Terry Fox honoured with "hometown" plaza at new Port Coquitlam community centre

Grand opening ribbon cutting of the new Port Coquitlam Community Centre, held at the new Terry Fox Hometown Square, on October 2, 2021. (City of Port Coquitlam)

The sprawling south public plaza of the brand new Port Coquitlam Community Centre, located at the edge of the city centre, is now officially named Terry Fox Hometown Square.

The municipal government states it worked with Terry Fox’s family in designing the space, which features installations to learn about the Marathon Hope, such as a map showing Terry’s historic 1980 journey from Newfoundland to Ontario, with key milestones along the way embedded in the plaza surface.

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Additionally, the square will be the site of a public art installation honouring Fox and his legacy. With permission from his family, Port Coquitlam City Council has approved the commissioning of a new Terry Fox statue for the square.

“Terry Fox is our hometown hero, who showed the world that dreams are made possible if you try,” said Port Coquitlam mayor Brad West, adding that “nothing that holds more meaning to this community than being the hometown of Terry Fox.”

“We will be working closely with the Fox family to produce a statue that is a fitting tribute to our hometown hero, that inspires future generations and that all of us can be proud of.”

terry fox hometown square port coquitlam community centre

Grand opening ribbon cutting of the new Port Coquitlam Community Centre, held at the new Terry Fox Hometown Square, on October 2, 2021. (City of Port Coquitlam)

The new square also features sport courts, playgrounds, a walking path, community gardens, a spray park, and large open spaces for events and festivals. Equipment for an outdoor gym will be installed over the coming weeks.

The new $132-million community centre, the second most expensive capital project in Port Coquitlam’s history, had its grand opening this past weekend, marking the complete opening of the facility.

The 205,000 sq ft complex opened in phases, with much of the facility opening in 2019, including two ice rinks, the new Terry Fox Library, Wilson Lounge for seniors and youth, games room, and multi-purpose rooms.

The complex is now fully complete, including its third ice rink, aquatic centre with leisure and lap swimming pools, gymnasium, additional multi-purpose spaces, and an 8,500 sq ft fitness gym spread over two levels. Facility users have access to 425 vehicle parking stalls located underground.

Grand opening ribbon cutting of the new Port Coquitlam Community Centre, held at the new Terry Fox Hometown Square, on October 2, 2021. (City of Port Coquitlam)

Phase 1 of Port Coquitlam Community Centre reaching completion in August 2019. (City of Port Coquitlam)

In addition to its community and recreation spaces, the new facility’s interior will also display Terry’s artifacts and memorabilia.

“This place is for our community. It’s for our families. It’s for our seniors. It’s for our young people and our kids. This is for everyone who calls Port Coquitlam home to enjoy and build memories together, to win championships and lose heartbreakers, to form friendships and life-long bonds, to read and discover, to learn lessons that last a lifetime and to connect and grow,” continued West, calling the community hub a major step for Port Coquitlam’s renewal and revitalization.

Construction on the community centre, replacing aging facilities that do not meet the city’s long-term demand, first began in Spring 2017.

The municipal government funded the project through a combination of land sales revenue, phased-in property taxes, a temporary parcel tax from 2017 to 2020, as well as over $13.5 million from various federal funding sources.

Other than the square and community centre’s new public library, other public assets named after Terry in Port Coquitlam include the city’s secondary school and civic theatre.

In downtown Vancouver, the arch monument at Terry Fox Plaza on Beatty Street, outside of BC Place Stadium, was demolished a decade ago, and replaced with four bronze sculptures of Terry, designed by local artist Douglas Coupland.

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