Kits Pool closed for the summer

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Good morning, 

Nate with you today. Last weekend, a friend of mine put on a Survivor-themed birthday party in a local park. Complete with all sorts of physical challenges and puzzles, hidden immunity idols, and food rewards (for everyone, luckily), we voted out one contestant at a time until we had a winner. It took nine hours (😮‍💨) but it was a day well spent and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. 

Are you attending any fun themed parties this weekend? Let us know what wild events you’re planning, or reply with the best party theme you’ve experienced or heard of. We may feature some of your responses in an upcoming newsletter. 

But enough about that. Let’s get to the news and (other) events that will shape your sunny weekend. 

— Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.

PPS - If you have any tips, leads, or stories you’d like to share, you can email Nate at his new address, [email protected]

WEATHER

Friday: 24 🌡️ 13 | ☀️

Saturday: 26 🌡️ 13 | 🌤️

Sunday: 22 🌡️ 12 | 🌤️

Monday: 19 🌡️ 12 | 🌤️

INFRASTRUCTURE

Kits Pool closed for the summer

What happened: Kits Pool won’t open this summer. Weeks after delaying the opening of the outdoor pool due to “unforeseen repairs,” the park board announced the beleaguered pool would not be opening at all for the 2024 summer season. 

• The details: The pool is losing a significant amount of water, according to the park board, despite repairs made in the off season. 

Now, a “complete reconstruction” of the pool is required. The summer closure will allow staff time to “fully investigate” the water loss issue and make repairs to the underground piping and basin, while also installing a custom liner. 

• These measures are expected to extend the life of the pool, which is “at the end of its service life,” with many failing and deteriorating components. 

The park board said they were told by Vancouver Coastal Health that “the pool can not be operated safely in its current state.” 

Public reaction: Many pool users are saddened and upset by the closure of Vancouver’s only saltwater pool. One local swimmer told Vancity Lookout he was “speechless” on hearing the news, while others feel a personal investment in the pool’s continued operation. 

Some Kits swimmers plan to switch to open water swimming, while others will go to Second Beach Pool instead, according to a community member with knowledge of the situation who spoke to Vancity Lookout on the condition of anonymity.

“There’s so many cool things you could do to make [the pool] sustainable, cheap to run, and a renewed innovative landmark,” they said. 

• Vancouver Open Water Swim Association holds practices and events at Kits Beach, while the park board has announced extended hours at Second Beach Pool. 

History lesson: Originally constructed in 1931, Kits Pool had a sandy bottom and was filled by tidal flow from English Bay, according to Miss 604. Fast forwarding nearly 50 years to the late 1970s, the pool featured a concrete bottom and saw a pump system added as part of a $2.2 million refurbishment. Today, after another 40 years of use, the pool is again in desperate need of TLC.  

Recent repairs: In 2018, the pool membrane was replaced and new pumps were added as part of the effort to manage significant water loss from the pool (the same issue they’re still dealing with today). 

• Then, in early 2022, a king tide weather event caused significant structural and mechanical damage to the pool. 

In late 2023, a park board report indicated the pool was leaking 30,000 litres of water an hour. The report also found the pool had exceeded its “expected useful life” due to its age and condition, and that it was at risk of failure. 

• Following repairs this summer, the plan is to try and squeeze another five to 10 years of service life out of the existing pool, Park Board General Manager Steve Jackson told CBC. 

City-wide context: This comes at a time when, across the board, as much as 70 per cent of the recreational and aesthetic water infrastructure overseen by the park board are in a state of disrepair, according to the West End Journal. 

As with much of the city’s infrastructure issues, there’s not nearly enough funding to repair and maintain all of these city assets. It means, if the priority is a wholesale refurbishment of Kits Pool, that other projects will continue to be put on the back burner.

SPONSORED BY DOWNTOWN VAN

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When: Every Thursday from July 4 – August 15

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Time: 5 PM – 11 PM

Activations begin at 5 PM and the movie begins around 9 PM (after sundown).

Learn more or follow @summermovienightsvan for all the latest updates!

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

💸 $6,000: The fine paid by a Vancouver Airbnb host who was found to be offering short-term rentals without a business license. [CBC]

📉 4.75%: The new key interest rate set by the Bank of Canada. The rate’s been cut from 5 per cent. [CBC]

☠️ 182: The number of people who died in April 2024 from unregulated toxic drugs, primarily fentanyl, according to a recent BC Coroner’s report. Nearly 15,000 people have died due to toxic drugs in B.C. since 2016, with more than 3,600 of those deaths occurring in Vancouver. [BC Gov News]

SCHOOLS

B.C. teachers struggle with increased workloads; what does it mean for Vancouverites?

What happened: B.C. teachers are struggling with fewer resources and increased workloads, the BC Teachers Federation found in a survey of their members. 

Unhappy educators: “I absolutely adore my class, school, and career, but it doesn’t feel sustainable anymore. I feel as though I am trading my mental health/wellness for my job,” said one teacher quoted in the survey report. 

Over 75 per cent of teachers surveyed said they felt students’ academic, social, or emotional needs were not being fully met, while 58 per cent said their overall workloads have increased since last year.

Numbers game: Vancouver School Board enrollment has actually decreased since peaking in 2009, according to data from the province. There are some 7,500 fewer students in the school system as a whole than there were 15 years ago. 

• However, some schools and special programs are overburdened, with long waitlists and enrollment exceeding operational capacity 

When it comes to over enrollment, elementary schools in Vancouver’s school system are worse off than secondary schools, according to VSB data for the 2023/2024 school year. 

• 31 per cent of the city’s elementary schools have more students than their operating capacity calls for, compared to 22 per cent for Vancouver high schools. 

Simon Fraser Elementary in Mount Pleasant has the dubious distinction of being the most over enrolled elementary school in the district. VSB data shows they have 342 students this year, with an operating capacity of 176. 

On the high school side, the most over enrolled school is also the city’s smallest. King George Secondary in the West End has an operating capacity of 375 students (compared to at least 1,000 for every other Vancouver highschool), but has 635 students enrolled this year. 

Alternative streams: Vancouver parents seeking alternative early learning programs for their children, such as French immersion, Montessori, fine arts, and Mandarin bilingual, may have trouble getting into their preferred program. However, based on VSB data, some schools’ special programs aren’t even full, while others have waitlists that are more than double the school’s capacity. 

These special programs, which begin in kindergarten, have an average waitlist that’s 25 students long. However, these numbers aren’t evenly distributed, with roughly a third of programs having a small waitlist, while another third have waitlists of over 40 students.

Hanging tough: Perceived increases in workload do seem to translate to the likelihood teachers will continue working in the public school system, according to the BCTF survey. However, even among teachers who reported their workloads were not manageable, nearly 70 per cent of them said they’d likely still be teaching in two years.

• Just over 15 per cent of teachers surveyed said it’s unlikely they would still be teaching in the BC public education system in two years time. 

What it means: With fewer students overall, but with major waitlists and over enrollment at certain schools, the VSB faces a thorny problem. In recent years they’ve closed schools in areas with lower enrollment and cut services, thereby reducing costs, while promising new and expanded facilities in underserved communities. 

It remains to be seen if board trustees, the city, and the province can effectively balance their budget and the expectations of the electorate (particularly families with school-aged kids), while supporting teachers, support staff, and students on the ground. 

THE AGENDA

🏔️ As we write this newsletter, rescuers say there are no clues as to the whereabouts of three hikers who went missing in Garibaldi Provincial Park a week ago. Thursday was the first day that conditions allowed search and rescue teams to search the route believed to be taken by the group near Atwell Peak. [The Squamish Chief]

💥 The Vancouver Comic Arts Festival has issued a formal apology directed at a cartoonist who participated in their recent festival. Festival organizers previously released, and then deleted, an “accountability statement” saying the artist would be banned from future festivals. The American-Israeli artist’s work deals with Jewish identity and the artist’s time serving in the Israeli military. [Stir]

🏥 A young actor suffered serious injuries caused by a mysterious five-story fall from a balcony walkway at St. Paul’s Hospital. A Providence Health spokesperson said the actor is no longer at the hospital. [CBC]

🛣️ It feels like Vancouverites are constantly fighting over how roads are used lately, but it’s not just us. In New York City, a proposed toll for cars entering Manhattan was scuttled this week by the state’s governor. You may recall that in 2022 mayoral candidate Ken Sim ran ad campaigns targeting then-Mayor Kennedy Stewart’s alleged plan to create a road tax in downtown Vancouver. [SmartCitiesDive, Global] 

🚨 A Yaletown chef was killed in a stabbing earlier this week in Strathcona as he was walking home. No arrests have been made and investigators are asking anyone with information to come forward. [Global]

🏭 A non-profit artists society is trying to create a Cultural Land Trust as a way to protect artist studios, arts spaces, and cultural and performance venues from high rents and redevelopment. Over 400 artistic and cultural spaces in B.C. have closed in the past decade, they say. [The Tyee]

🧑‍⚕️The B.C. government recently appointed a chief scientific advisor to guide policies and care for people who suffer brain injuries as a result of overdoses. The new advisor will provide ongoing recommendations to the B.C. Ministry of Health. [Vancouver Sun]

WEEKEND GUIDE

Music Waste | June 7-9 | Various venues and showtimes | This grungy grassroots music festival is happening all over East Van this weekend | Tickets $15 / NOTAFLOF (no one turned away for lack of funds 🙂)

Vancouver Men’s Chorus | June 7 -15, various showtimes | Performance Works (Granville Island) | Covering iconic tunes from chart-topping artists | Tickets $40

Kickstand Bike Sale | June 8, noon | 1187 Parker St. | Browse affordable refurbished bikes for sale | More info

Saturday Night Laughs | June 8, 7:30 pm | The Show Cellar | A night of comedy, based on your suggestions | Tickets $25

Granville Island Public Disco | June 8, 2 pm | Lot 55 (behind Granville Island Brewing) | Public Disco’s first event of the season is an all-ages block and dance party | Free

Landfill open house | June 8, 10 am | Vancouver Landfill | The city is putting on a “fun-filled landfill adventure” in Delta (I swear this is real) | Free 

Ceilidh: Celebrating Celtic music | June 8, 4 pm | North Vancouver Shipyards | Live music and dancing, featuring the North Shore Celtic Ensemble | Free

Basho: Amateur Sumo Exhibition | June 9, 1 pm | Templeton Secondary School | This inaugural family-friendly event takes place ahead of the annual tournament at Powell Street Festival | Tickets $15

Italian Day on the Drive | June 9, noon | Commercial Drive | Food, entertainment, and a taste of Vancouver’s Italian culture | Free

Black and White and Everything In Between | Opens June 9 | Vancouver Art Gallery | One of VAG’s newest exhibit showcasing the evolution of monochromatic art | GA $29 or book in advance for Free First Fridays 

IQ 2000 Trivia | June 11, and every Tuesday, 7 pm | Hero’s Welcome | A well-organized trivia night on Main | Free admission 

FOOD

A cafe for every occasion on Carrall Street

Written by Vancity Lookout food editor Geoff Sharpe.

Cafes hold a special place in cities. They’re a convenient meeting location, a place to hunker down and work, a space to spend a few slow, easy minutes grabbing a coffee before continuing with a busy day. 

Parisian cafes, Dunkin Donuts, you can tell a lot about a people and a city by the cafes. I’ll never forget the level of precision, craft and care during a coffee tasting in a Japanese cafe, the meticulous attention, and how it came to symbolize so much of my trip.

Vancouver is no different. From the consistent quality of 49th Parallel donuts, to creative matcha beverages at Matchstick, or even a quick visit to JJ Bean, if you spend enough time at these places, you come away with a deeper understanding of Vancouver.

One stretch of blocks downtown on Carrall Street exemplifies Vancouver's cafe culture. It’s a combination of high-quality coffee shops, bakeries, and cafes that are hard to find elsewhere in the city. If even one of these places was a block away from your home, you’d call yourself lucky. 

To read this review and get our free newsletter of deep-dive reviews of restaurants you won’t find anywhere else (no click-bait, we promise) click here to instantly subscribe.

PHOTO(S) OF THE DAY

Today we’ve got a daily photo double-dip for you! 

First up, a confused (I hope) driver thought they’d finally hacked downtown Vancouver traffic… turns out it was a bike lane. 

We’ve also got the unmistakable look of a pie from A La Mode in the Granville Island Public Market. Hope it tasted as good as it looks!

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Next month, some bikers are planning to bare it all in the return of the World Naked Bike Ride to Vancouver [Georgia Straight]

• Local legend Roller Girl is without her wheels after someone stole them on Main Street [VIA]

• Indigenous women's basketball group All My Relations is more than just a team on the court [Georgia Straight] 

• The ever-evolving Music Waste festival turns 30 this year. [Georgia Straight]

• Post-pandemic travel continues to heat up here as YVR saw a 31 per cent increase in passengers from 2022 to 2023 [VIA]

Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

VANCOUVER WORDLE

Congrats to to Nathan, Denise, Sean, Jim, Marnie, Bryan, Jacquie, Carmen, Heather and Leanne who all guessed the Vancouver Guesser answer was West Broadway and Ontario.

Game time. The answer to today’s wordle is the substance of one of our main stories. I’ll bet you can get it in less than six tries!