Mount Pleasant Pool: City of Vancouver and Park Board Fund It Now
The Issue
Background:
The old Mount Pleasant Outdoor Pool was demolished in 2009, and a new pool promised in the 2010 Master Plan for Mount Pleasant Community Park, but after 14 years, the City of Vancouver and its Board of Parks & Recreation have yet to approve funding to build the pool, even though the pool was included in VanSplash, Vancouver' Aquatic Strategy, in 2019. The Vancouver Board of Parks & Recreation attempted to include partial funding in the 2023-2026 Capital Plan, but Council refused, and neither was any money allocated from the City's mid-term review (2024) as Council had other priorities, and continues to underfund parks and recreation infrastructure.
Unfortunately, Mount Pleasant's promised outdoor pool was not chosen for the next Capital Plan for 2027-2030. Chronic repairs to and eventual replacement of the aging outdoor pool in Kitsilano, and the planned replacement of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre require significant financial resources. Marpole's outdoor pool was supposed to be built along with their new Community Centre in 2023-2026, but the money allocated was not sufficient, but it looks like the City of Vancouver will allocate enough money to complete it in 2027-30. A new pool for Sunset has been the source of some controversy between City Council and Park Board, but some sort of pool might be built at Sunset in the same time frame, although unlike Marpole the planning and design have not been done yet. All of this is good news for Vancouver swimmers in general, but unfortunately Mount Pleasant's Pool has been left out of the mix, despite being designated as a priority in the VanSplash Aquatic Strategy.
Vancouver is deficient in outdoor pools per population compared to other Canadian cities (****See Chart below), and the shortage has become increasingly desperate as the city grows and densifies. In Mount Pleasant, the Broadway Plan is no longer the future, it's happening, and the construction of high rises and increase in population throughout the Broadway Corridor, will result in a demand for outdoor recreation, which Mount Pleasant, already deficient in access to pools, cannot fulfill unless Mount Pleasant's promised outdoor pool is built. To fail to do so will result in lineups at the remaining outdoor pools operating in other areas of the City, and families scrambling to find lessons for their children to learn to swim and practice water safety. The climate crisis has led to heat domes/heat waves and a shortage of places to cool off, and more violent weather that has damaged waterfront pools such as Kitsilano and the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. We need outdoor pools in areas of Vancouver that are not perched on the waterfront, and which provide people with access to pools that reduce trips by private vehicles. New outdoor pools can be built with a climate change lens to reduce the production of greenhouse gases and provide swimmers with clean and healthy recreation.
We therefore petition the elected representatives and staff of the Vancouver Board of Parks & Recreation and the City of Vancouver, who are responsible for the maintenance and growth of Vancouver's aquatic facilities, to:
- Expedite building Outdoor Pools as per the 2016 Park Board motion: https://parkboardmeetings.vancouver.ca/2016/20160530/MOTIONDECISION-ExpeditingNewOutdoorPools-20160530.pdf
- Prioritize Mount Pleasant Pool as per the 2019 VanSplash Aquatic Strategy: https://parkboardmeetings.vancouver.ca/2019/20191028/DECISION-VanSplash-VancouverAquaticsStrategyReportBack-20191028.pdf
- Pursue alternatives for funding Mount Pleasant Outdoor Pool as the 2027-2030 Capital Plan progresses.
****Comparing City Population, # of Outdoor Pools & People per Pool
Port Coquitlam, BC, pop. 63,297, 4 outdoor pools, 15,824 people per pool
Niagara Falls, ON, pop. 98,439, 5 outdoor pools, 19,688 people per pool
City of Montreal, PQ, pop. 1,780,000, 63 outdoor pools, 28,253 people per pool
Medicine Hat, AB, pop. 63,278, 2 outdoor pools, 31,639 people per pool
St. Catherine's, ON, pop. 140,370, 3 outdoor pools, 46,790 people per pool
Toronto, ON, pop. 2,832,718, 58 outdoor pools, 48,840 people per pool
Regina, SK, pop. 238,591, 5 outdoor pools, 47,718 people per pool
Burnaby, BC, pop. 274,425, 4 outdoor pools, 68,606 people per pool
Surrey, BC, pop. 600,911, 8 outdoor pools, 75,113 people per pool
Saskatoon, SK pop. 347,000, 4 outdoor pools, 86,750 people per pool
Winnipeg, MB, pop. 849,000, 8 outdoor pools, 106,125 people per pool
Ottawa, ON, pop. 1,070,889, 9 outdoor pools, 118,987 people per pool
Halifax, NS, pop. 431,416, 3 outdoor pools, 145,472 people per pool
Calgary, AB, pop. 1,665,000 8 outdoor pools, 208,125 people per pool
Edmonton, AB, pop. 1,060,667, 5 outdoor pools, 212,133 people per pool
Vancouver, pop. 681,420, 3 outdoor pools, 227,140 people per pool
Note: In 1984, Vancouver had 9 outdoor swimming pools! It now has only 3, and the population has grown significantly!
Regina, SK, recently completed the Wascana outdoor swimming pool complex for $16.4 million. The project received $12 million from the Government of Saskatchewan's Municipal Enhancement Program (MEEP), and the City covered the remainder of the cost. It features a regenerative water filtration system, low consumption features, and recirculating spray pad to conserve water, a high-efficient water heating plant, solar panels, LED lighting, and variable speed pool pumps to conserve energy and reduce emissions. Approximately 30% of the energy for the facility comes from solar panels:
The following is excerpted from CBC News online: CBC News Kids Vote Results:
“The (Kids Vote) program, which the City of Vancouver initiated to familiarize kids with the democratic process, allowed children to fill out a ballot at advance polling stations.
Instead of choosing candidates, kids selected answers to four multiple-choice questions.
When asked how they like to spend their time in Vancouver, 45 per cent chose swimming at pools. Playing in parks and playground came in second at 32 per cent.”
Our Vancouver kids echo what we have known all along; that Vancouverites look to swimming and pools as a preferred form of healthy activity and recreation.
UPDATE: We continue to work enthusiastically with the Vancouver Park Board to support the maintenance and renewal of outdoor swimming pools. Two outdoor pools, Mount Pleasant and Marpole, have yet to receive full funding to bring these facilities to Vancouver residents. Let’s keep the momentum and also talk about extending the outdoor pool season through October!
For more information on outdoor pools in Vancouver, you can visit the website of our allies at:
1,376
The Issue
Background:
The old Mount Pleasant Outdoor Pool was demolished in 2009, and a new pool promised in the 2010 Master Plan for Mount Pleasant Community Park, but after 14 years, the City of Vancouver and its Board of Parks & Recreation have yet to approve funding to build the pool, even though the pool was included in VanSplash, Vancouver' Aquatic Strategy, in 2019. The Vancouver Board of Parks & Recreation attempted to include partial funding in the 2023-2026 Capital Plan, but Council refused, and neither was any money allocated from the City's mid-term review (2024) as Council had other priorities, and continues to underfund parks and recreation infrastructure.
Unfortunately, Mount Pleasant's promised outdoor pool was not chosen for the next Capital Plan for 2027-2030. Chronic repairs to and eventual replacement of the aging outdoor pool in Kitsilano, and the planned replacement of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre require significant financial resources. Marpole's outdoor pool was supposed to be built along with their new Community Centre in 2023-2026, but the money allocated was not sufficient, but it looks like the City of Vancouver will allocate enough money to complete it in 2027-30. A new pool for Sunset has been the source of some controversy between City Council and Park Board, but some sort of pool might be built at Sunset in the same time frame, although unlike Marpole the planning and design have not been done yet. All of this is good news for Vancouver swimmers in general, but unfortunately Mount Pleasant's Pool has been left out of the mix, despite being designated as a priority in the VanSplash Aquatic Strategy.
Vancouver is deficient in outdoor pools per population compared to other Canadian cities (****See Chart below), and the shortage has become increasingly desperate as the city grows and densifies. In Mount Pleasant, the Broadway Plan is no longer the future, it's happening, and the construction of high rises and increase in population throughout the Broadway Corridor, will result in a demand for outdoor recreation, which Mount Pleasant, already deficient in access to pools, cannot fulfill unless Mount Pleasant's promised outdoor pool is built. To fail to do so will result in lineups at the remaining outdoor pools operating in other areas of the City, and families scrambling to find lessons for their children to learn to swim and practice water safety. The climate crisis has led to heat domes/heat waves and a shortage of places to cool off, and more violent weather that has damaged waterfront pools such as Kitsilano and the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. We need outdoor pools in areas of Vancouver that are not perched on the waterfront, and which provide people with access to pools that reduce trips by private vehicles. New outdoor pools can be built with a climate change lens to reduce the production of greenhouse gases and provide swimmers with clean and healthy recreation.
We therefore petition the elected representatives and staff of the Vancouver Board of Parks & Recreation and the City of Vancouver, who are responsible for the maintenance and growth of Vancouver's aquatic facilities, to:
- Expedite building Outdoor Pools as per the 2016 Park Board motion: https://parkboardmeetings.vancouver.ca/2016/20160530/MOTIONDECISION-ExpeditingNewOutdoorPools-20160530.pdf
- Prioritize Mount Pleasant Pool as per the 2019 VanSplash Aquatic Strategy: https://parkboardmeetings.vancouver.ca/2019/20191028/DECISION-VanSplash-VancouverAquaticsStrategyReportBack-20191028.pdf
- Pursue alternatives for funding Mount Pleasant Outdoor Pool as the 2027-2030 Capital Plan progresses.
****Comparing City Population, # of Outdoor Pools & People per Pool
Port Coquitlam, BC, pop. 63,297, 4 outdoor pools, 15,824 people per pool
Niagara Falls, ON, pop. 98,439, 5 outdoor pools, 19,688 people per pool
City of Montreal, PQ, pop. 1,780,000, 63 outdoor pools, 28,253 people per pool
Medicine Hat, AB, pop. 63,278, 2 outdoor pools, 31,639 people per pool
St. Catherine's, ON, pop. 140,370, 3 outdoor pools, 46,790 people per pool
Toronto, ON, pop. 2,832,718, 58 outdoor pools, 48,840 people per pool
Regina, SK, pop. 238,591, 5 outdoor pools, 47,718 people per pool
Burnaby, BC, pop. 274,425, 4 outdoor pools, 68,606 people per pool
Surrey, BC, pop. 600,911, 8 outdoor pools, 75,113 people per pool
Saskatoon, SK pop. 347,000, 4 outdoor pools, 86,750 people per pool
Winnipeg, MB, pop. 849,000, 8 outdoor pools, 106,125 people per pool
Ottawa, ON, pop. 1,070,889, 9 outdoor pools, 118,987 people per pool
Halifax, NS, pop. 431,416, 3 outdoor pools, 145,472 people per pool
Calgary, AB, pop. 1,665,000 8 outdoor pools, 208,125 people per pool
Edmonton, AB, pop. 1,060,667, 5 outdoor pools, 212,133 people per pool
Vancouver, pop. 681,420, 3 outdoor pools, 227,140 people per pool
Note: In 1984, Vancouver had 9 outdoor swimming pools! It now has only 3, and the population has grown significantly!
Regina, SK, recently completed the Wascana outdoor swimming pool complex for $16.4 million. The project received $12 million from the Government of Saskatchewan's Municipal Enhancement Program (MEEP), and the City covered the remainder of the cost. It features a regenerative water filtration system, low consumption features, and recirculating spray pad to conserve water, a high-efficient water heating plant, solar panels, LED lighting, and variable speed pool pumps to conserve energy and reduce emissions. Approximately 30% of the energy for the facility comes from solar panels:
The following is excerpted from CBC News online: CBC News Kids Vote Results:
“The (Kids Vote) program, which the City of Vancouver initiated to familiarize kids with the democratic process, allowed children to fill out a ballot at advance polling stations.
Instead of choosing candidates, kids selected answers to four multiple-choice questions.
When asked how they like to spend their time in Vancouver, 45 per cent chose swimming at pools. Playing in parks and playground came in second at 32 per cent.”
Our Vancouver kids echo what we have known all along; that Vancouverites look to swimming and pools as a preferred form of healthy activity and recreation.
UPDATE: We continue to work enthusiastically with the Vancouver Park Board to support the maintenance and renewal of outdoor swimming pools. Two outdoor pools, Mount Pleasant and Marpole, have yet to receive full funding to bring these facilities to Vancouver residents. Let’s keep the momentum and also talk about extending the outdoor pool season through October!
For more information on outdoor pools in Vancouver, you can visit the website of our allies at:
Supporter Voices
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on August 7, 2022