2 Edmonton outdoor pools open for season, 2 more to open in following weeks
Thursday's overcast weather didn't stop Ward Nakota Isga Coun. Andrew Knack from turning up to Fred Broadstock Outdoor Pool's grand opening in swimming trunks, sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat.
"I wish it was a slightly sunnier day," he said, speaking to media before the 11 a.m. opening, but nonetheless Knack said he felt "ready to jump in the pool."
And that he did.
"I'm just going to hang out here for the rest of the day. Can I tune into the council meeting for the rest of the day?" he asked, floating by the edge.
Two of the city's public outdoor pools are already open: Fred Broadstock and Queen Elizabeth. Oliver and the natural Borden pools are scheduled – weather permitting – to open June 3 and June 10, respectively.
This year, the city is returning to a full-season schedule like it operated before the pandemic, meaning pools opened in May as soon as weather – and air quality, this year – allowed and won't close until the September long weekend.
The price of doing so is $234,000, Knack said.
"We're still trying to be very careful with every dollar that we spend, but this is one of those things that I think most people just see and say, 'Yeah, that's worth investing in,'" the councillor explained.
"I love this pool in particular. Like, right in the middle of a community, so close to so many families… You look around these communities where some of these outdoor pools exist, there aren't as many other amenities for them, so this is that spot. This is the community hub."
Pool reservations can be made online. Reservations are not required but "encouraged," the city says, to reduce lineups. Spots can be booked up one week in advance.
Outdoor pool admission is included with all city recreation centre memberships as well as the Summer Youth Pass, which goes on sale June 19. Children aged 12 and under can go to outdoor pools for free.
Edmonton's pools counted nearly 96,000 visitors over July and August in 2022.
Mill Creek Outdoor Pool, which is under construction, will be closed for the season and is expected to open next year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
For the first time in report's history, Canada's air quality worse than U.S.
Air quality in Canada is now worse than in the U.S., according to the 6th Annual World Air Quality Report. Of the 15 most polluted cities in the two countries, 14 were in Canada.
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
WATCH LIVE As former prime minister Mulroney lies in state, public tributes in Ottawa begin
Members of the public who wish to pay tribute to Brian Mulroney can visit his casket in Ottawa starting this afternoon.
BREAKING Roy McMurtry, former Ontario attorney general, dies at 91
CTV News has confirmed that former Ontario attorney general Roy McMurtry has died.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
DEVELOPING Canada's annual inflation rate ticked down to 2.8 per cent in February, defying expectations
Statistics Canada says the annual inflation rate edged down to 2.8 per cent in February.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.