‘Nothing in need of a catastrophe’: Swim membership shocked by information of one other Vancouver pool closure

Vancouver’s oldest aggressive swim membership says it has been blindsided by information that one other pool it depends on is being closed by the town for the higher a part of a yr.

The Canadian Dolphins Swim Club already misplaced its residence base when the Vancouver Aquatic Centre was shuttered in June forward of its demolition later this yr.

But now a facility the membership’s members was reallocated to — Britannia Pool in East Vancouver — is scheduled for renovations by the City of Vancouver’s Real Estate and Facilities Management (REFM) division beginning in November.

Canadian Dolphins president Jeannie Lo mentioned the membership is now scrambling as soon as once more to accommodate its 240 members at Vancouver’s ever-shrinking pool services.

“It’s nothing short of a disaster,” she mentioned.

“We’ve done all of the coaching assignments, all of the allocations for our training groups, and now we’re going back to the drawing board.”

Making issues worse, Lo says the membership was solely instructed of the Britannia closure on Thursday, 18 days earlier than the brand new swim season begins.

“Why are user groups only being told now?” requested Lo.

WATCH | Aquatic Centre closure causes pool overcrowding:

Vancouver Aquatic Centre closure causes overcrowding at different swimming pools

The upheaval is simply the newest for the 70-year-old membership that had already misplaced 40 per cent of its city-allocated pool time when the Aquatic Centre closed its doorways.

In an e mail addressed to Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, metropolis council members and Park Board commissioners, the membership asks the politicians to “step up and stand up” for pool customers by stopping the Britannia closure.

“Improvements of this scale must have been planned for months, if not years, but the Park Board still allocated space at Britannia Pool in June,” it reads. 

“The timing of this closure could not be worse. The lack of aquatic facilities in the City of Vancouver is astounding,” the e-mail continues. “The lack of concern by the REFM, and any body to whom they may be accountable, for the consequences of closing yet another pool while the [Vancouver Aquatic Centre] is offline for 4-5 years is appalling.”

CBC News reached out to Mayor Sim and Park Board Chair Tom Digby for an interview, however neither have been accessible by deadline.  

Lo mentioned if Britannia closes, the Canadian Dolphins may very well be pressured to chop swimmers and coaches.

“It would be extremely devastating but we may have to consider that. Of course, that is the last thing we want to do,” she mentioned.

In a press release to CBC News on Saturday the City of Vancouver mentioned was adjusting the venture’s schedule and would wait till mid-January 2027, after the autumn swim season concludes, to start work.