Vancouver’s Kitsilano Pool to remain open for one extra week in September

Kitsilano pool will remain open for one extra week before officially closing Sept. 7.

The Vancouver Park Board has announced it will be calling time on Kitsilano’s outdoor pool one week later than planned, in light of the hot, sunny weather forecasted for the city.

Swimmers and those looking for cool respite can now make use of the outdoor, saltwater pool until Sept. 7. It will be open for three stints every day between Sept. 2 and 7, with sessions available from 7 a.m. until 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., and 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.

“Kitsilano Pool has welcomed thousands of residents and visitors this summer and the park board is pleased to be able to make the necessary operational and staffing adjustments to allow the pool to remain open past Labour Day,” the board said in a release Wednesday.

All other outdoor pools, including Second Beach, New Brighton and Maple Grove, will close as planned on Sept. 2, just after the Labour Day long weekend.

Despite ongoing debate regarding the reservation system, pool-goers must still book online if they wish to secure a spot. Booking can be made via the City of Vancouver’s online portal. Tweaks to the online booking system made earlier this month, allowing drop-in users 50 per cent off during the final 45 minutes of the pool’s swim sessions, will remain in place.

While the balmy, summerlike temperatures could easily linger into the beginning of fall, the park board says all pools will remain closed after the new deadline. September and October provides an important window for staff to “carry out the necessary maintenance and decommissioning” of the outdoor pools ahead of the wet and cold months of fall and winter, it said.