Wave of support? New 50-metre Vancouver pool now a by-election issue | Daily Hive

Wave of support? 50-metre pool at new Vancouver Aquatic Centre becomes by-election issue

February 2025 preliminary concept of the new Vancouver Aquatic Centre. (Acton Ostry Architects/MJMA Architecture and Design)

Although Vancouver Park Board commissioners on Tuesday directed their staff to figure out how to accommodate a 50-metre pool for the new Vancouver Aquatic Centre, this new direction is anything but guaranteed.

For years, the Park Board had indicated that the brand new aquatic centre, replacing the deteriorating 1974-built facility at Sunset Beach Park, would be an expansion facility, featuring a competition-capable, eight-lane, 50-metre lap swimming pool for its primary tank — replacing the existing 50-metre pool.

This direction was further publicly reinforced when municipal officials sought Vancouver voters’ permission in a plebiscite question on the October 2022 civic election ballot to borrow $103 million toward the project’s total cost, currently estimated at $170 million. Additionally, a 50-metre pool was previously established as a design parameter during the bidding process for an architectural design firm.

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But earlier in February 2025, Park Board staff unexpectedly recommended an alternative concept — a new replacement facility without an expansion, remaining on the same footprint of the existing facility. This recommended alternative concept consists of an eight-lane, 25-metre lap swimming pool for its primary tank, as well as a leisure pool with a lazy river, and a diving pool with diving platforms up to 10 metres high. The introduction of the leisure pool occupies about half of the footprint of the existing 50-metre tank.

This sparked a public outcry, particularly from swim clubs, groups, and other users, who argued that a 25-metre pool would force them to curtail their programs due to the shortage of 50-metre swimming facilities in the city. They also emphasized that a shorter pool would limit lap swimming space for exercise and leisure and expressed a desire for a facility capable of hosting competitions. Additionally, an online petition created last week in support of a 50-metre pool has quickly gained nearly 13,000 signatures as of the time of writing.

vancouver aquatic centre new concept february 2025

February 2025 preliminary concept of the new Vancouver Aquatic Centre. (Acton Ostry Architects/MJMA Architecture and Design)

During Tuesday’s meeting, Park Board commissioners voted 3-2, directing staff to rework their plans by replacing the 25-metre tank with a 50-metre tank and postponing the leisure pool to a future phase through building expansion. But they were given only one month to report their findings and propose potential solutions, with the deadline set for late March 2025.

This is now quickly becoming a campaign issue for the Vancouver City Council by-election scheduled for April 5, 2025, when Vancouver voters return to the polls to fill two vacant city councillor seats.

Although this matter is currently before the Park Board, the Mayor and City Council will deliberate and make the final decision at a later date, as the City controls the Park Board’s budget, including spending and funding allocation toward major capital projects.

Lucy Maloney, the sole by-election candidate for the OneCity Vancouver party, and a resident of the area, says she fully supports the pivot to a 50-metre pool.

“My family and I swim at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. So do many families downtown. It’s good that we’ll be getting a 50-metre training pool. But we need a 50-metre pool AND a leisure pool, so the Centre can serve all Vancouver’s people,” said Maloney in a statement to Daily Hive Urbanized upon inquiry.

“We could have them — if Ken Sim would fund them. But he won’t. Instead of funding great facilities we can all be proud of, he’s leaving the rest of us to fight each other over what’s left. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

ABC Vancouver commissioners Angela Haer and Jas Virdi and independent commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky voted in favour of a 50-metre pool on Tuesday, while Green party commissioner Tom Digby and independent commissioner Scott Jensen voted against it.

In a release on Wednesday, the ABC Vancouver party announced its support and by-election platform promise of pushing a 50-metre pool forward. Mayor Ken Sim’s party is running two candidates — Ralph Kaisers and Jaime Stein.

“The community was promised both a 50-metre lap pool and a new leisure pool. The entire community consultation process revolved around expanding the facility to serve both the needs of our competitive athletes and our families. It shouldn’t be an either-or situation and it doesn’t make sense to get rid of the only pool within Vancouver capable of hosting swim competitions,” said Stein in a statement.

Kaisers added, “This could devastate the competitive swim community. Fifty-metre pools are the international standard. Building a 25-metre pool would be like constructing a hockey rink that’s 40 metres too short and 25 metres too narrow.”

February 2025 preliminary concept of the new Vancouver Aquatic Centre. (Acton Ostry Architects/MJMA Architecture and Design)

Working with the contracted architects, Park Board staff assert that the shoreline location of Vancouver Aquatic Centre presents geotechnical and financial challenges for construction. They also note considerations against expanding into a treed area of the park, and where there could be Indigenous archaeological finds.

As well, Park Board staff suggested that the added time needed to redesign the project to incorporate a 50-metre tank could risk missing the 2022 plebiscite’s legally mandated deadline to award major construction contracts and begin site work by late 2026.

The composition of the City Council after the by-election could also influence the approach for building a new replacement for Kitsilano Outdoor Pool, which is in very poor condition. A feasibility study on the outdoor pool’s replacement is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2025, with a target of having the Park Board and City Council approve the project’s strategy by late 2025.

In the October 2026 civic election, the ballot could include a plebiscite question seeking approval from voters to borrow money to fund the construction of the new Kitsilano Outdoor Pool.

Interior of the existing Vancouver Aquatic Centre. (Shutterstock)

Kitsilano Outdoor Pool. (Claire Fenton/Daily Hive)

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