Vancouver Park Board to consider ending Kitsilano Pool reservation system

A Vancouver Park Board commissioner is putting forward an urgent motion to end the reservation system at Kitsilano Pool.

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation will discuss putting an end to the much-debated reservation system at the Kitsilano Pool on Monday.

Getting rid of the pandemic-era online booking policy has become a major talking point lately, with critics saying people looking to beat the heat should be able to access the popular pool spontaneously instead of fighting for tickets.

However, park board staff argue the reservation system prevents long lines under the scorching sun.

Read more: Debate rages over COVID-19 era reservation system at Kits pool in Vancouver

Park board commissioner Marie-Claire Howard is set to put forward a motion at Monday evening’s meeting to return the pool to first come, first serve.

“Maybe it won’t work; maybe there will be no improvement. But I have received hundreds of emails from people asking us to do just that. I only got one email saying, please keep the system as is,” Howard told CTV News. “So I do think that there is a lot of demand, a lot of appetite for this.”

If Howard’s motion is successful, the reservation system at all of Vancouver’s outdoor pools will end on Aug. 1.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Isabella Zavarise