The Town of Sidney is proposing to lease its lawn bowling facility at 9580 Fifth Street to the Sidney Lawn Bowling Club for just $10 a year under a new five-year sublease agreement.
A public notice dated August 6, 2026, states the town intends to enter into the sublease with the club for the purpose of operating a lawn bowling facility and related activities. The agreement would run for five years and set annual rent at $10 to the town.
Under BC’s Community Charter, municipalities must publish notice before disposing of land or improvements, giving residents a chance to provide feedback. The Town of Sidney has posted the notice on its website.
The Sidney Lawn Bowling Club has operated the facility since 1998. It started with a small group of residents who, with the town’s cooperation, reclaimed the land from a former dump area. Volunteers cleared, dug and built the clubhouse and bowling green that exist today. The club now has about 160 area resident members.
The proposed agreement is a sublease, which means an existing head lease is in place with another party. The town has not named that party.
Residents with questions or feedback about the proposed sublease can contact the Town of Sidney Administration Department at 250-656-1139 or [email protected].
Similar nominal rent arrangements exist in other BC municipalities. The City of Victoria previously renewed the Canadian Pacific Lawn Bowling Club’s lease for $1 per year, a rate some councillors found controversial given the downtown location.
