Flicka Gymnastics & Mickey McDougall Community Recreation Centre Upgrades

Flicka Gymnastics Club is a non-profit organization that has operated on the North Shore since 1962. Flicka has leased spaces in the existing Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre since 2000.

Flicka’s programs focus on both community gymnastics and competitive training programs, with the goal "to enable every gymnast to attain a realistic and achievable level of personal success in order to promote self confidence and a lasting enjoyment of the sport of gymnastics."

The Mickey McDougall building is a City-owned facility that was constructed in 1967 for use as a school. Since 1982, the North Vancouver Recreation and Culture Commission (NVRC) has operated the building as a Community Recreation Centre. 

In 2018, City staff and Flicka undertook a joint feasibility study to explore Flicka’s relocation into Mickey McDougall as part of the transition to the new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre. In July 2021, Council authorized the City to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Flicka, setting out the terms for the City to provide Flicka with the use of Mickey McDougall to continue their gymnastics training – watch the Council video. 

The revitalized Mickey McDougall Community Recreation Centre will feature an updated space for gymnastics training, improved accessibility and mechanical systems, and improved energy efficiency. Although some small improvements have already been undertaken, the majority of construction at Mickey McDougall will be deferred to late 2024 and into 2025, so that Flicka may move in by late 2025 when the new HJCRC construction wraps up. 

The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Grant

On August 17, 2022, The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, visited North Vancouver City Hall to announce $2.2 million in funding to retrofit Mickey McDougall to support Flicka’s future use of the facility for gymnastics as part of the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program. The GICB is a program focused on accessibility and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more about Canada's Green Buildings Strategy.

The Strategy seeks to mobilize national action to reduce emissions by 37 percent from 2005 by 2030 and to create a net-zero-emissions buildings sector by 2050. The Strategy will focus on increasing the rate of building retrofits, ensuring buildings are resilient and net-zero-ready from the start, and on transforming space and water heating.

The City is embarking on a bold direction for community recreation with the development of the new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre (HJCRC), providing an exciting opportunity to create a vibrant community hub in the City.

The project will include a brand new Harry Jerome, a new Silver Harbour Seniors’ Activities Centre, as well as upgrades to the Mickey McDougall Community Recreation Centre providing a new home for Flicka Gymnastics. Together with the new HJCRC, the redevelopment of the Mickey McDougall site will help create a refreshed recreation and community hub for all of North Vancouver.