Email icon Back to Search
westhill child care facility diagram

A new child care facility with 37 licensed spaces is under construction in Westhill Park (203 Westhill Place). The Westhill Child Care Centre, to be located on the second floor of the existing Westhill Centre building, will improve access to child care spaces for families in Port Moody’s College Park and Seaview neighbourhoods. 

“We are excited to announce new child care spaces in an area of Port Moody that is currently underserved,” said Mayor Meghan Lahti. “High-quality, accessible child care services are critical for families, and important for healthy child development as well as Port Moody’s economy. The City will continue to work with the B.C. government and community partners to help improve access to child care spaces in Port Moody.” 

The Westhill Child Care Centre will have licensed spaces for up to 12 infants/toddlers and up to 25 spaces for children aged three to five years. An area north of the building’s entrance ramp will be converted into a dedicated outdoor playground space. The facility will be operated by the YMCA. 

This project, which includes a roof membrane replacement for the Westhill Centre building in addition to the construction of the child care facility, has a budget of approximately $2.9 million. This was made possible, in part, through nearly $1.5 million from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund. The fund is jointly supported by provincial investments and federal funding under the 2021-2022 to 2025-2026 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Agreement. As part of the plan to reduce child care fees and expand child care access for all families in BC, the Province is working with the federal government through the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide ELCC Agreement. 

“More families in Port Moody will have assurance that their children are in a supportive environment that encourages early learning,” said Mitzi Dean, Minister of State for Child Care. “We’re taking action with our partners, including the City of Port Moody, to help build more access to affordable, quality, inclusive child care spaces because we know how much it can change families’ lives.” 

“These new child care spaces in Port Moody will make a significant difference for families in the community, and provide kids with new spaces to play, learn and grow. Announcements like this one are an excellent example of what our Canada-wide early learning and child care agreements set out to achieve,” said Jenna Sudds, Canada’s Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. “This new facility will provide access to affordable, high-quality, flexible and inclusive regulated child care in the community while also providing parents with significant savings.” 

The Westhill Centre building also houses public washrooms along with the Westhill Pool office and public change rooms. To maximize construction efficiencies and minimize cost, the City is simultaneously completing a new concrete walkway with stairs and an accessible ramp south of the building’s entrance ramp to provide public access from the parking lot to the pool. The existing concrete walkway and stairs north of the entrance ramp will be removed to create space for the playground. The City will also convert the pool’s disinfection system from the existing gas chlorine system to a liquid chlorine system, which will increase safety for pool users and City staff. These additional works have a budget of approximately $200,000.

We anticipate the new child care facility will be completed by the end of August 2024. Since the construction of the new concrete walkway and the conversion of the pool disinfection system will affect pool operations, this portion of work is scheduled to be completed by early April. 

If you plan to visit Westhill Park, please note that the public washrooms located at the Westhill Centre building are currently unavailable due to construction and will be closed through March 31, 2024. A portable toilet has been installed for public use during this time. We thank you for your patience as we complete this important project.