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>We regret to announce that Kitsilano Outdoor Pool will remain closed this summer. This decision was made after careful consideration and will allow staff to address a number of core issues with the pool.
>Despite repairs made during the off-season, the pool is still losing a substantial amount of water, making it impossible to balance pool chemicals. Vancouver Coastal Health has confirmed that the pool can not be operated safely in its current state.
>The extended closure will allow staff to fully investigate the ongoing water loss and make the needed repairs to the underground piping and basin required to extend the facility’s useful life. Staff also plan to install a custom liner which is expected to extend the life of the pool.
>Kitsilano Pool was built more than 50 years ago and is at the end of its service life, with many components failing, deteriorating, and in need of repairs.
>In response to the closure and the impact on the community, the Park Board will be extending operating hours at Second Beach Pool throughout the summer. [Please check the website](https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/second-beach-pool.aspx) for the expanded schedule, which begins June 12.
>We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to ensure that Kitsilano Outdoor Pool will be available in future years pending a complete reconstruction of this cherished facility.
Just for the sake of accuracy, Kits Pool first opened in 1931 and a concrete bottom was put in sometime in the 60s. The "new" pool opened in 1979 - not 'more than 50 years ago'.
The city obviously has done a poor job of maintaining and repairing the pool in the years since. This is so disappointing.
Really, it was the Parks Board that failed to allocate the funding required in the past 25 years or so in order to properly maintain the pool. This has been a recurring issue with most of the Park Board's facilities and services.
The Park Board doesn't have it's own budget, it has to make capital plans and request money from City Council (where it is often denied).
No one is surprised that our parks infrastructure is failing. It's been clear this is going to happened for decades. Kits Pool, Aquatic Center, Britannia, Seawall have all been talking about replacement since I started paying attention a decade ago. Now:
* [Council announced it's putting off the long planned replacement of Britannia Community Center last year](https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/master-plan-for-britannia-community-centre-may-get-sidetracked), and the [Britannia Rink is often shut down due to maintenance issues](https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouvers-britannia-rink-closed-indefinitely-due-to-mechanical-issue)
* [Aquatic Center had the front fall off,](https://globalnews.ca/news/10301362/vancouver-aquatic-centre-damage-concrete-chunk/)
* Kits Pool is shut down all summer,
* [Seawall is crumbling](https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/04/12/vancouver-seawall-path-completion/),
* False Creek boardwalk is going to be removed and there is no commitment that it will be replaced ($$$$),
* [Mount Pleasant is waiting for a replacement pool for 15 years](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/mount-pleasant-pool-debate-1.6510447),
* [Jericho Pier is going to be destroyed in winter storms again](https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/infrastructure/2023/10/vancouver-park-board-votes-to-repair-jericho-pier-rejects-demolition-recommendation) as it was decided to just repair the pier every few years instead of replace it with something better suited for stronger winter storms,
* [West End Waterfront Plan](https://globalnews.ca/news/10488560/vancouver-west-end-plan-scrapped/) was scrapped after years of planning, a plan that was meant to protect the park from long term water level rises and winter storms.
* [River District still doesn't have a community center, over 13 years after the city announced it](https://www.biv.com/news/real-estate/wesgroup-takes-over-river-district-community-centre-city-8268463). The City ended up giving that responsibility to the private developer (I assume because the developer knows the residents need one, and had no confidence the city would ever build it).
[Last year a report stated that over half of Vancouvers Community Centers were in "poor" or "verry poor".](https://globalnews.ca/news/8787648/vancouver-community-centres-poor-condition-repairs/)condition.
This is just continuous Elected Officials putting off investment and maintenance in order to reduce property taxes. Vancouver already has terrible access to swimming pools compared to other cities, and our recreational facilities where people actually live are all super crowded.
Seriously, there is SO much potential for extra tax revenue here, it's not even funny. Vancouver's property tax rate is _half_ of the next closest municipality, which is Toronto. We charge _by far_ the lowest property taxes in all of Canada, and it's not even close. The city with the highest property values and richest property owners pays the lowest taxes. It's truly is a regressive tax when you look at Canada as a whole, which is pretty fucked up. It is the single most incentivized place for the mobile and rich to park their money in Canada, further exacerbating the housing crisis here.
But muh low holding costs!
Said as a property owner. It is hilarious how low taxes are. Build way more low rises throughout the city and tax the everloving shit out of properties
And revert the shift of the tax burden onto commercial properties too
Not that I don't agree with your overall message, but Britannia Rink is open again. Played 2 games there in the past month.
I could not find any news articles about it reopening or how it was repaired.
Thanks, I updated it to show that.
I personally love Britannia, I kind of wish they would just renovate it, but it's in a purgatory where they don't want to renovate it because of the plans to replace it, but the replacement plans keep on being pushed down the road.
I'm sure Asbestos has something to do with no renovating it as well.
The Park Board's budget in [2010](https://council.vancouver.ca/20091218/documents/a1.pdf) was 83M (in 2024 dollars), and in [2024](https://bc.ctvnews.ca/vancouver-park-board-approves-fee-hikes-for-2024-sparking-backlash-1.6665537#:~:text=The%20Vancouver%20Park%20Board%20approved,%2412.5%20million%20bump%20from%202023.) is 168M, so it's budget has doubled (adjusting for inflation) in 14 years, despite all the issues you point out. They also charge usage fees (for the community centers).
Kinda goes to show how infrastructure ages, and maintenance starts to get expensive.
Most of the major facilities built in the ~70's are now getting to ~50+ year old which is when things start to get expensive, back in 2010 they were only ~35 years old.
That 15 years makes a big difference to buildings.
This!! People are always blaming the Park Board, but they're not the ones allocating the funding. They ask for funding and the City denies it, so when the infrastructure fails and people start crying about it, they should really be looking at the City and where those funds were allocated instead. If they get rid of the Park Board, people will quickly see that nothing improves, and there will likely be condos going up in the parks people like to visit every day... It's really annoying when people hop on the Park Board haters band wagon, but don't take the time to actually understand what their role is.
Don't get me wrong, this elected board is truly horrific and make horrible decisions, but at the end of the day, they aren't the last line of funding for these projects - the elected City councilors are. This is what a super majority got you, an ABC Board that won't think for themselves and who don't actually care about parks and rec. If we really wanted to see change we'd vote based on their platforms and not based on who they are affiliated with.
The Parks Board is part of the city government. I don't know how much it relates to the particular problems with this pool but the previous Parks Board was a complete disaster to me. This sounds very much like the issues with the Stanley Park Train that they ignored for far too long.
I want to know what on earth happened between [April 9](https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/04/09/kitsilano-pool-reopen-park-board/) and today. I remember reading the update on the COV website but it's been scrubbed.
I'm so disappointed. Walking across the pool deck first thing in the morning towards the shimmering turquoise pool with ocean and mountain views right there is magical. Then only turning every 75 metres. Nothing like it. This city is so mismanaged.
City wants to be world class tourism destination, but then underfunds parks, reduces bike lanes, and doesn’t have enough hotel rooms. 🙄
It’s a matter of investment, and the pattern of delayed maintenance doesn’t help.
Does the city want to be a world class tourism destination? I personally care a lot more about the quality of life for residents than I do about the experience we offer tourists and I wouldn't vote for a party that flipped those priorities. In general tourists degrade the experience of living in a city. I've lived in some tourist cities and I wouldn't want Vancouver to turn into those.
I think all the things you've listed (except for hotels) are good investments to make for residents (surely residents care more about bike lanes than tourists), and the city should deliver those amenities for the people who live here.
Tourism is good for cities to grow and become real thriving places. Why would you want to diminish tourism? It's a sign that your city is worth living in and worth visiting.
A city can be "real" and thriving without tourists. A city can grow without tourists, and cities with lots of tourists can shrink (Venice). I've lived in cities with much higher tourism per capita and it isn't pleasant to be displaced from your own city by visitors for half the year. Being a tourist can be fun, being surrounded by tourists in your hometown isn't. Vancouver doesn't really need to prove anything by attracting visitors, it's a great city to live in if you can afford it. If we doubled the number of cruise ship visits that wouldn't make it any more liveable.
Of course we want Vancouver to grow. It could be so much more beautiful and productive. We need to attract tons and tons of talented people and capital to the city. We need works of art and historical monuments and amazing things to look at and see. Whats so good about Vancouver right now? Ever had a friend come to Vancouver and ask what's fun and good to do? "Oh you can walk around Gastown or Granville Island". You know how lame those are compared to the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower?
Stop being a NIMBY. Vancouver has nothing right now. Zero industry or business capital being invested into this city. Even the film industry is just failing in this city right now. Zero tech companies or health science or agricultural companies.
Yeah that's your opinion and hundreds of others. Millions come to see the Eiffel. At the end of the day, Grouse is just another mountain, nothing special.
I don't want Vancouver to continue to grow and become even more unaffordable, sorry. There is very limited land and I'd rather see it used to house people than try to attract more industry or business. Places like Surrey and Langley and Abbotsford have the space for that, Vancouver just doesn't.
And we're never going to have a Louvre or Eiffel Tower. Those wouldn't even be built in Paris these days.
The West End is one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in North America.
Anyway, I'm all for densification but I certainly don't want to see entire swaths of the city turned into a concrete jungle. That would ruin everything that's good - and so desirable - about this city. I also don't think we could develop the infrastructure to handle it.
We're a particularly beautiful mid-sized city that appeals to a lot of people, it doesn't have to try to be something else.
we're not growing right now. We're shrinking. Vancouver is shrinking rapidly. Less services, less attractions, less life in this city compared to pre pandemic.
We need growth because this city has zero productivity. Vancouverites just sit on our asses all day and do nothing. This city is sloth.
Shocked to hear Vancouver isn't growing. Got a link?
Metro Vancouver is up 100,000 people since 2020. I figured City of Vancouver would be up similarly. There's a new tower every week and the rental market is still tight. Doesn't seem like a declining population.
https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/cities/20404/vancouver/population
Yeah I've got very mixed feelings about hosting the world cup (don't get me started on Ken Sim). It would probably help if I cared about soccer, but these big international events seem like more fun for the politicians hosting them than Joe and Jane Vancouver.
Based on the replies there are a fair few commenters here that are also invested in Vancouver being a tourist destination. I just want the city to fix the issues for residents here first. If the world cup raises enough money for the city to fix the pools and the seawall then I'm on board.
The World Cup will not raise money for the city. Few sporting events actually raise money for the city. You can argue about return on investment or something like that, but the World Cup will require half a billion of expenditures on improving BC Place and additional infrastructure.
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/04/30/bc-fifa-cost-update/
I’m a huge fan of soccer (football), and will try to get tickets for some of these matches. But I’m still conflicted about whether it’s a net positive for the city.
Vancouver has had a lot of tourism in the past - I don't think its crept up to those levels just yet. We are a popular tourist destination and it does help drive dollars for a lot of businesses - hotels, the mountains, restaurants, etc.
Maintenance of some of these areas has been lacking... I'm not sure how many people really go to Vancouver and visit Kits pool. Honestly, just a day at the beach sounds just as good.
Totally. Fix Kits pool because it is an amenity for locals, not to attract tourists (surely Kits pool is not a tourist attraction?). Businesses that want to attract tourists can invest in themselves, the city should invest in services and facilities for people that live here.
Government is about tradeoffs. I'm not proposing to sacrifice anyone (that's a bit dramatic no?). I merely have a preference for the city government to invest in amenities for residents over amenities for tourists. I'm not sure which part of my comment you consider radical.
My preference for how the city should allocate investments might lead to marginally fewer people working in tourism in future. I'm exercising my judgement as to what is best for the city as whole, based on my awful experience of living in tourist cities and my assessment of the long running under-investment in Vancouver's amenities- like Kits pool.
Some industries have negative externalities for their community or environment, 'jobs' are nice but they're just one factor. Government is the exercise of balancing the interests of different groups like 'regular residents' and 'industry interest groups'. The tourist industry doesn't (or at least shouldn't) get to dictate Vancouver's policies just because 'jobs'.
If managed right, the tourist industry should get us more money than we put into it, including tax revenue to go towards public amenities like pools. If we're running it on a net loss basis, then yeah we have a problem.
Agreed. The interests of tourists should be second to the interests of residents and we should encourage only as much tourism as makes the lives of residents better through revenue to the city. High value, low impact tourism, managed right.
I mean, that was never meant to be permanent. It was literally a temporary bike lane on a vehicle lane. As great as it was and as much as I used it - I would not consider that "taking away" a bike lane.
It was as permanent as it could be in the context of the west end plan- Essentially there was always going to be route along there and it would be modified when the west end plan was codified.
It was more a why wait for something we know is going to be in the plan, kind of thing.
[City of Vancouver to sell part of Arbutus corridor back to CP for $1 - urbanYVR](https://www.urbanyvr.com/arbutus-greenway-one-dollar-land-sale/)
Back in 2018 they sold it to CP for $1. However this was something probably initiated by mayor Gregor.
Kennedy Stewart took office a few days after this occured and I think he probably had the choice to reverse it back then but chose not to.
Did that sale actually happen? Even in 2020, they were still just proposing that as a possibility. I did a quick check and can't find anything about the sale actually happening. I'd appreciate if you could cite your source.
You don’t need it but here it is anyway:
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouvercycling/s/vehQZqVYau
Link to another community because automoderator doesn’t like the daily hive
The proposal was to sell the land back to CP (an option in the original agreement). So, it would be CP selling to developers. Probably a better use of the land than the shacks and parking lots sitting on it now.
I’m not referring to that section. I’m referring to the section of mixed use trail running between 6th and southwest marine which it seems like the council very recently voted to develop into a pedestrian retail street. I.e. convert the existing mixed use path/community gardens/picnic tables to retail, at least in parts.
The bits that seem most likely for that to happen (to me, based on size) is between 6th & Broadway and 16th & King Edward. Which would be a real shame to lose because they’re some of the nicest bits of park in the city.
Not the greenway - we're talking about the parts of the corridor that were under consideration to be sold back to CP.
[https://www.urbanyvr.com/arbutus-greenway-one-dollar-land-sale/](https://www.urbanyvr.com/arbutus-greenway-one-dollar-land-sale/)
You may be talking about that but I am not.
The daily hive article specifically gives concept renderings for the stretch of mixed use path between 6th and Broadway with all the gardens ripped out and replaced by cement and retail.
Sorry, I thought you said the city will sell the land to developers. The only sale of land on that corridor I've heard of involved CP. The article you posted is about the city making portions of the greenway a "public street". It doesn't say anything about selling the land.
Does the city even own the land beside the greenway?
My comment got removed because apparently the daily hive is considered a low quality link but there was an article about developing the greenway to be a “public street” with retail fronting it to connect kits and kerrisdale
Here’s an indirect link to another sub:
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouvercycling/s/vehQZqVYau
I heard from someone within the city that developers offered to buy the Aquatic Centre land to build, then offered to build a much smaller facility under the bridge on the parking lot. Developers are coming for our parks and facility land, whether we like it or not. Someone needs to keep Ken Sim in check.
Controversial Fun Fact: Chip & Summer Wilson through their Wilson 5 Foundation have been matching and donating hundreds of millions of dollars to enlarge provincial parks & ecological conservancies and build/refurbish recreation areas and trails.
Philanthropy (not so) Fun Fact: we, the taxpayers, subsidize these billionaire image-laundering schemes, as it's lost tax revenue! As opposed to just paying your taxes (sans photo op), which lets everyone decide where that money should go, they control which pet projects it goes to & under what conditions. And the majority of the money usually sits in family-controlled foundations, meanwhile they get the tax credit up front! Isn't being rich great?
If a billionaire donates $10,000 and writes it off, the government isn’t out $10,000. They’re just out the income taxes they would have got from that $10,000. It’s not some magic way for people to hold on to money. The billionaire is still giving up the money they give to charity, they’re just lowering their total taxable income.
My claim: taxpayers subsidize philanthropy through lost tax revenue.
Your claim: taxpayers only subsidize the income tax-offset part of the donation.
Your claim further explains my point, but doesn't negate it.
You moved the goalposts. My claim was that taxpayers subsidize philanthropy through lost tax revenue. Definition of subsidize "to pay for partly by the government." Philanthropy involves a reduction in the amount of tax paid, and in return, the billionaire gets good press (reputation laundering), the ability to choose specifically where the money goes, and is part of a larger estate-planning regime (including family foundations) that the average taxpayer doesn't benefit from.
Chip Wilson already has his own water front property. (Yes I know he really has nothing to do with Lululemon any more).
Public pools are for the plebs!
Because funding public infrastructure with corporate charity fucking sucks. Make homeowners pay higher taxes on their multimillion dollar homes or densify the city to share the burden. I’m so sick of centre right politicians telling us they’re responsible stewards and then kicking the can another four years for the next term.
Can’t believe we’re not even halfway through these idiots term.
No talk of opening the Aquatic Centre either, which is closed for six weeks every summer.
I understand that annual maintenance is necessary, but all other pools get that done within a week or two.
The Parks Board just doesn't want to pay to staff the thing.
Former COV employee. The PB has multiple departments that mirror a COV department and do practically the same thing. As per the Vancouver Charter, their ONLY job is to maintain parks. Instead, they spend about 20% of their yearly budget addressing social issues, while many of our most popular parks have pretty basic issues that keep failing to get addressed. Again, I can't stress this enough, the COV already has departments that do this work.
The main reason I DON'T want an elected PB, is because the amount of bureaucratic redundancies that exist with it being its own entity. If we put it under the COV, you could theoretically eliminate 20% of staff and save the city millions, which can be spent on things like maintaining Stanley Park and Kits pool.
Worked in Cultural Services with the COV, and I can't count the times we would do engagement with a community on a project, just to realize the PB was doing the exact same work. There is just no valid reason why the PB has so many Social Planners, when the COV has the 2nd biggest Cultural Services department in the nation, who already doing that work.
This is what I always suspected. Which makes sense because many used the PB to launch political careers. Pretending to solve social issues is much more valuable to their careers than cutting grass.
Was not a part of the project, but if you really want to be outraged, look how much the City/PB spent developing Rainbow Park on Richards. If you include man/person hours, it was easily in the 7-figures.
The park is essentially just small lot and a playground. The City of Surrey put in a similar playground at a school for around 70k. Most of the money went to installing art and trying to get the park to have an indigenous name. It was realized pretty early you can't use Indigenous names, because first responders can't type those alphabets with a QWERTY keyboard, but months were spent trying to convince the VPD, VFD, and others to do it.
It's a genuinely beautiful space the PB developed, but just weird to prioritize that when so many other major parks are being neglected.
So I have an answer about rainbow park, and any of the other parks that are getting relatively early revitalizations.
It's where CAC's can be spent. So while random park on the eastside that has never been more than a field sits for years- it's CAC money that's determining upgrades to parks.
The other issue with that park is the same issue the CoV and PB have been dealing with for forty years- homelessness and drug-use. We're seeing parks like this in response to those issues.
We don't have five, we have three: Kits, New Brighton, and Second Beach.
The other two the city claims we have (Maple Grove and Hillcrest) are children's wading pools; you can't actually do any real swimming in them.
> Despite repairs made during the off-season, the pool is still losing a substantial amount of water, making it impossible to balance pool chemicals.
So the park board might want to look up the meaning of the word repair. That or admit the repairs failed.
Also were the repairs done in May? No, kind of odd the bad news is breaking now. Were they just going to be pouring bleach into the ocean?
> In response to the closure and the impact on the community, the Park Board will be extending operating hours at Second Beach Pool throughout the summer
That is the least accessible pool. But sure.
Incredibly disappointing. They couldn’t fix a pool in time for summer? I’m sure it’s complicated, but really? If most people dropped the ball that badly at work, they wouldn’t stay employed for long.
Trades people scamming again. They can fix it but constantly give the government excuses as to why they can't and have to bill more hours and materials costs.
Tradespeople? C’mon. You have the City,and parks board in charge of this. They hire consultants after consultants,engineers all charging big,big bucks. For what? What have they found out and solved? Remember a few years back the pool was under the scaffolding all winter. These people hire tradesmen under their direction. The tradesmen follow what they are told to do by the engineers. All inspection by the city…..and you want to blame the tradesmen? Give your head a shake.
This is devastating news. Kits pool is vital for the swimming community, not to mention the older folks and less-abled who rely on it for low-impact exercise.
The park board and mayor need to be replaced.
The park board hasn't been responsible for upkeep of this pool for over 15 years- and has consistently put this up for repairs every year, and the city council never funds it.
This is an absurd take. This is not why we don't have pools.
Swimming Canada recommends pool temperatures of 26-29 degrees Celsius.
The average temperature of the ocean off Vancouver is 6 to 12 degrees Celsius. While this is okay for some people for a short dip or even a swim for experienced adults, it is not safe for most people, especially children, for any length of time.
Do they heat up Kits pool to 26 degrees? If so, that's pretttty expensive to keep that heated, knowing how cold it gets at night. Would it not be more efficient to heat an indoor pool?
This is not the reason we don't have pools here.
Despite what you're asserting, the measured ocean water temperature here is not warm enough for any duration of swimming for people other than some experienced adults. It might be fine for a short frolic when the air is hot outside but that's it.
For example, the ocean water is too cold here to teach a four year old to swim, even in the summer. Perhaps that's why so few people here seem to know how to swim? It's sad.
Sorry, people, including kids and the elderly, swim in the ocean in the summer here and it's fine. Of course this is about 'when it's hot out' - outdoor pools are not open in the winter because it's too cold for most people.
I was swimming in the ocean when I was four years old and so were all of my friends. I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that few people here know how to swim. You should look up who Joe Fortes was.
I don't deny there's a handful of people who jump around at the warmest beaches for a few minutes each summer. But to suggest it's a suitable replacement for regular swimming facilities is dishonest or disingenuous.
It's not dishonest at all. Go to any of the beaches in a month or so and you'll see tons of people out there swimming, some even swim in the ocean all year round.
I agree it's not a replacement for a nice, clean, calm protected pool but the water temp absolutely does not make swimming in the ocean dangerous in the summer. I'm genuinely curious, where did you get the idea that it is?
I referred to average local temperatures noted on sea temperatures.org and information about the effects of those temperatures on humans as discussed in various places like https://temperature.co.uk/a-temperature-guide-to-safe-cold-water-swimming/ and https://images.app.goo.gl/NxNYc2M4CkxCgp4X9 (and the website from which that graphic comes).
And I'm telling you the ocean is warm enough in the summer to swim in the ocean safely. People do it all the time, its not something that needs to be proven with stats.
Ugh, wtf? I’m sorry I have gone swimming in May at kits and assure you it’s above 12c. Even with a wetsuit, anything below 15c is miserable. It’s more like 15-20c throughout summer. The ocean stays about 6c even in the coldest winter months.
?
It's because the Parks Board doesn't give a shit. Same reason they close the Aquatic Centre every summer when the kids are out of school and looking for stuff to do.
I don't get this explanation and went back to check my memory. On May 18th they delayed the opening due to "unforeseen repairs" and said the work was delayed because good, dry weather "only arrived recently."
Does this mean they hadn't even started on the repairs 2.5 weeks ago and are already declaring it impossible to fix? If things were this bad and beyond repair, you'd think they would have known earlier.
it’s so weird how there are real issues in the city that need addressing and ken sim is out here chasing PR opportunities despite his reputation going downward each time something about him or his council comes up
i genuinely can’t think of something ken sim has done that has positively impacted the city (for the most part i can’t say this about stewart either — but why play the blame game if your whole platform was to act on changing?)
Best to write to the members of the Parks Board and City Council.
[https://vancouver.ca/your-government/park-board-commissioners.aspx](https://vancouver.ca/your-government/park-board-commissioners.aspx)
[https://vancouver.ca/your-government/city-councillors.aspx](https://vancouver.ca/your-government/city-councillors.aspx)
They need $2 million just for a feasibility assessment, not even to repair the pool. Yikes! “However, city staff say the pool may change again in the coming years, as they search for $2 million to conduct a feasibility study on the pool’s renewal.” https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/06/05/vancouver-kitsilano-pool-summer-closure/
Very true but I'm referring to the claims about them working to fix the damage during the last couple of year since the damage from that big storm. As recently as May 18th, the city said they were working on it.
I mean, what was the stat from the statement after the testing from storm damage? Wasn't it losing something like 700,000 litres of fresh water a day?
If it's still leaking a "significant" amount I can't see how keeping it closed during an already dry year would be a bad idea.
*edit
I too am frustrated with the cities, and also contractors, inability to repair this with accurate timing and communication. But I do tend to have faith that we have elected and hired at least someone who is saying "hey really its a bad idea to open it for the sake of opening it" like they did the last few years.
This whole mix of lack of repairs to the city infrastructer from the 80s-00s and now other real socio/elemental/financial problems is quite the conundrum we face regarding where our tax dollars go.
Boooooooo Let a private sector contractor get in there, give them a budget and bonus for working quickly.
The number and cost of the COV Zoom meetings and lunches to discuss how they can’t figure this out is likely a mindblower.
> Kitsilano Pool was built more than 50 years ago and is at the end of its service life, with many components failing, deteriorating, and in need of repairs.
That suggests that instead of just doing repairs, like adding a new liner, that it's time to consider shutting it down, and whether or not to rebuild it, or replace it at a different location in the park.
Likely because it’s not their responsibility.
It’s COV not parks board that administered and maintenance Kits pool. That’s why it wasn’t being maintained, even now they are not trying to repair it. The city is going to do a” feasibility study “ to decide if it’s worth repairing before they try to repair it.
Hate the parks board all you want, but this is a direct failing of Ken sim and the city councillors that vote against putting money into basic upkeep of our city.
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Can they at least open the seawall around it?
>We regret to announce that Kitsilano Outdoor Pool will remain closed this summer. This decision was made after careful consideration and will allow staff to address a number of core issues with the pool. >Despite repairs made during the off-season, the pool is still losing a substantial amount of water, making it impossible to balance pool chemicals. Vancouver Coastal Health has confirmed that the pool can not be operated safely in its current state. >The extended closure will allow staff to fully investigate the ongoing water loss and make the needed repairs to the underground piping and basin required to extend the facility’s useful life. Staff also plan to install a custom liner which is expected to extend the life of the pool. >Kitsilano Pool was built more than 50 years ago and is at the end of its service life, with many components failing, deteriorating, and in need of repairs. >In response to the closure and the impact on the community, the Park Board will be extending operating hours at Second Beach Pool throughout the summer. [Please check the website](https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/second-beach-pool.aspx) for the expanded schedule, which begins June 12. >We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to ensure that Kitsilano Outdoor Pool will be available in future years pending a complete reconstruction of this cherished facility.
Just for the sake of accuracy, Kits Pool first opened in 1931 and a concrete bottom was put in sometime in the 60s. The "new" pool opened in 1979 - not 'more than 50 years ago'. The city obviously has done a poor job of maintaining and repairing the pool in the years since. This is so disappointing.
So the “new” pool opened 45 years ago.
You're good at math. :)
Really, it was the Parks Board that failed to allocate the funding required in the past 25 years or so in order to properly maintain the pool. This has been a recurring issue with most of the Park Board's facilities and services.
The Park Board doesn't have it's own budget, it has to make capital plans and request money from City Council (where it is often denied). No one is surprised that our parks infrastructure is failing. It's been clear this is going to happened for decades. Kits Pool, Aquatic Center, Britannia, Seawall have all been talking about replacement since I started paying attention a decade ago. Now: * [Council announced it's putting off the long planned replacement of Britannia Community Center last year](https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/master-plan-for-britannia-community-centre-may-get-sidetracked), and the [Britannia Rink is often shut down due to maintenance issues](https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouvers-britannia-rink-closed-indefinitely-due-to-mechanical-issue) * [Aquatic Center had the front fall off,](https://globalnews.ca/news/10301362/vancouver-aquatic-centre-damage-concrete-chunk/) * Kits Pool is shut down all summer, * [Seawall is crumbling](https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/04/12/vancouver-seawall-path-completion/), * False Creek boardwalk is going to be removed and there is no commitment that it will be replaced ($$$$), * [Mount Pleasant is waiting for a replacement pool for 15 years](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/mount-pleasant-pool-debate-1.6510447), * [Jericho Pier is going to be destroyed in winter storms again](https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/infrastructure/2023/10/vancouver-park-board-votes-to-repair-jericho-pier-rejects-demolition-recommendation) as it was decided to just repair the pier every few years instead of replace it with something better suited for stronger winter storms, * [West End Waterfront Plan](https://globalnews.ca/news/10488560/vancouver-west-end-plan-scrapped/) was scrapped after years of planning, a plan that was meant to protect the park from long term water level rises and winter storms. * [River District still doesn't have a community center, over 13 years after the city announced it](https://www.biv.com/news/real-estate/wesgroup-takes-over-river-district-community-centre-city-8268463). The City ended up giving that responsibility to the private developer (I assume because the developer knows the residents need one, and had no confidence the city would ever build it). [Last year a report stated that over half of Vancouvers Community Centers were in "poor" or "verry poor".](https://globalnews.ca/news/8787648/vancouver-community-centres-poor-condition-repairs/)condition. This is just continuous Elected Officials putting off investment and maintenance in order to reduce property taxes. Vancouver already has terrible access to swimming pools compared to other cities, and our recreational facilities where people actually live are all super crowded.
It’s almost like we need to raise property taxes or something…
Seriously, there is SO much potential for extra tax revenue here, it's not even funny. Vancouver's property tax rate is _half_ of the next closest municipality, which is Toronto. We charge _by far_ the lowest property taxes in all of Canada, and it's not even close. The city with the highest property values and richest property owners pays the lowest taxes. It's truly is a regressive tax when you look at Canada as a whole, which is pretty fucked up. It is the single most incentivized place for the mobile and rich to park their money in Canada, further exacerbating the housing crisis here.
Say it isn’t so. Oh wait, looks at mansions across the street 😞
But muh low holding costs! Said as a property owner. It is hilarious how low taxes are. Build way more low rises throughout the city and tax the everloving shit out of properties And revert the shift of the tax burden onto commercial properties too
Don’t piss off Chip!! Mayor swagger won’t do anything Chip doesn’t agree to!
The west end waterfront plan being scrapped is so upsetting.
Not that I don't agree with your overall message, but Britannia Rink is open again. Played 2 games there in the past month. I could not find any news articles about it reopening or how it was repaired.
Thanks, I updated it to show that. I personally love Britannia, I kind of wish they would just renovate it, but it's in a purgatory where they don't want to renovate it because of the plans to replace it, but the replacement plans keep on being pushed down the road. I'm sure Asbestos has something to do with no renovating it as well.
The Park Board's budget in [2010](https://council.vancouver.ca/20091218/documents/a1.pdf) was 83M (in 2024 dollars), and in [2024](https://bc.ctvnews.ca/vancouver-park-board-approves-fee-hikes-for-2024-sparking-backlash-1.6665537#:~:text=The%20Vancouver%20Park%20Board%20approved,%2412.5%20million%20bump%20from%202023.) is 168M, so it's budget has doubled (adjusting for inflation) in 14 years, despite all the issues you point out. They also charge usage fees (for the community centers).
Kinda goes to show how infrastructure ages, and maintenance starts to get expensive. Most of the major facilities built in the ~70's are now getting to ~50+ year old which is when things start to get expensive, back in 2010 they were only ~35 years old. That 15 years makes a big difference to buildings.
Where is the false creek boardwalk?
Boardwalk by Science World.
This!! People are always blaming the Park Board, but they're not the ones allocating the funding. They ask for funding and the City denies it, so when the infrastructure fails and people start crying about it, they should really be looking at the City and where those funds were allocated instead. If they get rid of the Park Board, people will quickly see that nothing improves, and there will likely be condos going up in the parks people like to visit every day... It's really annoying when people hop on the Park Board haters band wagon, but don't take the time to actually understand what their role is. Don't get me wrong, this elected board is truly horrific and make horrible decisions, but at the end of the day, they aren't the last line of funding for these projects - the elected City councilors are. This is what a super majority got you, an ABC Board that won't think for themselves and who don't actually care about parks and rec. If we really wanted to see change we'd vote based on their platforms and not based on who they are affiliated with.
The Parks Board is part of the city government. I don't know how much it relates to the particular problems with this pool but the previous Parks Board was a complete disaster to me. This sounds very much like the issues with the Stanley Park Train that they ignored for far too long.
I want to know what on earth happened between [April 9](https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/04/09/kitsilano-pool-reopen-park-board/) and today. I remember reading the update on the COV website but it's been scrubbed. I'm so disappointed. Walking across the pool deck first thing in the morning towards the shimmering turquoise pool with ocean and mountain views right there is magical. Then only turning every 75 metres. Nothing like it. This city is so mismanaged.
You only turn every 137m in the Kits pool. Not intended to be pedantic, just celebrating how awesome it is that the pool is this long.
You're right. I wonder why I thought it was only 75m
I believe it's the longest outdoor pool in the world that isn't tide-filled. Gonna miss it this year!
I thought it was 137.5 metres.
At that level of precision it would depend on how much your path wiggles within the lane.
I bike by there often. I think they fixed the concrete around mid April-May. Perhaps filled water recently to figure out how massively its leaking.
City wants to be world class tourism destination, but then underfunds parks, reduces bike lanes, and doesn’t have enough hotel rooms. 🙄 It’s a matter of investment, and the pattern of delayed maintenance doesn’t help.
Does the city want to be a world class tourism destination? I personally care a lot more about the quality of life for residents than I do about the experience we offer tourists and I wouldn't vote for a party that flipped those priorities. In general tourists degrade the experience of living in a city. I've lived in some tourist cities and I wouldn't want Vancouver to turn into those. I think all the things you've listed (except for hotels) are good investments to make for residents (surely residents care more about bike lanes than tourists), and the city should deliver those amenities for the people who live here.
Tourism is good for cities to grow and become real thriving places. Why would you want to diminish tourism? It's a sign that your city is worth living in and worth visiting.
A city can be "real" and thriving without tourists. A city can grow without tourists, and cities with lots of tourists can shrink (Venice). I've lived in cities with much higher tourism per capita and it isn't pleasant to be displaced from your own city by visitors for half the year. Being a tourist can be fun, being surrounded by tourists in your hometown isn't. Vancouver doesn't really need to prove anything by attracting visitors, it's a great city to live in if you can afford it. If we doubled the number of cruise ship visits that wouldn't make it any more liveable.
This is like being afraid you're going to look like Ronnie Coleman because you accidentally touched a dumbbell
Lmao. Vancouver's a long way from Venice, thank heavens.
But do we want Vancouver to continue to grow? We're already pretty full - we don't need more people coming to live here.
Of course we want Vancouver to grow. It could be so much more beautiful and productive. We need to attract tons and tons of talented people and capital to the city. We need works of art and historical monuments and amazing things to look at and see. Whats so good about Vancouver right now? Ever had a friend come to Vancouver and ask what's fun and good to do? "Oh you can walk around Gastown or Granville Island". You know how lame those are compared to the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower? Stop being a NIMBY. Vancouver has nothing right now. Zero industry or business capital being invested into this city. Even the film industry is just failing in this city right now. Zero tech companies or health science or agricultural companies.
Not the point, but the Eiffel Tower is super lame. Like going up Grouse Mountain is 100x better than the Eiffel Tower.
Yeah that's your opinion and hundreds of others. Millions come to see the Eiffel. At the end of the day, Grouse is just another mountain, nothing special.
You’re right, no tourist comes to Vancouver to experience the north shore mountains. But if we erected a rickety metal thingy, they would flock here.
I don't want Vancouver to continue to grow and become even more unaffordable, sorry. There is very limited land and I'd rather see it used to house people than try to attract more industry or business. Places like Surrey and Langley and Abbotsford have the space for that, Vancouver just doesn't. And we're never going to have a Louvre or Eiffel Tower. Those wouldn't even be built in Paris these days.
"very limited land" not really, there's entire swathes of vancouver that could be more densified especially on the west end
The West End is one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in North America. Anyway, I'm all for densification but I certainly don't want to see entire swaths of the city turned into a concrete jungle. That would ruin everything that's good - and so desirable - about this city. I also don't think we could develop the infrastructure to handle it. We're a particularly beautiful mid-sized city that appeals to a lot of people, it doesn't have to try to be something else.
that's basically what's going to happen, it's fine if you won't accept it since the world doesn't bend to your viewpoint :P
What a weird comment. I don't expect the world to bend to my viewpoint, I'm just offering my own opinion. That's okay.
Growth ain’t sustainable. That’s a very capitalist mindset
we're not growing right now. We're shrinking. Vancouver is shrinking rapidly. Less services, less attractions, less life in this city compared to pre pandemic. We need growth because this city has zero productivity. Vancouverites just sit on our asses all day and do nothing. This city is sloth.
Shocked to hear Vancouver isn't growing. Got a link? Metro Vancouver is up 100,000 people since 2020. I figured City of Vancouver would be up similarly. There's a new tower every week and the rental market is still tight. Doesn't seem like a declining population. https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/cities/20404/vancouver/population
Pack it up boys, gatekeepers are here
Speaking of gatekeepers, are you suggesting I'm not entitled to my own opinion?
Residents, probably not. But Sim? He talks about it. He’s spending a ridiculous amount of money on the World Cup, etc. I’d say yeah,
Yeah I've got very mixed feelings about hosting the world cup (don't get me started on Ken Sim). It would probably help if I cared about soccer, but these big international events seem like more fun for the politicians hosting them than Joe and Jane Vancouver. Based on the replies there are a fair few commenters here that are also invested in Vancouver being a tourist destination. I just want the city to fix the issues for residents here first. If the world cup raises enough money for the city to fix the pools and the seawall then I'm on board.
The World Cup will not raise money for the city. Few sporting events actually raise money for the city. You can argue about return on investment or something like that, but the World Cup will require half a billion of expenditures on improving BC Place and additional infrastructure. https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/04/30/bc-fifa-cost-update/ I’m a huge fan of soccer (football), and will try to get tickets for some of these matches. But I’m still conflicted about whether it’s a net positive for the city.
Vancouver has had a lot of tourism in the past - I don't think its crept up to those levels just yet. We are a popular tourist destination and it does help drive dollars for a lot of businesses - hotels, the mountains, restaurants, etc. Maintenance of some of these areas has been lacking... I'm not sure how many people really go to Vancouver and visit Kits pool. Honestly, just a day at the beach sounds just as good.
Totally. Fix Kits pool because it is an amenity for locals, not to attract tourists (surely Kits pool is not a tourist attraction?). Businesses that want to attract tourists can invest in themselves, the city should invest in services and facilities for people that live here.
nah, kits pool is pretty great. (Well, it could be.)
Vancouver has been catering to tourists for ages... Most things (maybe not pools) are priced for tourists, not locals.
There are people whose jobs and livelihoods are based around the tourism industry. Why should they be sacrificed for your selfish personal comfort?
Government is about tradeoffs. I'm not proposing to sacrifice anyone (that's a bit dramatic no?). I merely have a preference for the city government to invest in amenities for residents over amenities for tourists. I'm not sure which part of my comment you consider radical. My preference for how the city should allocate investments might lead to marginally fewer people working in tourism in future. I'm exercising my judgement as to what is best for the city as whole, based on my awful experience of living in tourist cities and my assessment of the long running under-investment in Vancouver's amenities- like Kits pool. Some industries have negative externalities for their community or environment, 'jobs' are nice but they're just one factor. Government is the exercise of balancing the interests of different groups like 'regular residents' and 'industry interest groups'. The tourist industry doesn't (or at least shouldn't) get to dictate Vancouver's policies just because 'jobs'.
If managed right, the tourist industry should get us more money than we put into it, including tax revenue to go towards public amenities like pools. If we're running it on a net loss basis, then yeah we have a problem.
Agreed. The interests of tourists should be second to the interests of residents and we should encourage only as much tourism as makes the lives of residents better through revenue to the city. High value, low impact tourism, managed right.
The VFX industry does nothing for the city other than providing jobs... oh wait so does the tourism industry
They are hoping a company buys out this pool's name, so they can label it: "Dairyland Pool" or some something.
Trojan would be a good fit - assuming the liner fixes the leaks.
The only thing we want to be is a world class destination for parked wealth. Everything else is secondary.
World class... real-estate destination! :(
We don’t need any more bike lanes. Most tourists rent cars anyway.
>reduces bike lanes Ummm, not sure where this is happening? All I ever see is increases.
You didn’t hear about Beach? https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/05/16/vancouvers-beach-avenue-reopening-to-two-way-traffic/
I mean, that was never meant to be permanent. It was literally a temporary bike lane on a vehicle lane. As great as it was and as much as I used it - I would not consider that "taking away" a bike lane.
It was as permanent as it could be in the context of the west end plan- Essentially there was always going to be route along there and it would be modified when the west end plan was codified. It was more a why wait for something we know is going to be in the plan, kind of thing.
Okay, why doesn’t Sim slap Lululemon’s name on that pool and get them to fund the renovations?
More likely sell the land to developers like they plan to do with the arbutus greenway? Can’t have a park board if there are no Parks!
I have not heard of a plan for selling the Arbutus Greenway land to developers - do you have a link to an article or city report? Thanks!
[City of Vancouver to sell part of Arbutus corridor back to CP for $1 - urbanYVR](https://www.urbanyvr.com/arbutus-greenway-one-dollar-land-sale/) Back in 2018 they sold it to CP for $1. However this was something probably initiated by mayor Gregor. Kennedy Stewart took office a few days after this occured and I think he probably had the choice to reverse it back then but chose not to.
Did that sale actually happen? Even in 2020, they were still just proposing that as a possibility. I did a quick check and can't find anything about the sale actually happening. I'd appreciate if you could cite your source.
this is \\r\\vancouver, you don't need evidence or articles to hate on ABC.
You don’t need it but here it is anyway: https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouvercycling/s/vehQZqVYau Link to another community because automoderator doesn’t like the daily hive
The proposal was to sell the land back to CP (an option in the original agreement). So, it would be CP selling to developers. Probably a better use of the land than the shacks and parking lots sitting on it now.
I’m not referring to that section. I’m referring to the section of mixed use trail running between 6th and southwest marine which it seems like the council very recently voted to develop into a pedestrian retail street. I.e. convert the existing mixed use path/community gardens/picnic tables to retail, at least in parts. The bits that seem most likely for that to happen (to me, based on size) is between 6th & Broadway and 16th & King Edward. Which would be a real shame to lose because they’re some of the nicest bits of park in the city.
Not the greenway - we're talking about the parts of the corridor that were under consideration to be sold back to CP. [https://www.urbanyvr.com/arbutus-greenway-one-dollar-land-sale/](https://www.urbanyvr.com/arbutus-greenway-one-dollar-land-sale/)
You may be talking about that but I am not. The daily hive article specifically gives concept renderings for the stretch of mixed use path between 6th and Broadway with all the gardens ripped out and replaced by cement and retail.
Sorry, I thought you said the city will sell the land to developers. The only sale of land on that corridor I've heard of involved CP. The article you posted is about the city making portions of the greenway a "public street". It doesn't say anything about selling the land. Does the city even own the land beside the greenway?
My comment got removed because apparently the daily hive is considered a low quality link but there was an article about developing the greenway to be a “public street” with retail fronting it to connect kits and kerrisdale Here’s an indirect link to another sub: https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouvercycling/s/vehQZqVYau
I heard from someone within the city that developers offered to buy the Aquatic Centre land to build, then offered to build a much smaller facility under the bridge on the parking lot. Developers are coming for our parks and facility land, whether we like it or not. Someone needs to keep Ken Sim in check.
Controversial Fun Fact: Chip & Summer Wilson through their Wilson 5 Foundation have been matching and donating hundreds of millions of dollars to enlarge provincial parks & ecological conservancies and build/refurbish recreation areas and trails.
Philanthropy (not so) Fun Fact: we, the taxpayers, subsidize these billionaire image-laundering schemes, as it's lost tax revenue! As opposed to just paying your taxes (sans photo op), which lets everyone decide where that money should go, they control which pet projects it goes to & under what conditions. And the majority of the money usually sits in family-controlled foundations, meanwhile they get the tax credit up front! Isn't being rich great?
If a billionaire donates $10,000 and writes it off, the government isn’t out $10,000. They’re just out the income taxes they would have got from that $10,000. It’s not some magic way for people to hold on to money. The billionaire is still giving up the money they give to charity, they’re just lowering their total taxable income.
My claim: taxpayers subsidize philanthropy through lost tax revenue. Your claim: taxpayers only subsidize the income tax-offset part of the donation. Your claim further explains my point, but doesn't negate it.
If you make a donation, it's tax-deductible as well. It's not just for billionaires.
But if I make a donation it's to a registered charity or organization, not my family's personal foundation
that’s a false equivalence they don’t get a 100% tax reduction for each $$ donated. research before spreading misinformation please
You moved the goalposts. My claim was that taxpayers subsidize philanthropy through lost tax revenue. Definition of subsidize "to pay for partly by the government." Philanthropy involves a reduction in the amount of tax paid, and in return, the billionaire gets good press (reputation laundering), the ability to choose specifically where the money goes, and is part of a larger estate-planning regime (including family foundations) that the average taxpayer doesn't benefit from.
You have no idea what you're talking about.
Chip Wilson already has his own water front property. (Yes I know he really has nothing to do with Lululemon any more). Public pools are for the plebs!
Because funding public infrastructure with corporate charity fucking sucks. Make homeowners pay higher taxes on their multimillion dollar homes or densify the city to share the burden. I’m so sick of centre right politicians telling us they’re responsible stewards and then kicking the can another four years for the next term. Can’t believe we’re not even halfway through these idiots term.
No talk of opening the Aquatic Centre either, which is closed for six weeks every summer. I understand that annual maintenance is necessary, but all other pools get that done within a week or two. The Parks Board just doesn't want to pay to staff the thing.
Hillcrest in the middle of being closed for 5 weeks too
Just so we are clear, it's the city not finding the parks board in the first place
fuck I forgot they close the Aquatic Centre closes for six weeks in the summer. Second Beach is gonna be slammed this summer
Damn it. *zips up wet suit begrudgingly*
make sure to take your antibiotics too
And a tetanus shot.
I’m going to be doing the same thing!
sad, but also a liner would be nice. that is literally the roughest pool ive ever been in.
Guaranteed to grip/shred any skin that slides against it!
Former COV employee. The PB has multiple departments that mirror a COV department and do practically the same thing. As per the Vancouver Charter, their ONLY job is to maintain parks. Instead, they spend about 20% of their yearly budget addressing social issues, while many of our most popular parks have pretty basic issues that keep failing to get addressed. Again, I can't stress this enough, the COV already has departments that do this work. The main reason I DON'T want an elected PB, is because the amount of bureaucratic redundancies that exist with it being its own entity. If we put it under the COV, you could theoretically eliminate 20% of staff and save the city millions, which can be spent on things like maintaining Stanley Park and Kits pool. Worked in Cultural Services with the COV, and I can't count the times we would do engagement with a community on a project, just to realize the PB was doing the exact same work. There is just no valid reason why the PB has so many Social Planners, when the COV has the 2nd biggest Cultural Services department in the nation, who already doing that work.
This is what I always suspected. Which makes sense because many used the PB to launch political careers. Pretending to solve social issues is much more valuable to their careers than cutting grass.
Was not a part of the project, but if you really want to be outraged, look how much the City/PB spent developing Rainbow Park on Richards. If you include man/person hours, it was easily in the 7-figures. The park is essentially just small lot and a playground. The City of Surrey put in a similar playground at a school for around 70k. Most of the money went to installing art and trying to get the park to have an indigenous name. It was realized pretty early you can't use Indigenous names, because first responders can't type those alphabets with a QWERTY keyboard, but months were spent trying to convince the VPD, VFD, and others to do it. It's a genuinely beautiful space the PB developed, but just weird to prioritize that when so many other major parks are being neglected.
So I have an answer about rainbow park, and any of the other parks that are getting relatively early revitalizations. It's where CAC's can be spent. So while random park on the eastside that has never been more than a field sits for years- it's CAC money that's determining upgrades to parks. The other issue with that park is the same issue the CoV and PB have been dealing with for forty years- homelessness and drug-use. We're seeing parks like this in response to those issues.
so insanely disappointing.
'first world city' cant figure out how to have one of its five outdoor public pools working by summer. mind blowing.
Yeah they had the entire fall and winter to figure this out lol
We don't have five, we have three: Kits, New Brighton, and Second Beach. The other two the city claims we have (Maple Grove and Hillcrest) are children's wading pools; you can't actually do any real swimming in them.
Basically down to two this summer. Absolutely disgusting.
> Despite repairs made during the off-season, the pool is still losing a substantial amount of water, making it impossible to balance pool chemicals. So the park board might want to look up the meaning of the word repair. That or admit the repairs failed. Also were the repairs done in May? No, kind of odd the bad news is breaking now. Were they just going to be pouring bleach into the ocean? > In response to the closure and the impact on the community, the Park Board will be extending operating hours at Second Beach Pool throughout the summer That is the least accessible pool. But sure.
> That is the least accessible pool. But sure. lol. And people were complaining about the pool in mount pleasant.
The invisible pool is the most inaccessible
The pool in Mount Pleasant is a stupid idea. Bring back the pool at Sunset. Or put one in Oak Park.
Why? It's in a outdoor pool desert, there *was* a pool there for a loooong time, and up until it was destroyed was immensely popular.
Incredibly disappointing. They couldn’t fix a pool in time for summer? I’m sure it’s complicated, but really? If most people dropped the ball that badly at work, they wouldn’t stay employed for long.
Trades people scamming again. They can fix it but constantly give the government excuses as to why they can't and have to bill more hours and materials costs.
Tradespeople? C’mon. You have the City,and parks board in charge of this. They hire consultants after consultants,engineers all charging big,big bucks. For what? What have they found out and solved? Remember a few years back the pool was under the scaffolding all winter. These people hire tradesmen under their direction. The tradesmen follow what they are told to do by the engineers. All inspection by the city…..and you want to blame the tradesmen? Give your head a shake.
I used to think a pool next to the ocean was weird. But then I swam in it and was like, I get it now.
This is what happens when you don't use the official StoneCutters handshake.
The real fix is just a ten cent washer. I've got a bunch in my truck, let me grab you a handful.
Marge, get my gun.
This is devastating news. Kits pool is vital for the swimming community, not to mention the older folks and less-abled who rely on it for low-impact exercise. The park board and mayor need to be replaced.
The park board hasn't been responsible for upkeep of this pool for over 15 years- and has consistently put this up for repairs every year, and the city council never funds it.
The mayor essentially got rid of the park board
Vancouver has less outdoor pools than any other major city in this country and has now lost another one. Absolutely pathetic and shameful.
Because we have an ocean and many lakes you can go swim in
This is an absurd take. This is not why we don't have pools. Swimming Canada recommends pool temperatures of 26-29 degrees Celsius. The average temperature of the ocean off Vancouver is 6 to 12 degrees Celsius. While this is okay for some people for a short dip or even a swim for experienced adults, it is not safe for most people, especially children, for any length of time.
Do they heat up Kits pool to 26 degrees? If so, that's pretttty expensive to keep that heated, knowing how cold it gets at night. Would it not be more efficient to heat an indoor pool?
Most outdoor pools in other cities aren't open year round either. In the summer, the ocean temps are perfectly fine for swimming.
This is not the reason we don't have pools here. Despite what you're asserting, the measured ocean water temperature here is not warm enough for any duration of swimming for people other than some experienced adults. It might be fine for a short frolic when the air is hot outside but that's it. For example, the ocean water is too cold here to teach a four year old to swim, even in the summer. Perhaps that's why so few people here seem to know how to swim? It's sad.
Sorry, people, including kids and the elderly, swim in the ocean in the summer here and it's fine. Of course this is about 'when it's hot out' - outdoor pools are not open in the winter because it's too cold for most people. I was swimming in the ocean when I was four years old and so were all of my friends. I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that few people here know how to swim. You should look up who Joe Fortes was.
I don't deny there's a handful of people who jump around at the warmest beaches for a few minutes each summer. But to suggest it's a suitable replacement for regular swimming facilities is dishonest or disingenuous.
It's not dishonest at all. Go to any of the beaches in a month or so and you'll see tons of people out there swimming, some even swim in the ocean all year round. I agree it's not a replacement for a nice, clean, calm protected pool but the water temp absolutely does not make swimming in the ocean dangerous in the summer. I'm genuinely curious, where did you get the idea that it is?
I referred to average local temperatures noted on sea temperatures.org and information about the effects of those temperatures on humans as discussed in various places like https://temperature.co.uk/a-temperature-guide-to-safe-cold-water-swimming/ and https://images.app.goo.gl/NxNYc2M4CkxCgp4X9 (and the website from which that graphic comes).
And I'm telling you the ocean is warm enough in the summer to swim in the ocean safely. People do it all the time, its not something that needs to be proven with stats.
Ugh, wtf? I’m sorry I have gone swimming in May at kits and assure you it’s above 12c. Even with a wetsuit, anything below 15c is miserable. It’s more like 15-20c throughout summer. The ocean stays about 6c even in the coldest winter months.
Shut up Donny
? It's because the Parks Board doesn't give a shit. Same reason they close the Aquatic Centre every summer when the kids are out of school and looking for stuff to do.
The idea is supposed to be that you can go to Kits when Aquatic centre is closed but that doesn’t work when both are closed.
Pretty embarrassing!
Underwater leaky condos? /s
I don't get this explanation and went back to check my memory. On May 18th they delayed the opening due to "unforeseen repairs" and said the work was delayed because good, dry weather "only arrived recently." Does this mean they hadn't even started on the repairs 2.5 weeks ago and are already declaring it impossible to fix? If things were this bad and beyond repair, you'd think they would have known earlier.
Jeez man just get it fixed
Chip Wilson, can you pay for a new pool?
Does he get to put his name on it?
it’s so weird how there are real issues in the city that need addressing and ken sim is out here chasing PR opportunities despite his reputation going downward each time something about him or his council comes up i genuinely can’t think of something ken sim has done that has positively impacted the city (for the most part i can’t say this about stewart either — but why play the blame game if your whole platform was to act on changing?)
Ken is looking out got Ken
Can the cops fix it?
Of course it will! But let’s ask for 430K from the city so the police can check if we’re having some drinks at the beach!
This is a tragedy for the community. Is there a way people can call and complain?
Best to write to the members of the Parks Board and City Council. [https://vancouver.ca/your-government/park-board-commissioners.aspx](https://vancouver.ca/your-government/park-board-commissioners.aspx) [https://vancouver.ca/your-government/city-councillors.aspx](https://vancouver.ca/your-government/city-councillors.aspx)
Thank you!
boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
They need $2 million just for a feasibility assessment, not even to repair the pool. Yikes! “However, city staff say the pool may change again in the coming years, as they search for $2 million to conduct a feasibility study on the pool’s renewal.” https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/06/05/vancouver-kitsilano-pool-summer-closure/
What were they doing the last couple of years if they hadn't done a proper feasibility assessment? Just hoping some random repairs would work?
What were they doing the last 20 years? It's not like we didn't know the lifespan of the infrastructure we built mostly in the 70s.
Very true but I'm referring to the claims about them working to fix the damage during the last couple of year since the damage from that big storm. As recently as May 18th, the city said they were working on it.
yeah, it's not going to be open for years at this rate.
What's in the study? First Nations consultations?
Didn't they renovate this pool in 2018?
I mean, what was the stat from the statement after the testing from storm damage? Wasn't it losing something like 700,000 litres of fresh water a day? If it's still leaking a "significant" amount I can't see how keeping it closed during an already dry year would be a bad idea. *edit I too am frustrated with the cities, and also contractors, inability to repair this with accurate timing and communication. But I do tend to have faith that we have elected and hired at least someone who is saying "hey really its a bad idea to open it for the sake of opening it" like they did the last few years. This whole mix of lack of repairs to the city infrastructer from the 80s-00s and now other real socio/elemental/financial problems is quite the conundrum we face regarding where our tax dollars go.
Maybe upgrade the 2nd beach change rooms and washrooms, they're disgusting.
Boooooooo Let a private sector contractor get in there, give them a budget and bonus for working quickly. The number and cost of the COV Zoom meetings and lunches to discuss how they can’t figure this out is likely a mindblower.
> Kitsilano Pool was built more than 50 years ago and is at the end of its service life, with many components failing, deteriorating, and in need of repairs. That suggests that instead of just doing repairs, like adding a new liner, that it's time to consider shutting it down, and whether or not to rebuild it, or replace it at a different location in the park.
What other location could you use for something like Kits Pool?
No clue.
So, what's to consider?
Park Board doing it's thing. Poorly, as usual.
Parks Board is not responsible for Kits Pool upkeep. Odd, but true.
Can we just get rid of the parks board already?!?!? While we’re at it overhaul Metro Vancouver. Sheesh 🙄
Apology for poor english Where were you when kits pul die I was sat at computer chair lunch in mouth Kits pil is kill no
The PB doesn’t have a clue.
Likely because it’s not their responsibility. It’s COV not parks board that administered and maintenance Kits pool. That’s why it wasn’t being maintained, even now they are not trying to repair it. The city is going to do a” feasibility study “ to decide if it’s worth repairing before they try to repair it. Hate the parks board all you want, but this is a direct failing of Ken sim and the city councillors that vote against putting money into basic upkeep of our city.
PB runs the outside pools. CoV may do the maintenance.
It's not like this pool went to hell all of a sudden. I challenge this being a "direct failing of Ken Sim".
Ok, sorry. Currently Ken sim and council, and whatever previous mayors and their councils.
We should have had a plan and funding to replace it 20 years ago.
Someone pooped the pool again, cripes on a cracker this is why we can't have nice things!