Where in New West can you beat the heat?

How do you plan on staying cool this summer? Ensuring your body can find reprieve from the heat is not only key to your physical health, but also your mental and emotional health. We’ve listed local cooling centres, pools, and even spots to grab a frozen treat!

Cooling centres

Cooling centres are activated by the city when the temperature hits a certain point; right now the provincial guideline via the BC Heat Alert and Response System (BC HARS) is about 29 degrees during the day. New West, however, has previously told The Anchor it can activate its cooling centres if the temperature is lower than that.

Typically, the city will share information about the times and dates cooling centres will be open on social media, mainly through Facebook and Twitter.

Queensborough Community CentreAddress: 920 Ewen Ave.There are a couple of buses that stop near the community centre, including the 104 (Annacis Island/22nd Street Station), the 340 (Scottsdale/22nd Street Station) and the 410 (22nd Street Station/Richmond-Brighouse Station).

Anvil CentreAddress: 777 Columbia St.This location is across the street from New Westminster station and is easily accessible by bus and skytrain.

New West Public Library (main branch)Address: 716 6th Ave.A number of buses stop near this location, including the 105 (New West Station/Uptown), 106 (New West Station/Edmonds Station), and the 123 (New West Station/Brentwood Station).

Century HouseAddress: 620 Eighth St.This location is not far from the main library branch; about a five-minute walk. The 105 (New West Station/Uptown), 106 (New West Station/Edmonds Station) and the 123 (New West Station/Brentwood Station) buses stop nearby.

Pools

Note that some pools require you to book in advance.

Grimston Park Wading PoolAddress: 1900 7th Ave.Grimston Park is a 10-minute walk from 22nd Street Station.

Moody Park Outdoor PoolAddress: 701 Tenth St.A heads up, you need to register for drop-in swimming at this pool. In some cases, there may be a charge of about $2. As for transit, the 105 (New West Station/Uptown), 106 (New West Station/Edmonds Station) 123 (New West Station/Brentwood Station) and 128 (Braid Station/22nd Street Station) buses stop nearby.

Hume Park Outdoor PoolAddress: East Columbia Street near Hoult Street. You can take the 109 (New West Station/Lougheed Station) and the 128 (Braid Station/22nd Street Station) to get there.

Ice cream and frozen treats

Anny’s Dairy BarAddress: 722 6th St.This popular Uptown New West gem also serves poutine, cheeseburgers and hot dogs.

Rocky Point Ice CreamAddress: 500 6th Ave., #100This is a family-run ice creamery whose roots are in Port Moody. They’ve been open in New West since 2019. Bonus: they’ll scoop your dog a pup cone!

Tre Galli Gelato CaffeAddress: 810 Quayside Dr., #121It’s hard to miss all the ice cream Tre Galli has to offer if you’re walking around inside River Market. Bonus: you can enjoy your ice cream with Fraser River views.

Snowy Village – New Westminster StationAddress: 336-800 Carnarvon St.If you’ve never tried bingsoo, here’s your chance. Bingsoo or bingsu is a Korean shaved ice dessert. It may be topped with condensed milk, fruit syrup, or sweet beans. The possibilities are essentially endless at Snowy Village; they offer everything from green grape bingsoo to Oreo bingsoo.