Swimmers in Vancouver are facing more frustration as another pool is set to close for months—an unexpected development that’s left at least one competitive swim club scrambling just weeks before the start of its season. In a statement to CTV News, the city confirmed Britannia Pool will be shut down from November to the following September for “critical upgrades” to its mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, among others. The Canadian Dolphin Swim Club said it didn’t learn about the closure until Thursday, 18 days before its 2026-27 season begins. Carola Mansfield, the club’s treasurer, described the news as “a complete shock,” particularly after receiving approval from the city to go ahead with programming at Britannia as recently as June. “They have not been transparent as to why, all of a sudden, this has to happen,” Mansfield said Friday. “Or why nobody seems to have known about it until two or three days ago.” The news also came less than two months after the closure of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, where the Canadian Dolphin Swim Club used to hold many of its classes. The shrinking availability of practice facilities in the city has already forced the club to make changes. Mansfield said last year, the club offered about 45 hours worth of programming per week at Britannia—but its weekly allotment was decreased to 34 hours this year to make room for other pool users. That decrease, as well as the pending closure, largely impact’s the club’s younger swimmers. While it trains teenagers and adults for high-level competition, Britannia’s 25-metre pool makes it more suitable for younger children, Mansfield said. In total, there are nearly 240 swimmers registered in the Canadian Dolphin Swim Club this year, some of whom were expecting to spend four days per week at Britannia. While the city has attempted to help make alternative arrangements at other facilities, Mansfield said the options are unworkable in many cases, either for the swimmers or their coaches who signed up on particular schedules. “The children who were supposed to be swimming at Britannia, they are swimming Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays,” Mansfield added. “They’re offering us Tuesdays and Thursdays at another pool.” The closure is opposed by at least some on the Vancouver Park Board as well. In a social media post, Commissioner Scott Jensen said the pool should be kept open until the $175 million replacement for the Vancouver Aquatic Centre is built. He also noted the work being conducted at Britannia is led by the city, not the board. “I understand the governance arrangement,” Jensen said. “But as a commissioner, my responsibility is to make sure the needs of the community are respected.” The Britannia Pool is normally closed for about a month each November for annual maintenance. In a statement, the City of Vancouver said it “became clear” during this year’s planning that the facility would need to remain closed for longer “to complete the work safely.” “Scheduling capital work to begin during this regular closure minimizes additional disruption to fall programming,” the statement continued. “Approximately two weeks of scheduled fall programming will be affected before the December holiday break.” The city also acknowledged “challenges that aquatic user groups are facing due to reduced pool capacity,” and said staff will continue working to help them make alternative arrangements. Mansfield said if the work is urgently necessary, she can’t understand how the city could have been unaware until now—and she would like a more detailed explanation about why it couldn’t wait another year, allowing the Britannia Pool to fulfill its commitments to the children. “You know, we have learned to be very flexible,” Mansfield said. “But they haven’t been transparent.”
