Sim is calling for universal access to basic swimming lessons and an expansion of aquatic infrastructure as a matter of public safety policy.
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Mayor Ken Sim is calling for free swimming lessons for every non-swimmer in the city of Vancouver, a review of aquatic infrastructure, and a return to “pre-COVID-19 operational hours” and drop-in access to Kits pool.
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Sim has introduced a motion calling for universal access to basic swimming lessons and an expansion of aquatic infrastructure as a matter of “core public safety policy.”
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The motion calls for city staff to work with the Vancouver park board to implement free access to beginner levels of swimming lessons, and explore partnerships with the Vancouver school board, community organizations and senior governments. He wants a report in 2027 on pool infrastructure and capacity potential.
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Phil Skinder, director and head coach of the Pacific Lifesaving Club, applauded the mayor for recognizing basic swimming ability as a core public safety issue.
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“Swimming is not simply recreation. In a coastal city like Vancouver, it is a life-saving skill,” said Skinder. He called the motion “one of the most positive public conversations we’ve seen around aquatic access in many years,” and especially supports the proposed exploration of partnership with Vancouver schools.
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“We have been actively advocating for exactly this type of collaborative approach and have already completed much of the groundwork,” said Skinder. “We also know that if children do not learn to swim by the end of elementary school, many never fully acquire those skills later in life.”
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The motion also calls for the parks board to update the VanSplash aquatics strategy, a 25-year plan to guide the renewal, design, and development of indoor/outdoor pools, spray parks, and beaches in the city of Vancouver, that focuses on a shift away from small neighbourhood pools to larger destination facilities that offer leisure, wellness and fitness in one location. The last such facility built in Vancouver was Hillcrest, which opened in 2011.
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Since 1980, Vancouver has shut down many outdoor neighbourhood pools that provided free or low-cost recreation, including Sunset, Hastings-Sunrise, Marpole and Mount Pleasant.
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Vancouver has only five outdoor pools. By comparison, Montreal has 12 times as many such pools though its population is just over twice as large, while Toronto has 10 times as many outdoor pools with a population more than four times as large as that of the city of Vancouver.
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The proposed replacement of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre’s aging 50-metre pool, key priority in the VanSplash plan, has been mired in controversy.
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The $175 million rebuild of its aging 50-metre pool was swapped out by the park board for a 25-metre pool and increased leisure space, citing financial and site constraints. A legal challenge is underway by the Protecting Our Vancouver Aquatic Centre Society.
