Which local rec centre fees are overpriced?

Abbotsford has the cheapest rec centre passes this side of Hope—though only if you commit for a year.

In Langley, you’re going to pay a premium to hit the pool—unless you just turned 80.

And in Chilliwack, monthly passes for kids and adults are a comparative steal (but the pool might be closed when you want to use it.)

Earlier this year, a Mission councillor suggested his community start letting seniors use its pool for free. With that in mind, and Kent raising money for its own leisure centre, we put the Fraser Valley’s rec centre fees under the microscope to see which residents get the best deals, and which are paying through the swim goggles.

Seniors

Lowest rates: Abbotsford

Best discount from normal price: Abbotsford (both for seniors younger than 75 and those above)

Best freebies: Abbotsford, Hope

Highest rates: Langley Township (those aged 65-80) / Chilliwack/Mission (80+)

Worst discount: Mission (fractionally worse than Chilliwack)

Earlier this year, Mission Coun. Jag Gill suggested his municipality consider allowing seniors to use Mission’s leisure centre for free. His colleagues unanimously supported the idea, although how exactly it shakes out is still to be determined: staff will return with suggestions of possible age caps, along with the budget ramifications. And Mission’s mayor noted that changes could also lead to tweaks for other users—including potential rate hikes for younger people.

Gill’s idea came about in part because some—but not all—municipalities give some seniors a heavy discount on recreation fees.

Hope and Abbotsford both allow residents of a certain age (80 and 75, respectively) to use their facilities for free. Langley Township, meanwhile, allows those over 80 to use facilities for just a buck.

(In Abbotsford, just $25 per year, residents over 75 can also get access to the specialized Senior Activity Centre at the Abbotsford Recreation Centre.)

All municipalities offer older residents at least some break on their rec centre fees once they hit a certain age. But the size of your discount depends on your location. Abbotsford seniors get a whopping 40% off once they hit 65. Residents of most other communities get between 20% and 30% off. But in Mission, Langley Township, and Langley City, you’ll qualify when you hit 60. And in Hope, turning 55 gets you a lower rate.

Kids

Lowest rates: Langley City (annual/drop-in); Chilliwack (monthly)

Best freebies: Abbotsford - up to age five are free

Best discount from normal rates: Hope (for kids 4-6), Chilliwack

Highest rates: Abbotsford (drop-in); Langley Township (monthly/annual)

Worst discount from normal rates: Hope (for kids 7-13)

Fewest freebies: Mission — only kids under three are free

Worst discount: Hope

Teens/students

Lowest rates: Abbotsford

Best discount from normal rates: Abbotsford

Best freebies: Abbotsford - free pass for Grade 5 students

Highest rates: Langley Township

Worst discount: Langley City

Kids and students often get even better deals than seniors.

Drop-in fees for children under 12 in Langley Township and Chilliwack are less than half the cost of an adult pass. Abbotsford and Mission have similar breaks. Teens and students with ID tend to pay a little more—except in Abbotsford, where everyone between the ages of 5 and 24 gets the same deal.

Abbotsford’s flat rates leaves kids (or, rather, their parents) paying high rates, but teens paying relatively little. Kids in Abbotsford also get a free pass for their Grade 5 year. And kids under 18 can get an unlimited summer pass for $20.

Abbotsford also lets children use the rec centre for free for the longest period. A parent doesn’t have to pay for their kids until they hit their fifth birthday. On the other side of the Fraser in Mission, parents pay as soon as their kids turn three.

Hope, meanwhile, has the worst discount—but offers special rates for kids aged 4 to 6.

Finally, UFV’s U-Pass program gives its students access to all recreation facilities in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission.

Adults

Best drop-in rate: Hope, Chilliwack (for larger communities)

Best monthly rate: Hope, Mission

Best yearly rate: Langley City, Abbotsford (larger communities)

Highest drop-in, monthly, and annual rates: Langley Township

Best support for low-income people: Langley Township / Langley City

Family

Best drop-in rate: Hope, Langley City, Mission (larger communities)

Best monthly rate: Hope, Chilliwack

Best yearly rate: Langley City, Hope, Abbotsford

Highest drop-in rate: Chilliwack, Abbotsford

Highest monthly, yearly rate: Langley Township

Hope’s fees are consistently among the best in the valley, and their recreation centre is nothing to sniff, with fees including public skating, pool activities, and gym and fitness class privileges.

Langley Township’s facilities, meanwhile, are consistently the most expensive.

The rest of the adult and family rates vary more than you’d think, both between communities and pass types.

Abbotsford and Chilliwack, for instance, have steep family drop-in rates, but very reasonable monthly passes. And a monthly pass for Langley City’s recreation centres is relatively expensive, but a yearly membership is a good deal.

It should also be noted that while monthly and annual passes in Langley Township, Abbotsford, Mission, and Hope (!) cover public skating, that’s not the case in Chilliwack.

The best deals

If you’re an adult or have a family: Hope

Hope’s adult fees are the lowest and best, whether you consider the size of the facility or not. While one might assume Hope must charge low rates because it has a small recreation centre that’s not necessarily true: the Hope and Area Recreation Centre boasts an arena, leisure pool, lap pool, fitness centre, and other amenities you’d expect to find in bigger communities.

Its drop-in in fees are particularly attractive for those not willing to commit to an annual pass. Hope’s fees for kids and students seem a tad high, given the adult prices. But given that most younger kids will attend with an adult, overall admission fees are still comparatively affordable and its $807 annual family pass is the best value in the region.

If you’re a senior, parent of young kids, or a teen: Abbotsford

For a city the size of Abbotsford, its recreation centre fees are extremely low—if you are able and willing to shell out for an annual pass.

Its drop-in and monthly fees are roughly in line with Mission and Chilliwack. But its annual ones feature a huge discount. An individual adult in Abbotsford will pay $174 less than someone in Langley Township and about $100 less than someone in Chilliwack. Even Mission has higher annual fees. The same goes for family fees.

Abbotsford really shines when it comes to the deals it offers, parents, teens and adults. And that’s before you get to the fact that kids up to five can use the pools for free, all youth can get a $20 summer pass, and Grade 5 students and people over 75 can get yearly passes for free. It also offers a subsidy for people with financial barriers. And skate and helmet rentals are complimentary.

Worst deal

Langley Township

The Langleys offer recreation centre users something that most other Fraser Valley communities don’t: a chance for low-income users to apply for financial assistance.

In the Township, a family of four making less than $42,600 can get a discount off of memberships and programs. (Langley City has a similar program)

But you’re more likely to need that discount than anywhere else because the Township’s facilities are the most expensive in the region.

A monthly pass in the Township will cost an adult $76.69. That’s $20 more than passes in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission. And a yearly pass in the Township costs an incredible $174 more than one next door in Abbotsford.

And if you have a family or kids, good luck. A monthly pass for a Township teen is $48.20, nearly as much as an adult in Chilliwack. And while seniors older than 80 can drop in for $1, those between 65 and 80 must pay more than the top monthly price in Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Mission.

Only when it comes to the family drop-in fee of $13.65 does the Township offer good bang for the buck. Oh, and the Aldergrove water park. That water park is a great deal.

You can see where we got all the data for this story here:

Langley Township | Langley City | Abbotsford | Mission | Chilliwack | Hope