'Something worth celebrating': Wîhkwêntôwin pool turns 100

Wîhkwêntôwin Outdoor Pool celebrated its 100th birthday on July 02, 2024. (Galen McDougall/CTV News Edmonton)

One of Edmonton's outdoor pools is celebrating a milestone birthday.

Wîhkwêntôwin Outdoor Pool threw a party with the community to mark a century in downtown Edmonton.

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The event included games, a DJ and – of course – birthday cupcakes.

"Thought it was something worth celebrating," said Shauna Graham, an operations supervisor for city leisure centres. "One hundred years is a long time."

One of the most notable changes for the outdoor pool since opening in 1924 is the name.

The leisure space was renamed in February as part of a wider community move away from the neighbourhood's former namesake Frank Oliver, a federal minister credited with multiple policies that negatively impacted Indigenous people and people immigrating to Canada.

Wîhkwêntôwin, a cree word meaning "circle of friends," was chosen after three years of discussion, and Graham said it suits the space well.

"It really spoke to me when I thought about this facility," she added. "The people in the community, this is their pool, it is their passion, and it really spoke to the circle of friends – which I just love."

Other than that, it hasn't changed much, Graham said.

"We got rid of the diving boards and replaced it with the blue slide," she added. "Other than that, paint and maintenance, but not big significant changes."

The Borden Pool is also celebrating 100 years this year, and the Queen Elizabeth Pool celebrated a century last year.

"Edmontonians love their outdoor pools," Graham said. "When the sun is shining and the sky is blue we are hopping."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Steven Dyer