The Crystal Pool referendum will have two questions:
Question 1: Do you support the proposed pool facility and borrowing up to $168.9M for its capital costs?
Question 2: What is your preferred location for the facility: Central Park North or Central Park South.
Even if you vote “No” to the first question, your answer to the location question will still count.
Whether you vote yes or no to the borrowing question, if you care about Central Park’s benefit to the community and climate resilience, please lend your voice to support the North option as a site location. Together, we can protect access to Central Park for those who need it the most.
Importance of Central Park
Central Park is North Park’s only large green space and a vital community asset, especially in a neighbourhood without a community center. Without Central Park, the only remaining green space in the neighbourhood would be Franklin Green—a small park with limited shade located next to a major construction site. Here’s why it’s irreplaceable:
- Recreation for all: Basketball, tennis, and pickleball courts, plus the only outdoor gym in the neighbourhood
- Family fun: A playground and picnic tables hosting generations of birthdays and celebrations (used by neighbourhood daycares, after school programs and summer camps), filling the gap left by the absence of a community center.
- Shared spaces: Soccer fields, ball diamonds, pathways, and accessible seating for athletes, dog walkers, seniors, and more
- Community connection: A welcoming, inclusive space for all ages, communities and activities
- Heat relief: Central Park’s mature trees provide the only shaded green space in the neighbourhood, offering crucial relief during extreme heat (especially important for families and seniors, as a lot of subsidized high-density housing serves both)
Removing the limited green space in North Park will contribute to urban warming, worsen air and water quality, reduce biodiversity, increase flooding risks, and negatively impact community well-being.
Key considerations for each location:
Central Park North
- Capital cost: $209.2 million
- Construction: Shorter timeline and simpler plan, reducing risks of delays and cost overruns
- Facility impact: The pool will be closed for about five years.
- Green space impact: Central Park, including the playgrounds, sports courts, and fitness equipment, will stay open during construction. Around 14–28 trees will be removed, with a potential loss of up to 24%.
- Environmental impact: Less tree removal and minimal biodiversity disruption compared to the South option
Central Park South
- Capital cost: $215.9 million
- Construction: The timeline is longer and more complex. The current pool may stay open but risks failure due to the aging facility and impacts from blasting and heavy construction.
- Green space impact: 29–52 trees, including three Garry Oaks, will be removed. This is a loss potential of over half (52%) of the trees. All park amenities, including playgrounds, sports courts, and fitness equipment, will be closed.
- Environmental impact: Significant loss of green space and biodiversity, leading to increased urban warming, worsened air and water quality, and higher flood risks.
- Extended recovery time: The park will be inaccessible for approximately 8 years.
- Parking: A new parking lot will not be completed until 18 months after the facility opens, adding pressure to neighbourhood parking.
Voting information
General voting day
Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025
Time: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Location: Crystal Garden, 713 Douglas Street
Advance voting
Dates:
- Wednesday, January 29
- Monday, February 3
- Wednesday, February 5
- Time: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
- Location: Crystal Garden, 713 Douglas Street