss."

Holmes-Binns says the organization is still willing to work with all levels of government to raise the money needed to keep offering the facility, saying Vecova needs "all three levels of government to partner with us."

In an email statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for Alberta's Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services said individuals accessing Vecova's provincially funded services through the Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) program will not be affected by the closure of the recreational facility.

"There have been no changes to funding agreements or services with Vecova," reads the statement. 

"Vecova requested $25 million from the provincial government for their recreation facility. That project did not meet the funding requirements of the government."

According to a spokesperson for Vecova, the organization had applied for federal funding through Canada's Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program. 

In a statement, the Office of the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities told CBC News that 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."

'Heartbroken,' says city councillor

When asked about how the closure will impact community members, local Coun. Sonya Sharp said she's "heartbroken."

"This is going to leave a lasting impact to the community," the Ward 1 rep told reporters at City Hall on Wednesday.

Sharp says many aging pools and community-focused fitness centres in Calgary face operational challenges when it comes to the cost of repairs and necessary maintenance.

"I think what's important as these facilities start coming up — like Vecova or Inglewood Pool — we need to look at a landscape of all the facilities … and audit which ones should stay, which ones are being utilized."

The city councillor says she expects her office will be hearing from affected community members who rely on Vecova's services.

Loss is 'going to be felt'

One community member who uses the 33rd Street N.W. facility says finding anything similar is going to be difficult. 

Rhonda Stone, the parent of an 11-year-old girl with autism who uses Vecova's facilities, said finding recreation and wellness programs that are the right fit for her daughter can be difficult and very expensive.

"Now I'm back, really, at Square 1," she said. 

"The loss of Vecova is going to be felt."

A spokesperson for the City of Calgary says the closure will be especially disappointing for persons with disabilities who benefit from the facility's adapted recreational activities. 

"As a result of Vecova's decision not to move forward with their project, the funding will be part of the relinquishments as part of the 2025 mid-cycle budget adjustments for council consideration in November," reads the city spokesperson's email to CBC News.