{"id":516220,"date":"2026-03-05T15:40:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T15:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/516220\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T15:40:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T15:40:25","slug":"watchdog-group-alleges-senior-city-staff-tampered-with-vancouver-aquatic-centre-renewal-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/516220\/","title":{"rendered":"Watchdog group alleges senior city staff ‘tampered’ with Vancouver Aquatic Centre renewal project"},"content":{"rendered":"

The City of Vancouver is facing more criticism from a watchdog group which says newly released documents reveal that senior city staff bypassed public processes and elected officials when they decided to kill options to retain a 50-metre pool at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre (VAC).<\/p>\n

Jon Girard, managing director of Protecting Our Vancouver Aquatic Centre Society (POVAC), says emails show that senior city staffers \u201cincorrectly tampered” with the VAC renewal process, scripted public messaging and neglected to disclose important information to city councillors, park board commissioners and the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Girard says evidence for the allegations is contained in 900 documents released through a discovery agreement pertaining to the judicial review his organization is seeking to overturn the decision to replace the 50-metre pool with one half the size.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve definitely learned that there’s shady dealings in the City of Vancouver, sorry to say,\u201d said Girard. \u201cThe fact that the public can vote on something means nothing, if, at the end of the day, [the city] wants to pivot and transition to something entirely different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Retaining the 50-metre pool was a priority identified in a public consultation and aquatic strategy report called VanSplash in 2019. In 2022, over two-thirds of Vancouver voters approved a plan to fund the renewal of the aging VAC facility, including a 50-metre pool.<\/p>\n

But in January of last year, the city revealed the project scope had shrunk to a 25-metre pool within a facility designed primarily for leisure use.<\/p>\n

The news was met with a backlash, especially from the many VAC user groups that rely on what is the city\u2019s only competition-style pool.\u00a0<\/p>\n

POVAC has been posting documents obtained through freedom of information and the disclosure agreement to its website<\/a>, charting the progress of the VAC renewal saga over the years. The group says they show how public-facing plans were changed behind the scenes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"InteriorThe Vancouver Aquatic Centre is slated for demolition later this year. (Maggie MacPherson\/CBC)<\/p>\n

For instance, in January of 2023, a procurement document posted by the city to hire an architect for the project had a 50-metre pool as the top specifications. The document also noted an expansion of the VAC footprint from 75,000 square feet to 135,000 square feet \u201cis contemplated.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In September of 2023, a staff report to council<\/a> recommended the city hire Acton Ostrey Architects Inc. on a seven year contract worth $13.18 million, plus tax. The report lists a 50-metre pool as the top priority. <\/p>\n

In January 2024, another city procurement document for a project construction manager stated unequivocally that the project footprint \u201cwill expand to approximately 135,000 square feet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Girard says internal city emails from March 2024 show that the VAC renewal team was exploring five distinct options for design, including ones that retained the 50-metre pool and expanded the footprint of the building.<\/p>\n

However, in an email dated March 24, 2024, deputy city manager Armin Amrolia wrote that she and two other senior staffers \u2014\u00a0 parks and recreation general manager Steve Jackson and now-departed city manager Paul Mochrie \u2014 wanted the project team to concentrate on a design with a smaller pool on the existing VAC footprint.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn discussion with Steve J. and Paul, we would like you and your team\/consultants to scope out an option that looks at a smaller (non competition pool), no dive tank and incorporating the main elements of a leisure experience on the current foot print…\u201d reads Amrolia\u2019s email.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Girard says the email proves staff overstepped their roles.<\/p>\n

\u201cPark Board has the ultimate and final jurisdiction in Vancouver over parks and recreation. But what’s happening is that senior city staff are making these key decisions,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AA worker rappels down the side of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. (Karin Larsen\/CBC)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe process for any generational project of this magnitude is typically multiple rounds of user engagement, user consultation, user group feedback sessions, and public involvement when they recognize the primary intent of the facility has diverged from the original project scope.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a confidential email dated Jan. 8, 2025, Amrolia suggested how mayor and council should answer questions about the VAC renewal. \u201cGiven the potential for media interest, we propose you use the following key messages,\u201d she wrote. <\/p>\n

One of the \u201ckey messages\u201d reads in part: \u201cThis exciting new chapter aims to create a vibrant and inclusive space for the community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

POVAC says the email shows how, after locking in the 25-metre pool design, “Amrolia turned to controlling the public narrative.”<\/p>\n

“Those are talking points that they’re asking people to adhere to because they know… it’s not the best option for the City of Vancouver,” said Girard. <\/p>\n

The public was first made aware there would be no 50-metre pool ten months after Amrolia\u2019s email telling the VAC renewal team to focus on a smaller, leisure design.\u00a0<\/p>\n

WATCH | Critics of the 25-meter pool design speak at Park Board:\"\"<\/p>\n

Dozens show up to Vancouver Park Board meeting on controversial aquatic centre<\/p>\n

Dozens of people lined up to speak at Monday night\u2019s Vancouver Park Board meeting over a controversial new aquatic centre. The proposed redesign would replace a 50-metre pool with one half that size. As Meera Bains reports, swim clubs and other users are upset with the plan and loss of training space.<\/p>\n

The 25-metre design was presented to Park Board for the first time on Feb. 26, 2025, with city presenters pointing to \u201csite constraints\u201d as the main reason for the downsizing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the project team looked, they quickly realized that an expansion from the existing footprint was not going to be feasible,\u201d Craig Crawford, City of Vancouver director of facilities planning, told commissioners and the public. \u201cIt\u2019s simply that the site is too constrained \u2026 too small for a 50 metre pool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Girard says the explanation doesn’t hold water.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe [constraint argument] is not at all accurate because in documents we have right in front of us, it was a costing issue. So they used all of these excuses of constraints to try to minimize the truth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn actuality \u2026 it was just as simple as they didn\u2019t want the project to go even a dollar over budget. And so if that meant slashing the primary objective of the facility, they would do just that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SwimmersSwimmers do laps at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. (Maggie MacPherson\/CBC)<\/p>\n

CBC News reached out directly to Amrolia with an interview request. The city\u2019s communications department sent a statement that reads in part:<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly considerations for a pool retrofit did not include leisure components. However, following extensive community consultation led by Park Board staff, the design was expanded to incorporate key leisure amenities that residents identified as priorities\u2026\u00a0 This alignment across community feedback, staff recommendations, and Park Board \/ Council decisions provides the basis for moving forward with the project as designed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Park Board approved the $175-million, 25-metre leisure design last April. Demolition of the existing facility is slated to begin by the end of this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, Girard says his group is almost certain to file an injunction seeking to stop the demolition.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Comm. Scott Jensen is bringing a motion to Park Board on Mar. 9 to invite Vancouver\u2019s auditor general to do a performance audit of the city\u2019s recommendation to downsize the pool.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the importance of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre to residents, user groups, and regional aquatic programming, there is a need for independent review of the analysis, assumptions and decision-making that informed the recommendation for the 25-metre pool configuration,\u201d reads the motion. <\/p>\n

Jensen said an audit could inform the upcoming Kits Pool renewal process.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Bringing in] the auditor general is simply asking for as much transparency as possible. And I believe this Park Board has nothing to hide,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

“There should be a full welcoming of this opportunity to gather as much information about what has occurred with the Vancouver Aquatic Centre.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The City of Vancouver is facing more criticism from a watchdog group which says newly released documents reveal…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":516221,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194298],"tags":[49,48,55],"class_list":["post-516220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-vancouver","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-vancouver"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=516220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/516221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=516220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=516220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=516220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}