A renovation at Scouts Canada’s Camp Barnard signals a period of renewal and change for the venerable facility.
Camp Barnard, just west of Sooke, is a 101-hectare camp used year-round by Scouts and a variety of youth and adult organizations. It has been offering residential camping, wilderness camping and day-use opportunities for more than 70 years.
It has accommodated as many as 3,000 guests at a time, as was the case when it hosted the Scouts Canada 2015 Pacific Jamboree. It typically sees bookings of between 12,000 and 14,000 camper-nights per year.
At the centre is Keego Kitchen and the dining hall, which is heavily used by groups from May to September but, because the building is not insulated, it sits empty the rest of the year.
“We already had a great building, with a 400-seat dining hall,” said Gary Hendren, project manager.
“We had just completed renovations under a five-year plan, so it was up to code, was energy-efficient, had a metal roof and skylights — but it had no insulation or drywall.”
To increase year-round bookings, the local Scouts determined that a renovation/upgrade to expand their user base would be cost-effective.
The group applied for and received funding for the $173,000 capital project from the Canada 150 Fund and the Victoria Foundation.
Winterizing the building, built in 1998, includes insulation, a vapour barrier, drywall and a heat pump to enable year-round use. The group will also add a mezzanine area to make it easier for groups to hold meetings.
“Attracting users year-round will theoretically boost bookings and bring in extra revenue, which in turn help keep user fees affordable for kids attending camps and other outdoor programs throughout the year,” Hendren said.
Camp Barnard began in 1945 as a gift from George Henry Barnard, a local lawyer who was elected mayor of Victoria in 1904. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1908, was appointed to the Senate in 1917 and retired back to Victoria in 1945. He died in 1954 and is buried in Ross Bay Cemetery.
Development of the two parcels of land, which includes seven-hectare Young Lake, began in earnest in the 1960s.
The camp has a core group of 700 volunteers and is available for booking by schools, institutions and youth groups year-round.
For more information, go to campbarnard.ca or scouts.ca.
