Potential changes coming to City of Vancouver’s outdoor pools

The Vancouver Park Board is getting set to vote next Monday on proposed changes to operations for its outdoor pools for 2026, including the highly debated online reservation system.

Park board staff are recommending these changes after analyzing feedback received in a poll commissioned last summer

“The 2025 outdoor pool season saw an increase in social media commentary regarding the outdoor pool reservation system. This generated online discussion throughout the season, along with a number of media inquiries,” a staff report coming to the March 30 meeting said.

“Following the conclusion of the outdoor swim season, staff identified a need to gather a broader assessment of the public’s overall experience with outdoor pool services provided by the Park Board, including their experience with the reservation system.”

The survey, conducted by Leger, found that 86 per cent of residents who visited an outdoor pool in the last two years rated their most recent experience positively.

One reason for that has been the online reservation system, with 58 per cent saying it makes it easier to plan visits.

However, 32 per cent of residents say they wanted to visit but weren’t able to secure a reservation, especially at high-demand locations such as Kits Pool, according to the report.

Kits Pool opened on June 21 last season, but there has been no announcement yet as to when it will open to the public this year.

Last summer, 80 per cent of all public swims at Kitsilano Pool, Second Beach Pool, New Brighton Pool, and Maple Grove Pool were available by reservation, with only 20 per cent available for drop-ins, the report said.

Among the proposed changes for this year is adjusting that ratio, with a 75/25 mix for public swims, and a 50/50 split for length swims.

Out of 243,913 total visits to outdoor pools in 2025, 44 per cent of visits were by reservation with 56 per cent being via drop-ins, due to a high number of no-shows—especially at Kits Pool.

Recommended changes would also see extended weekend hours at Kits Pool, which was open from 9 a.m. until 8:45 p.m. on Saturday and Sundays last year.

The park board commissioners will decide at Monday’s meeting whether to follow staff’s recommendations or make any changes to the proposal.

The Leger survey was conducted online from November 28 to December 8, 2025 among a representative sample of 801 respondents in Metro Vancouver. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, according to the company.