A motion on ending a COVID-era reservation system at Vancouver’s outdoor pools likely won’t see the light of day this summer.
The current system holds about 20 per cent of its capacity for drop-in visitors, and some critics argue it is inefficient and deters people who aren’t web-savy from using the facility.
ABC Vancouver Park Board commissioner Marie-Claire Howard attempted to present a motion as urgent business at Monday night’s board meeting that would return the pool to drop-in access only, starting Aug. 1.
However, commissioners did not even discuss the issue, as Independent Park Board chair Laura Christensen ruled the motion did not qualify as urgent business.
“I do not see any risk to public health or safety. In fact, I would like to note that staff have said the reservation system was partially introduced due to first aid calls resulting from users waiting in line in the hot sun.”
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Christensen went on to say the motion did not meet any financial or legal risk, and that Howard could have submitted it weeks prior, allowing for more public input on the matter.
“The pool has been open for a month, and there have been no changes in the last two weeks that would constitute an emergency, meaning immedidate changes,” she said.
The board chair said she would table the motion to when commissioners meet on Sept. 15, but Howard ended up withdrawing her motion.
Kitsilano Pool is scheduled to close for the season in mid-September.
Before Monday’s meeting, Howard said the park board has received “hundreds of emails” complaining about the system.
“People are asking that not only the reservation system be scrapped at Kits Pool, but at all the outdoor pools in Vancouver. So, yeah, overall, it’s very clear. No one likes it,” she told Global News.
“It creates these gaps between sessions. So you lose two hours a day, every day at every pool. That’s a total of 10 hours a day, which is the equivalent of having another pool in service.”
Howard said freeing up additional pool capacity is particularly important right now, given many of the city’s beaches are currently under a no-swimming advisory due to elevated E. coli levels.
Her position is backed by Mayor Ken Sim, who took to social media to argue “Kits Pool should be open and accessible to everyone, all the time – no complicated booking system, no barriers.”
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Christensen said the reservation system has both advantages and disadvantages, but that overall it works.
She acknowledged some pool time is lost during the reservation changeover time, but that under the drop-in only model some people camp out at the pool all day while others are left waiting in line for an unknown period of time until a space opens up.
“We’re getting more people through the pool because we have designated slots so that there’s more turnover in the pool so more people are able to access it,” she said.
“(The system) shows when we have space available for drop-ins, and that’s they’re not being used. I think that says that the capacity is available. Really, I think it’s an education thing to let people know that drop-ins are available and that they can come out.”
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