Friday April 10, 2026 | LANGFORD, BC [Posted at 4:01 pm PT | Updated 4:44 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The City of Langford officially broke ground yesterday on construction of a new building that will provide a new child care centre and art studio in an active area of the city.
The new two-storey building at 3014 Glen Lake Road is nestled in an older residential area but next door to the activity of Starlight Stadium and the Sarah Beckett Memorial Playground, with the Rugby Canada building across the street, and both Goudy Field and Belmont Secondary School nearby.
The mid-afternoon ground-breaking celebration was graced with sunny warm dry weather and a crowd of at least 80 people from the city, neighbouring municipalities, Westshore Parks and Rec, and the construction development team as well as media.
The City owns the building and Westshore Parks and Recreation will operate the art studio. A non-profit society will operate the child care (for 49 children — 24 infant/toddlers and 25 preschoolers age 3 to 5).
The new community centre will become the new home of the Centennial Arts Centre, relocating from Carlow Road *on the Goldstream side of central Langford).
Who was there:
Elected officials who attended today included:
- Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson and Langford city councillors Colby Harder, Kimberley Guiry, Lillian Szpak and Mary Wagner;
- Metchosin Mayor Marie-Térèse Little (who also is vice-chair of the Capital Regional District);
- Esquimalt-Colwood MLA Darlene Rotchford (with best regards from Education and Child Care Minister Lisa Beare, and with attendance regrets from local Langford-Highlands MLA Ravi Parmar); and
- Nicole Timmermans representing federal Cowichan-Malahat-Langford MP Jeff Kibble.
Construction:
A large existing retaining wall will be removed as part of constructing this new building.
New modular BC-manufactured mass timber technology will be used for construction. This is to help support faster construction and reduce waste. Use of modular components helps to contain overall project costs.
The projected opening of the new bujliding is scheduled for April 2027, according to City of Langford CAO Darren Kiedyk.
The project is led by a local design-build team comprised of Blackrete Builders and Studio 531 Architects.
Investment for families & community:
The new building is a significant investment in services to support families and enhance community quality of life.
The modern arts facility will include an expanded pottery studio, art room, dance studio, music room, and flexible space for community and cultural events.
This facility integrates child care with the arts in an accessible and convenient setting.
“As Langford grows and more young families are choosing to call Langford home, it’s important that community facilities evolve and expand to meet these changing needs,” said Mayor Goodmanson.
“The City is focused on making meaningful investments that continue to support arts and culture, while also expanding access to essential services like child care,” the mayor said.
The West Shore Parks and Recreation Society will continue to operate the community arts centre, which will offer expanded programming opportunities for the community. Westshore Parks and Recreation CAO Grant Brown attended the event yesterday.
All current art centre programming will remain in place, with the new facility designed to meet future community needs.
“We are very excited to build on our arts and culture program offerings within the West Shore community. This new purpose-built space allows us to expand these services, providing more opportunity for West Shore residents to participate in programs such as pottery, music, dance, and art. Staff are looking forward to sharing their passion for the arts and welcoming the community to this bright, new location,” said Grant Brown, CAO, Westshore Parks and Recreation/
Council priorities:
This community building project advances three Council priorities included in the City’s first Strategic Plan including:
- expanding access to child care,
- supporting arts and culture development including space needs, and
- delivering inclusive, accessible community amenities.
Together, these efforts enhance quality of life, support growing families, and are intended help foster a vibrant inclusive community.
Financial:
The total project cost is approximately $10.6 million.
Fund sources include the City covering about $2.48 million, together with $6.27 million from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund and $1.85 million from the Province of British Columbia’s Growing Communities Fund.
ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund is jointly supported by provincial and federal investments under the Canada–British Columbia Canada‑Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
For more information visit: Langford.ca/SpecialProjects.
===== RELATED:
Playground parking lot closed during next-door child care building construction (April 7, 2026)
NEWS SECTIONS: LANGFORD | CHILDREN & CHILD CARE | WEST SHORE LOCAL