'Summers are very short': Sohi asks city to find ways to open outdoor pools earlier
The city is looking at ways to get outdoor pools open earlier after feedback from Edmontonians that they’re opening too late in the season.
The decision was made in 2020 to reduce the operating months of the city’s five outdoor pools to July and August only for budgetary reasons. Previously, they would open in June and close after Labour Day.
"We want our pools to be opened as quickly as possible, our summers are very short. People want to enjoy outdoors,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi on Friday. “And so I spoke with the city manager, and he's looking at options to open them as quickly as possible.”
Lisa Brown is a resident and community volunteer in the Oliver neighbourhood. She’s hoping the city will follow through and open the pools earlier.
“Every time we would come, it would be packed full of kids playing, adults resting on the deck for the west exposure in the sun. We would definitely use it,” she told CTV News Edmonton.
In the past, the city proposed closing the Oliver pool entirely as a cost saving measure. Brown says the community league fought the closure, and did a lot of research on why the pool should stay open.
“I decided to look through pools in other cities across Canada, and actually looked at almost all major cities across Canada to compare the number of pools versus their population, and found that Edmonton has the least number of pools based on our population density.”
She says Edmonton has five pools for a population of about a million people. Calgary, which has about 300,000 more people, has eight outdoor pools.
She says the pool is especially important to residents in her community.
“People don’t have access to private yard space. Ninety-nine per cent of our residents live in apartments. And so having a space where you can gather with residents, even if you’re just coming to sit on the deck, in the sun or under the shade of a tree, is just a really great opportunity.”
Right now, Oliver, Queen Elizabeth, Fred Broadstock, and Borden Natural Swimming Pools are scheduled to open July 1 and close on Aug. 31. Mill Creek Pool will be closed for the year for upgrades.
“There are issues around staffing, and also, this was a decision made as part of the austerity measures (the) previous council had to implement because of the situations around COVID, but I'm looking forward to getting more information,” Sohi said. “Our goal will be to have as many open as quickly as possible.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.