Officials say Vancouver's Kitsilano pool is 'in a much better situation'

Nearly $4 million in repairs allowed Vancouver's Kitsilano pool to open from Aug. 7 to Sept. 22, but it's still leaking water and a replacement is still years away.

Officials with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and the city gave an update to park board commissioners Monday night over the state of the 137-metre pool along Vancouver's shoreline, which had been leaking 30,000 litres of water an hour following damage by a king tide in January 2022.

"Realistically the pool is in a much better situation, but it is still an end-of-life asset," said Carrie Hughes, director of facilities management with the City of Vancouver, about the future of the outdoor pool.

The pool was to be shuttered for the summer as the city and park board looked for a way to extend its lifespan. Mayor Ken Sim helped find outside help to expedite needed repairs and the pool was able to open on Aug. 7.

From Aug. 7 to the pool's normal closing day on Sept. 2, it had an daily average of 1,513 visits, up from last year, according to a presentation to park board commissioners.

The pool stayed open until Sept. 22, but visits dropped off noticeably after the Labour Day weekend.

City councillors passed a motion in June to come up with a plan to renew and ultimately replace the venue.

On Monday, representatives from the city along with the park board said a $2-million contract would be awarded by the end of the year to conduct a feasibility study. It will determine how a pool and other aquatic options should be built at the site.

"We are committed to options exploring to replace the 137-metre-long pool that we know and love. Options that look at multiple pools, options that extend the season, those are the things I expect to bring back to this group for discussion next year," Courtney Healey, manager of the project for the City of Vancouver, said to the park board.

"We're looking forward to the most viable and feasible options in terms of climate resilience and all the other factors we are looking at on this site."

Based on other pools that have been built recently in the region — such as New Westminster's $106.6-million təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre — a new pool at Kits would have a price tag of at least $175 million, said Commissioner Tom Digby.

Steve Kellock, director of recreation for the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, said funding for the pool would most likely show up as a ballot question in the 2026 civic election.

Meanwhile, pool is still leaking

Commissioner Laura Christensen asked city officials if they knew to what extent the pool was still leaking water compared to amounts that prevented the facility from obtaining a permit from Vancouver Coastal Health.

The amount of water rushing out of the pool prior to early summer repairs prevented an appropriate amount of chemicals in the water to keep it safe for swimming.

Hughes, the director of facilities management, said staff were still trying to determine the amount, but "it has been reduced significantly."

She said repairs and maintenance would continue at the pool and that large infrastructure costs to do this weren't expected.

"We are keeping it going as long as we can," she said.