Crystal Pool referendum date set for February

Victoria residents—including many who like to go to the pool—will be going to the polls on Feb. 8 to decide the future of the 53-year-old Crystal Pool.

Voters will be asked straight up, Yes or No, whether they support borrowing up to $168.9M to build a new facility. That question is binding, meaning the city can only borrow the money if a majority votes in favour.

The second question, on a separate ballot, will ask about the preferred site: Central Park North (where the current facility is) or Central Park South, next door where the basketball and tennis courts and playing fields sit. Those facilities would be swapped over to the north side in that scenario.

That second question is not binding, meaning the city council ultimately will decide between the two in the event of a Yes result.

If a majority of Victorians votes No, the council would be left to decide whether to shut ‘er down immediately or to pour an estimated $10M to keep it going for who-knows-how-many months or years until they finally have to pull the plug. There will be three ways to vote: in advance, by mail, and at multiple voting locations. Those details are down below.

If given the green light, it will be the city’s most expensive project to date, dwarfing the cost of another replacement project.

Remember the Johnson Street Bridge saga? The cost to build the Blue Bridge originally was forecast at about $65M. That project was also sidetracked—by almost three years—and by the time the gates opened and the first vehicle kissed the suspended pavement, that 100 metres of real estate had come in at $105M+.

In 2016, the estimated cost for a new Crystal Pool was $69.4M. The neighbourhood association pushed back, not wanting to lose its park. There were debates over location, whether affordable housing should be a part of any new building, and whether a new pool should be the city’s top priority.

Fast forward eight years and the costs of labour and materials along with interest rate and regulatory changes have tripled that original price tag.

‍ Option 1A - build where it sits

The Central Park North option would be cheaper, coming in at $209.2M, and take less time to complete.

The full construction time has been slated at 60 months, with the new pool opening roughly one year later than in the other plan.

The pool would be closed during construction, with some fitness and recreation services shifted to Crystal Garden on Douglas. The sports courts and playing fields would remain open.

The cost to taxpayers is pegged at $232 per residence for 20 years. Business owners would pay $596 per year for 20 years after completion.

The city would borrow $162.2M, with the remainder coming from reserve funds.

Option 1B - build next door

The Central Park South option comes in at $215.9M. It allows the current pool to remain open but it would take an estimated six months longer to build with a timetable of 66 months. The new pool itself would open a year earlier than the other plan, but the complex would take roughly six months longer to complete because the parking lot wouldn’t be built until 18 months after the pool is finished. This would put more pressure on neighbourhood parking, although 35 spots would be added to Queens and Pembroke. It would mean the outdoor courts and playing fields would be closed for a year, and more trees would be in peril compared with the other plan.

The cost to taxpayers would be on average, $240 per residence for 20 years. Businesses would pay $620 in taxes for 20 years after completion.

The city would borrow $168.9M, with the rest coming from reserve funds.

All tax figures are based on the average 2024 residential and business assessments and estimated tax increases (of 7.24% and 7.54% respectively), which would be phased in over four to five years.

Potential provincial and federal funding is also a wildcard.

In September, the city council voted to apply for up to $25M from the federal government’s Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program, for example.

Graphic courtesy City of Victoria

Supporters swimmingly online

A pro-yes campaign has formed online expressing multiple reasons to support building a new pool, including physical and mental-health benefits, its community hub aspect, and the city’s need for a full-access facility in light of the likely closure of two other indoor pools, McKinnon Pool at UVic, which is on life support, and the downtown YMCA-YWCA, which is expected to close within three years.

One of the “LetsGetCrystalClear” online campaigners supporting a new facility is 10-time Canadian triathlon champion Simon Whitfield who says on the group’s website: “If not for Crystal Pool, I don’t think I would have moved from Australia to Victoria in the fall of 1997.” (Related or not, three years later he won Olympic gold for Canada at the Sydney Summer Games.)

“Doing nothing isn’t an option,” fellow triathlete Karmen McNamara tells Capital Daily.

“Whether or not you use the recreation facility, you as a taxpayer are paying for it,” she says.

“Would you rather your taxes continue to Band-Aid a dying building or that your taxes invest in long-term, sustainable, resources that support our community?”

The LetsGetCrystalClear group has been online for about a month, she says.

“The most common response is 'let’s build it already' and 'get it done.'”

Crystal Pool almost got done.

The city had hired architects and engineers and was taking resident feedback when the project was sidetracked by local opposition, and then knocked out by the pandemic.

“If we had gone ahead in 2018, we would be swimming in it,” laments McNamara.

“Every day that goes by, the cost of replacing the pool increases.”

Pool has seen better days

Looking at an estimated maintenance cost of about $2M a year, its inefficient use of energy, and the building’s half-century-old birth certificate, the city council decided it was time to fish or cut bait.

Last June, it approved the Crystal Pool Replacement Project.

A brand-spanking new facility would include a 50m pool, warm-water pools, sauna and hot tub, gyms, workout areas, community meeting spaces, and more. It also would bring the pool into the 2020s with accessibility and gender-neutral washroom facilities.

Photo image courtesy City of Victoria

Coun. Jeremy Caradonna is neutral on the site but adamant about replacing Crystal Pool.

“It cannot be substantially renovated, is seismically unsafe, is not accessible, and accounts for over 40% of Victoria’s corporate emissions,” he tells Capital Daily.

Deemed past its productive life, the pool has been closed since Nov. 12 for the latest round of repairs and won’t reopen until Dec. 30.

The city has had to shut it down on numerous occasions—even outside of scheduled annual maintenance periods—for various repairs, often pool- and piping-related.

“Simply put, it needs to be replaced,” Caradonna says.

Not everyone is ready to jump in

There is and no doubt will be opposition to spending a couple of hundred million dollars on a capital project.

“For many, the arguments are demanding we get it done. Howit’s done though, is worthy of discussion,” the Grumpy Taxpayers of Greater Victoria say.

In a June posting on its website, the group questioned the cost, proposed size, and who should pay for a new pool, floating the idea of neighbouring municipalities taking the plunge to kick in.

“This is another opportunity for residents of our broader community in the region to once again contribute to a shared service,” the group wrote.

‍ Who’s eligible to vote, and where and when

Residents of Victoria who are Canadian citizens 18 and older who have lived in the province for at least six months before the referendum date can vote.

So, even if you use the pool but are not yet 18, you’ll have to sit this one out. (Small consolation: if you have a strong opinion on the pool poll, you can add your name here to register for future voting).

The city uses the most current provincial list of voters. So, if you’re on Elections BC’s voters list, you’re on the city’s radar.

There will be 10 voting locations across Victoria open from 8am. to 8pm. on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the following locations:

• Crystal Garden, 713 Douglas*
• Central Middle School, 1280 Fort
• George Jay Elementary School, 1118 Princess
• Glenlyon Norfolk (Middle & Senior) School, 781 Richmond
• James Bay Community School, 140 Oswego
• Margaret Jenkins Elementary School, 1824 Fairfield
• Oaklands Elementary School, 2827 Belmont
• Quadra Elementary School, 3031 Quadra
• Sir James Douglas Elementary School, 401 Moss
• Victoria West Elementary School, 750 Front

Advance polling has been set for three days: Jan. 29, and Feb. 3 & 5, again between 8am. and 8pm., at the Crystal Garden on Douglas—once home to the Crystal Pool.

To vote by mail, you need to request a ballot, and you can do that by going online here as of Jan. 6, or you can call 250-361-0571 or visit Victoria City Hall before Jan. 31.

For more information go here.