Ruth Inch's daughter on saying goodbye to Yellowknife's 37-year-old pool named for her mother

CBC

13-04-2025

Sunday is the last day the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool will be open — a place where Yellowknifers have been able to swim, soak and steam for nearly 37 years. The daughter of the building's namesake said she'll probably mark the day by visiting the space, shedding a tear and taking some photos.
The city is gearing up to open its newly built, $71-million Yellowknife Aquatic Centre and although it hasn't said when, exactly, that'll happen — it's closing the Ruth Inch pool so that it can train staff in the new space.
Jennifer Inch, one of Ruth's five children, wishes the building had been given a more exciting title but said it doesn't have to bear her late mother's name for Ruth's legacy to be remembered. The pool was named after Ruth when it opened in 1988.
How the pool got its name
It wasn't until Jennifer was an adult that she learned why her mother had wanted all of her children to learn how to swim – even though she, herself, could not. Before coming to Yellowknife, Ruth had been involved in a boating accident in her early 20s in which someone had died, said Jennifer.
"She was determined that any children she ever had would all be strong swimmers, and she was a strong advocate for that. So we were," said Jennifer.
Jennifer said both of her parents did volunteer work — Ruth worked with the public library, the Girl Guides, the YWCA and Sport North. She had also been on the board for the Polar Bear Swim Club and the N.W.T. Swim Association.
Her mother had died around the same time that the city had decided to build its own pool — moving on from the old Fraser Tower pool. Jennifer remembers a "lovely" naming ceremony in the fall of 1988 after the swim club and swim association pitched that the space be named after Ruth.
"It was very humbling because the community had asked for this to happen. As far as I know, it was a unanimous decision at the time. So we were very grateful. It was very nice."
What's next?
As for what happens next with the facility, Jennifer has some ideas.
She'd love for the building to be used for the city's library, with a coffee shop.
"Something that takes advantage of that view," she said.
Mairi Barrow, 8, and Gwendolyn Kirby, 9, also had suggestions about what the space could be turned into. They both attended a celebratory event on Saturday to mark Ruth Inch's closure. Kirby's dream is that it be turned into an amusement park while Barrow — siding with Jennifer — is hoping it can be a new home for the public library.
As for the name – Jennifer hopes it becomes something with meaning.
"Lots of people have done lots of volunteering over the years since mom has died … I think it would be neat to recognize somebody else too."
Though, she added with a laugh, "'Ruth Inch Library is kind of nice."