$230-million North Vancouver aquatic and community centre opens this month | Daily Hive

June 2026 construction progress on the new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre. (City of North Vancouver)

Planning for the new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre (HJCRC) first began decades ago, and now the long-awaited project is just weeks away from its biggest milestone: its grand opening.

The City of North Vancouver’s major new community and recreation centre in Central Lonsdale will open to the public on Saturday, July 25, 2026.

An opening day celebration will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., beginning with a formal ceremony involving elected municipal officials and other dignitaries. This will be followed by performances, food trucks, games, crafts, and other activities, including opportunities to tour and try out the indoor and outdoor facilities, as well as sports demonstrations.

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The new Silver Harbour Senior’s Activity Centre will also open on the same day, as part of the broader renewal and intensification of the area’s civic precinct.

Currently, construction crews are completing the finishing touches of the complex, and City staff have begun preparing the space for their operations.

“I am incredibly proud that after more than 20 years of planning, engagement and determination, this transformative milestone is finally here. Harry Jerome lived by the motto, ‘Never give up.’ That spirit is woven into this project — and into the future we are building together as the Healthiest Small City in the World,” said North Vancouver City Mayor Linda Buchanan.

“On behalf of Council, I invite you to join us for what will be an incredible day to celebrate the new centres and community in what will be a day to remember.”

harry jerome community recreation centre north vancouver construction february 2026

February 2026 construction progress on the new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre. (City of North Vancouver)

The $230-million replacement of the old Harry Jerome Recreation Centre is one of the largest civic projects ever undertaken by the City of North Vancouver.

The new 188,000 sq. ft. complex includes an NHL-sized ice rink with seating for up to 500 spectators and a major aquatic centre with a 25-metre, 10-lane lap pool and a leisure pool with a lazy river and play features.

It will also feature a full-sized gymnasium, various fitness gym and studio spaces, and other community amenities, including a community kitchen, art rooms, youth and preschool programming rooms, multi-purpose activity areas, informal gathering spaces, and a cafe.

Outside, the facility will also include several major public amenities, such as a large children’s playground, a substantial skate park, and sports courts.

February 2026 construction progress on the new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre. (City of North Vancouver)

January 2026 construction progress on the new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre. (City of North Vancouver)

Upon opening later this month, HJCRC will significantly expand the City’s recreational capacity and become one of the most heavily used public buildings on the North Shore. Construction on the project first began in 2022.

The complex is built by Smith Bros. & Wilson (SBW), which is the same local construction firm that built the original Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre just to the south six decades ago. Local architectural firm HCMA is behind the project’s design.

The new centre is located at the northeast corner of Lonsdale Avenue and East 23rd Street, on a City-owned site previously used for public park space and surface parking.

In advance of the new centre’s opening, the adjacent aging facility permanently closed earlier this summer. It will eventually be demolished and replaced by a major mixed-use residential and commercial complex.

The facility will continue to be named in honour of Harry Jerome, the North Vancouver-raised Olympian who represented Canada in athletics at the 1960, 1964, and 1968 Summer Olympics.

harry jerome community recreation centre north vancouver f

2021 artistic rendering of the downsized scope of the new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre. (HCMA/City of North Vancouver)

Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre North Vancouver downsized

2021 artistic rendering of the downsized scope of the new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre. (HCMA Architecture/City of North Vancouver)

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