Busy Vancouver indoor pool remains closed after 'unexpected failure'
A popular Vancouver indoor pool remains closed after a sudden closure, leaving local swimmers with one less place to dive into during the last full week of summer.
The Britannia Community Services Centre posted online that its pool underwent an “Emergency Maintenance Closure” on Saturday, Sept. 12 due to an “unexpected failure,” and will remain shut down until further notice.
According to the City of Vancouver, Britannia Pool needed to close on Friday evening following the unexpected sloughing of sections of the pool basin tiles.
Britannia Community Services Centre
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“Park Board staff have since drained the pool and completed the necessary repairs to the affected basin tiles,” the City of Vancouver told Daily Hive.
“The pool will now be refilled, treated, and heated to ensure water quality and operating conditions meet Vancouver Coastal Health requirements.”
The City also added that, barring any unforeseen issues during the refilling and commissioning process, staff are aiming for the pool to reopen later this week.
Additional maintenance work on Britannia Pool, one of the busiest pools in Vancouver, is slated to start in mid-January 2027, which will close the site temporarily.
Britannia Community Services Centre
According to the City of Vancouver, they will be upgrading critical mechanical, electrical, plumbing, pool, and building systems that are necessary for the facility to remain operational.
Initially, the pool closure was intended to start in November of this year, but the City of Vancouver and Park Board delayed the work to “help ensure the local clubs and their swimmers can continue to access the facility throughout their season,” said the City of Vancouver in an email to Daily Hive Urbanized.
The scope and schedule of the maintenance work “are still being finalized and remain subject to the necessary approvals,” the City added.
“This project is an important investment in the long-term operation of the pool, and postponing the work will help ensure the local clubs and their swimmers can continue to access the facility throughout their season.”
Staff are currently reviewing capacity at all of the City’s recreation centres to find opportunities to “reallocate lane space and program time” for current Britannia pool users.