VancouverMETRO VANCOUVER NEWS
Court temporarily halts demolition of Vancouver Aquatic Centre
The B.C. Court of Appeal has paused demolition of the aging Vancouver Aquatic Centre until after the municipal election, giving the newly elected park board a chance to reconsider plans for a replacement pool.
The B.C. Court of Appeal has halted demolition of the aging Vancouver Aquatic Centre until Nov. 3, the day after the Vancouver Park Board’s first scheduled meeting. The pause gives the newly elected board a chance to weigh in after the municipal election. The injunction followed a legal challenge by the Protecting our Vancouver Aquatic Centre Society and park board candidate John Girard. Girard said the court ruled in their favour and granted a stay of demolition.
The dispute centres on the size of the replacement pool. The existing pool is 50 metres long, but the park board approved a plan for a new pool half that length, at 25 metres. Critics say a 25-metre pool falls short of what voters expected when they approved borrowing for the project in a 2022 plebiscite. The project currently has a $175-million budget.
TEAM mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick told CTV News the decision gives Vancouver voters a chance to elect park board commissioners who could then reconsider the aquatic centre decision. The Vancouver Liberals also support a 50-metre pool at the site. Mayoral candidate Kareem Allam said the court made the right decision to halt demolition, which had been scheduled for this month.
Ken Sim’s ABC party says it is committed to rebuilding the facility with a 50-metre pool while keeping the project on budget and on schedule, even though the smaller pool was approved under its administration. The Greens say there is not enough land at the site for a modern 50-metre pool.
Park board candidate Tom Digby told CTV News that any further delay would seriously affect pool development in Vancouver over the next four years. OneCity also wants more pools in the city and agrees Vancouver cannot afford to lose more time. Council candidate Jarrett Hagglund said construction needs to begin so people can use the pools.
The court has not ruled that the existing building must be saved. It has only ordered demolition to pause for now. The newly elected park board will decide what comes next.