In 2023 Westbroek agreed to pay $130,000 to settle the defamation suit and issued a public apology in the local newspaper. Ultimately, Westbroek only paid $2,839 personally. The rest of settlement was covered by the Town's liability insurance and the Town paid a $10,000 deductible. In 2007, the Gardens, a long-term care facility, was built in Qualicum Beach. Another retirement home, Berwick, opened in 2019. There are currently 5 retirement homes in Qualicum Beach. Trains stopped operating in 2011. The station is now used as an office space. St. Andrews Lodge was purchased by the Town of Qualicum Beach in 2018 with hopes to transform the land into a waterfront park. The Town considered demolishing the Lodge. In late 2020 The St. Andrew Lodge Cultural and Historical Society was formed by local residents, with the goal of saving the Lodge from demolition. They succeeded in this goal, and the Lodge and park is currently being renovated. Qualicum First Nation gifted the new name of "Saahtlam" for the park. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Qualicum Beach had a population of 9,303 living in 4,435 of its 4,763 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 8,943. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Age The majority (56.3% in 2021) of residents are 65 years of age or older. The median age in 2021 was 67.5 and the average age was 61.2. Education The majority (92.8% in 2021) of citizens aged 25 to 64 have obtained a high school diploma or equivalency certificate. 64% of citizens have obtained a postsecondary certificate, diploma, or degree. According to the 2021 census, the most common major fields of study of citizens in Qualicum Beach included: Business, management, and public administration (1,130 persons or 37.6%) Architecture, engineering, and related trades (895 persons or 29.8%) Health and related fields (855 persons or 28.5%) Education (635 persons or 21.1%) Social and behavioural sciences and law (475 persons or 15.8%) Occupation and Income The median total income of households in 2020 was $76,500. Of the labour force, 55% work as permanent employees and 32% are self-employed. The remaining hold casual, seasonal, temporary, short-term, or fixed (1 year or more) term positions. As of 2021, 7.7% of the population is unemployed. The majority (65.5% in 2021) of the population is not in the labour