The City of Vancouver has delayed its closure of the Britannia Pool, instead scheduling the maintenance-related shutdown for after the fall swim season is complete. On Friday, the city told CTV News that it was closing the pool in November, which Canadian Dolphin Swim Club staff said they hadn’t learned about until a day prior, leaving them scrambling just weeks before the start of the season. In a statement on Saturday morning, the city said its staff adjusted the project schedule to mitigate disruption to swim training season and ensure facilities are maintained “while meeting the needs of the communities that use them.” Previously, the pool was scheduled to close in November and remain so until September 2027. “To balance these needs, our real estate and facilities management team has adjusted the project schedule to defer the work at Britannia Pool until after the fall swim season, with work now set to begin in mid-January 2027,” a City of Vancouver spokesperson wrote. “This project is an important investment in the long-term operation of the pool, and postponing the work will help ensure the local clubs and their swimmers can continue to access the facility throughout their season.” The city explained that the project includes maintaining and upgrading mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and building control systems within the pool. Staff said the same work is scheduled at the Britannia Community Services Centre ice arena and will shut down the rink from spring to summer 2027. Canadian Dolphin Swim Club treasurer Carola Mansfield said the updated timeline still doesn’t solve all the club’s problems, as their programming runs from September through July, but noted that “January is definitely less disruptive than November.” “For us, depends largely on what they offer us as alternate space,” she said in an email to CTV News. “They claim to have identified similar space/days for us elsewhere. Time will tell.” Mansfield added that she received an email of her own on Saturday morning, with city staff saying the decision to delay was made in consideration of the club’s fall season. The city confirmed the maintenance now scheduled for January has nothing to do with any potential plans to make Britannia Community Services Centre the Vancouver Canucks new training facility.
