The ripple effects of the suspension of Quest University operations spread far beyond students.
Squamish Youth Soccer Association (SYSA) representatives say that they have been told turf field usage at Quest will cease at the end of April, but they hope options for community use will be explored.
In February, it was announced that for financial reasons, Quest University Canada's board of governors had decided to suspend regular academic programming following the completion of the current academic year, which ends this month.
The next day, the 22-hectare (55-acre) property on which the campus sits — including the academic buildings, turf field and sports facility — was listed for sale by property owner Primacorp Ventures Inc.
The SYSA's Michael Heinrich and Ray Christensen told The Squamish Chief that near the time that the campus and lands were listed for sale in late February 2023, they received an email from Quest confirming that the use of the turf field for soccer would come to an end on April 30.
Now, Heinrich hopes the District of Squamish can explore options for the field with Primacorp, so the community can continue its use.
“Can the District of Squamish purchase that turf as either a [mitigation] step or as a long-term solution to this problem?” questioned Heinrich.
The District, however, said while it maintained an interest in community use of the sports facilities at Quest, it does not have any current agreements with Primacorp.
“The District does not have any agreements with the current property owner. We remain interested in supporting community access to the campus sports facilities at Quest University and look forward to any future opportunities that may present themselves. The current property owner would be best suited to answer questions related to facility usage,” reads the statement from District spokesperson Rachel Boguski.
The Squamish Chief requested to interview Primacorp representatives about the community use and care of its sports facilities after April 30. On behalf of Primacorp, Melissa Davis responded that the company "wishes to be sensitive to the needs of community and is amenable to looking at what will be best for local groups related to these recreation facilities."
While Heinrich said the SYSA has already shifted its field use to Brennan Park, he said the park has reached max capacity. Heinrich estimated that the Quest field helped service about 150 to 200 kids in the SYSA.
The District approved many upgrades to Brennan Park in 2021, including switching the gravel field to turf and adding new multi-use fields, but those objectives are predicted to be five and 15 years away, respectively.
Meanwhile, come September, Heinrich said sharing currently available fields would be chaotic.
Please note: This story was updated on April 18 to reflect a comment from Primacorp, which was provided after the original press deadline.
