It’s been more than a week since the Vancouver Aquatic Centre (VAC) shut its doors after a piece of concrete broke off the roof and fell into the pool, and as the facility remains closed, members of one of the largest user groups say they’re still scrambling to figure out what comes next.
The Canadian Dolphins — a 70-year-old competitive club with more than 400 swimmers — was promised 80 per cent of replacement pool space.
But the club says that commitment has yet to surface.
“In the last two weeks, we have not had any support from the park board in terms of allocation,” said club president Jeannie Lo.
“We have been told that we cannot allocate space or borrow space or even ask to share space with other clubs that are in a park board-run pool.”
The VAC is set for a $175-milion retrofitting in June 2026, which will see the facility close for at least three years.
Lo says this work could have been avoided entirely.
“If there had been maintenance performed on a regular basis over all these years, the pool could have had more life,” Lo said.
The city says the pool will stay closed as engineers assess the damage, and there is still no firm date for reopening.
CityNews has reached out to the Vancouver Park Board for comment.