The uncertain future of Crystal Pool means an uncertain future for accessible exercise programs
Photo by Fernanda Solorza.
An upcoming referendum will determine whether the City of Victoria will receive up to $168.9 million to replace Crystal Pool with a different facility. Many have voiced different opinions on the issue. For clubs like Spirit Orcas, the new pool is an opportunity for better accessibility facilities.
The Spirit Orcas Swim Club is British Columbia’s only masters’ swim club for people with physical and intellectual disabilities, and Crystal Pool is their long-standing home.
“Swimming is a great way for people with and without disabilities to stay fit,” said founder and coach Susan Simmons in a press release. “It is a low-impact sport, making it accessible to people of all ages and abilities.”
A Reddit user by the name of papermoonskies posted on r/VictoriaBC asking residents to vote “yes” on Feb. 8 for the replacement of Crystal Pool.
“The Spirit Orcas are so grateful to the staff at Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre for going above and beyond to make the facility accessible to the team,” the user wrote. “We feel welcomed and supported by you when we are in the facility.”
Still, Crystal Pool’s decaying and outdated infrastructure is a challenge that needs to be addressed. Another user by the name of EVpeace wrote, “[The building’s] not inaccessible. It’s just less accessible than the other facilities,” in response to other users’ questions.
The user provided examples such as multiple stairs leading to the changerooms, weight room, multi-use room, and small pool, a lack of lifts for the smaller pools and hot tubs, a lack of parking spaces and loading zones for HandyDART accessible transit buses, and a lack of family change rooms.
Despite these accessibility concerns, Victoria residents remain divided on the referendum. Former municipal councilor Stephen Andrew has expressed his disappointment in the project via X (formerly Twitter) and has encouraged citizens to vote “no” for the referendum.
“I don’t think Victoria taxpayers can afford the continual free-spending of this council,” Andrew wrote.
The proposed project’s cost and design have alienated multiple people, said X user Charlie Rose, who has called it “a luxury design when we could do with less.”
Other X users, such as Tony McGee, have questioned the utility of all the proposed changes. “What if all the woke elements were removed from the plan and just an indoor pool was constructed? How much would that cost?” the user wrote. “Woke elements” were not clearly defined in this discourse, but likely refer to the accessibility design features.
City of Victoria Councillor Stephen Hammond wrote in an opinion piece for the Times Colonist that this project is “the city’s biggest proposed project to date, so it’s a big decision.” He has encouraged citizens to “collect all information that they can” on this issue, presenting certain pros and cons for the construction of a new facility from his point of view.
Simmons responded to this opinion with a letter of her own, stating that Councilor Hammond had “provided incorrect information that will sway public vote.”
One of the sources Simmons uses to argue in favour of the new Crystal Pool project claims that refurbishing won’t meet community needs and is too risky, and that — combined with other recent pool closures — approximately seven thousand swimmers will be displaced if this pool is lost.
The recent closure of pools across Victoria such as Crystal Pool, the UVic McKinnon pool, and the upcoming possible closure of the Downtown YMCA, have left swimmers like the Spirit Orcas with multiple challenges. The group has been unable to rent lanes from the private facility — this leads to overcrowded lanes, where swimmers with physical disabilities such as blindness have a higher risk of collision.
Attempts to relocate to other facilities such as recreation centers in Oak Bay or Esquimalt, or the Saanich Commonwealth place, have been met with the same response: there simply isn’t room.
Despite multiple efforts, the City of Victoria did not comment. The uncertain future of Crystal Pool, which will be decided in a referendum on Feb. 8, has spotlighted the multiple accessibility issues in public recreational facilities in the area, not only for swimmers but also for taxpayers.
Councillor Hammond wrote in response to the letter from Simmons: “Despite your facts, the residents of Victoria will decide if this plan is worth the money.”
For Spirit Orcas, the new pool is a sliver of hope.
“Without a pool, the Spirit Orcas will lose their health and sense of belonging,” said Coach Simmons.
The upcoming referendum will shape the City of Victoria in terms of accessibility, community wellness, and inclusivity for years to come.
