Vancouver Island community group rallying support for outdoor public pool
A community group in Vancouver Island's Colwood is working to secure a feasibility study to push forward a vision that would see an Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool built for the public in the West Shore.
'I think having a pool is just so conducive to any community for health and wellbeing, and fitness, and community,' says West Shore Community Pool Project lead, Linda Mackie.
The photographer moved to Greater Victoria from Vancouver in 2016 and says she noticed the lack of public options for outdoor pool space. Since 2023, she's been drumming up support on a pitch to turn inspiration into reality.
'I love that idea,' says Donna Tran, while visiting the beach at Esquimalt Lagoon. 'I'm actually from Toronto and we had outdoor pools all year round and in pretty much every neighbourhood.'
'I think that would be really fun,' says another mom, Faith Roy. 'I like it cause it's probably a safe environment, lifeguards and all, closed off.'
The project committee has earned the support of the West Shore Rotary Club, that has said it would fundraise millions to avoid downloading the cost onto taxpayers.
Past president Mike Reilly says on top of a capital campaign, there are also plans to consider raising money for an endowment fund that would support ongoing maintenance fees.
'An outdoor pool is a great social leveler. Wealthy people will always have access to pools, but folks that don't have the means don't have those opportunities. They just don't exist here,' says Reilly. 'Rotary has a real responsibility when we put projects together that it's good for everyone – and an outdoor pool could not be a better definition of what's good for everyone.'
The team says there's also a vision to consider creating a larger aquatic facility with an indoor pool on site too.
But first, the group needs to conduct a feasibility study to see what can be built and where it might go.
'We've had agreement in principle from the City of Colwood that this would be the location for an outdoor pool. The other municipalities that we've approached have been very positive that it would be something that they would support,' says Reilly.
The committee is trying to secure a consultant to conduct the study by fall and is hopeful that work can be released in Spring 2026 for review.
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