From the group that tried valiantly to save the Mount Pleasant pool, comes an important call to action for anyone who believes Vancouver’s outdoor pool infrastructure deserves better than managed decline.
The demolition of the Mount Pleasant outdoor pool in 2009 represented more than just the loss of a single recreational facility—it symbolized a broader retreat from the kind of community amenities that once made Vancouver neighborhoods vibrant, accessible places for families of all income levels. The pool’s closure, despite passionate community opposition and thirteen speakers pleading for its retention at park board meetings, revealed how easily beloved public infrastructure can disappear when municipal priorities shift toward more cost-effective indoor alternatives.
Vancouver’s outdoor pool network has been steadily shrinking for decades. What was once a system that included multiple neighborhood pools serving communities across the city has dwindled to just a few remaining facilities, including the iconic Kitsilano Pool and New Brighton Pool. The park board’s 2001 aquatic strategy report recommended closing outdoor pools as they wear out rather than replacing them—a policy that has essentially put the remaining facilities on a slow path to extinction.
The newly formed Vancouver Society for Promotion of Outdoor Pools represents a grassroots effort to reverse this trend and advocate for outdoor aquatic facilities that serve broader community needs than expensive, programming-focused community centers.
The first Annual General Meeting of the Vancouver Society for Promotion of Outdoor Pools is scheduled for Saturday, May 7th, from 2PM – 4PM.
Meeting location: Mount Pleasant Community Centre, #1 Kingsway, Multipurpose Room 3 on the second floor.
Everyone is welcome, membership not required. People can become members at the door. Annual membership is $5 individual, $10 family, and $25 organization.
Critical Issues on the Agenda:
- Introduction to Society
- Election of directors
- Financial Statements
- Status of Mount Pleasant Park and Pool
- Outdoor Aquatic Study – Park Board staff report to Planning and Environment Committee of Park Board May 12th at the Park Board Office
- Capital Plan Process
- Strategies for acquisition of new outdoor pool in upcoming Capital Plan
- Strategies for building our society membership
- Next Meeting: TBA
The timing of this organizing effort is crucial. The park board is preparing an Outdoor Aquatic Study that will likely influence policy for years to come. Community input during the capital planning process could determine whether Vancouver continues losing outdoor pools or begins rebuilding this essential infrastructure.
Outdoor pools serve different populations and purposes than indoor facilities. They’re accessible to families who can’t afford community center memberships, provide respite during Vancouver’s increasingly hot summers, and create the kind of informal community gathering spaces that strengthen neighborhood social fabric.
The Mount Pleasant pool site remains prepared for a replacement facility, with the park redesigned to accommodate a new pool. But without sustained community pressure, those plans will likely remain indefinitely deferred as other priorities consume limited park board budgets.
Please bring others to this meeting who are interested in the preservation and promotion of outdoor pools and aquatics in Vancouver.
Contact Information: Society website: http://vancouveroutdoorpools.org To become a member, contact Anita Romaniuk, Treasurer, at or 604-720-7647 Facebook: Vancouver Society for Promotion of Outdoor Pools
Volunteers needed for registration, setup, counting election ballots, and distribution of information. Please contact the pool society through the website.
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This is about more than pools—it’s about what kind of city Vancouver chooses to be.
