Dear Community,
As you are aware, the Vancouver Park Board voted on 31 March 2025 to replace the 50-meter pool at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre with a 25-meter pool. The 50-meter pool at the VAC opened in 1974. In 2022 Vancouver voters overwhelmingly (77% in favor) voted to approve borrowing for its renewal. In its recently released design for the project, the Park Board has arbitrarily replaced the 50-meter pool with a 25-meter tank, contrary to the plan approved by voters and without any meaningful consultation with the community.
This decision will significantly reduce our community's access to swimming facilities. We are the city surrounded by water, YET we are the city with the LEAST access to pools! Not only is it incomprehensible that a City the size of Vancouver will lose its only dedicated 50-meter pool, the Park Board’s plan will have a significant adverse impact on all of the other pools in Vancouver as clubs and swimmers are displaced from the VAC. The Park Board has not thought this through.
We Need Your Support!
To express our opposition to this decision, we are organizing a rally at City Hall this weekend. We invite all members of our aquatic community and supporters to join us in standing up for our pool and our community's needs. We as a community need to stand together against the Park Board to fight for not just VAC but more pool access! We need your help in getting the support of City Council to cause the Park Board to stop its plan for a 25-meter pool and for the City to work with the Park Board to deliver the 50-meter pool that Council and the voters of Vancouver approved.
Rally Details:
· Date: 5 April 2025
· Time: 11am
· Location: Vancouver City Hall, corner of 12th and Cambie.
Your presence will make a difference! Together, we can ensure that our voices are heard and that we preserve the facilities essential for our health, recreation, and competitive swimming.
Please spread the word to fellow swimmers, friends, and family. Let's come together to protect our pool!
PLEASE MAKE YOUR VOICE COUNT!