Victoria to sub downtown Y building for Crystal Pool when it closes for construction

Swim groups got some great news on Monday when the city announced it plans to take over the Y building on Broughton when the YMCA/YWCA moves to the Bay Centre early next year.

The city is in talks with Concert Properties, the Y facility’s owner, to operate the pool, providing a five-year stopgap as a replacement for the Crystal Pool, which is slated to close next fall when construction on a new recreation centre begins.

“We asked staff to leave no stone unturned in finding solutions that lessen the impact of the Crystal Pool closure,” said Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto.

“The result of that work, in collaboration with community partners, is a big win for Victoria’s pool users.”

The group “Let’s Get Crystal Clear,” which supported a pool reboot, championing a "Vote Yes" campaign during the lead-up to last February’s referendum on pool construction, called the news “a dream come true” for swim clubs, seniors, and families across the city.

“When voters selected the North option, we all assumed that Victoria would be without a pool for the next five years, with both the Crystal Pool and the Y's pool set to close,” said spokesperson Karmen McNamara.

But if talks progress swimmingly, that won’t be the case.

“Once the Downtown Y moves to [its] new location at the Bay Centre in early 2026, the city will get to work on key upgrades to get the 851 Broughton Street location ready for city users and keep it running for the planned five-year construction period,” the city said in a release.

“In fall 2026, the Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre will close permanently, and the interim City facility will open for use.”

It’s the first time the city has given a ballpark timeline for the pool to close and construction to begin, something that was not lost on McNamara.

“This is fantastic news for all of us,” she said.

The city also said there will be enough space in the Y facility to continue to offer a variety of fitness and recreational programs.

“We know how important pool access is to the community,” said Derrick Newman, the city’s director of parks and recreation.

Crystal Pool gets a lot of use

The city said the Crystal Pool welcomes 1,250 visitors per day and sees more than 400K facility visits each year.

In the February referendum, 58.7% of voters gave the city permission to borrow up to $162.2M to replace the 54-year-old facility on Quadra. The new rec centre is expected to cost $209.2M to build, with the city using $47M in reserve funds to pay the balance. That figure could be reduced if the city is successful in its application for a $7M provincial grant.

Spokesperson Colleen Mycroft tells Capital Daily the replacement project is on budget and on schedule, and that procurement for construction management services has begun.