'outdated' kits pool reservation system part of growing turf war between park board and mayor
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kits pool in vancouver on july 22.
arlen redekop
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the battle over a reservation system that limits access to kitsilano pool has become part of the turf war between the vancouver park board and mayor ken sim.
on monday night, park board chair laura christensen declined to hear a motion by abc vancouver park board commissioner marie-claire howard to end the controversial reservation system that was launched in 2020 amid covid-19 restrictions.
the system includes reduced pool capacity, and holds 80 per cent of the slots for online reservations, with only 20 per cent reserved for two-hour drop-ins, and the pool shuts down for four, 30-minute covid era cleaning breaks. cancelled reservations are non-refundable and don’t go back into the system if someone decides not to come.
sim, who had already publicly urged the park board to resolve the issue, fired back tuesday with a statement saying there had been overwhelming public feedback asking that the “outdated” booking system be scrapped.
“vancouver residents deserve better. they want a system that works,” said sim.
christensen said she was disappointed by sim’s statement: “he doesn’t have the full picture. i’ve been getting feedback on both sides of this argument. staff are planning to report back after the summer, they are collecting data and feedback.”
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howard’s motion was shut down, said christensen, because it didn’t meet the threshold of “urgent business,” defined as being related to public health or safety, or a significant financial or legal matter.
at the shaded entry gate to kits pool on tuesday, first-timer barbara frosch, a senior, seemed perplexed by a white board propped up against the fence that outlined the slot system: 9 to 11:30 a.m., lane swimming only. noon to 2:30 p.m., drop-ins available. three to 5:30 p.m., drop-ins available. six to 8:30 p.m., drop-ins available.
in between slots, users must leave and the pool is shut for the 30 minutes of covid-era cleaning, while the next group of reserved-users queues outside.
kitsilano pool in vancouver on july 22, 2025.
arlen redekop
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kenny heintz, who was just arriving with a folded chair strapped to his back, was already counting the minutes he would be allowed to stay before he would be kicked out for the next time-slot — not enough.
“the system is failing people who want to use the pool,” he said.
dave roberts said he used the pool without any issues for 30 years, until the pandemic restrictions that introduced the reservation system.
“it sucks,” said roberts, who lane-swims once a week. “the website is confusing, and it charges fees which make it $10 a swim.”
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swimmer wendy lee called the system “ridiculous.”
“the pool is half-empty. it already costs a fortune to come down here and park with kids. parents are stressed out enough without having to book in advance and only get two hours,” said lee.
broadcaster jody vance, who has been fiercely advocating for kits pool to scrap the system that leaves the pool empty for two hours out of every day, said a generation of young people is getting shut out.
“when i was a kid, going down to kits pool spontaneously was affordable, accessible, walkable and bus-able. we could make a day of it.”
once she had her son, brady, now 17, it was home base: a place her parenting community could gather on a patchwork of towels at the shallow end, watching each other’s kids as they took turns doing laps.
“i’m fighting for a generation of kids that are not going to enjoy what we loved about our city,” said vance. “where is the common sense?”
christensen said the two-hour time-slots are about increasing equity for people who want to enjoy the pool, and limiting long, hot waits in line.
“in the past someone would show up and stay there the entire day, that’s why you would get these long lines, somebody could be at the pool for an hour or for six hours while others had to wait,” said christensen.
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christensen said the park board numbers show that drop-in times haven’t been fully utilized this summer.
“we are not hitting capacity,” said christensen, who added that staff are planning a public education campaign to help people better understand how to use the system, and take advantage of drop-in times.
as for sim’s letter, christensen was blunt:
“for ken sim to write a letter to demand we change a system when he doesn’t have the full picture of all of the benefits of the reservation system, that there are drop-ins available and that they can be used, shows that he’s doing this for the wrong reasons.”
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