14 May 2014

Summer starts in Vancouver with the opening of outdoor pools and beaches

Well...here's a press release we've wanted to see for a while. Seems like summer has started at Vancouver Parks!

Vancouver Park Board
News Release
May 14, 2014

Starting this Victoria Day long weekend, the city’s outdoor pools and beaches will open, and lifeguards and Park Rangers will be on duty.

 The heated seaside pools at Kitsilano Beach Park, Second Beach in Stanley Park and New Brighton Park open Saturday, May 17. Swimmers often line-up to be the first in. Please check pool schedules for operating hours. Vancouver’s outdoor pools operate through the Labour Day weekend. Kitsilano Pool is typically open until mid-September. Maple Grove Pool, an outdoor pool in Kerrisdale, opens June 21 and closes September 1. Hillcrest Centre’s outdoor pool will open in July after annual maintenance and repairs are complete.


New this year, temporary windbreaks have been installed at both Kitsilano and Second Beach pools. The screens will significantly reduce heat loss and goosebumps! A two-week trial in early June last year at Second Beach reduced the pool’s energy consumption by 400 gigajoules of natural gas—a savings of $4,000. The windbreaks will also protect swimmers and sunbathers from chilly prevailing winds.

The Park Board’s outdoor pools offer a range of affordable admission options from single drop-in visits, 10 visit passes or monthly Flexipasses. These pass products save users money and can be conveniently loaded onto the system-wide OneCard recreation passport.
Starting this weekend, beach lifeguards and Park Rangers will also be on duty.

Lifeguards patrol the Park Board's 11 supervised bathing beaches from Victoria Day to Labour Day, from approximately 11:30 am to 8:30 pm daily (closing at 9 pm from mid-June to mid-August), except when the red light is on at the Lifeguard Station. Almost 18 kilometres of ocean beach stretch from Spanish Banks West all the way around English Bay to Third Beach in Stanley Park. Trout Lake, located in John Hendry Park, is the only freshwater, lifeguarded supervised beach in Vancouver. Residents and visitors are reminded to always be water smart. Choose a supervised swim location at a Vancouver beach or pool.

A team of five full-time and more than 30 seasonal Park Rangers act as the Park Board's ambassadors in more than 230 city parks. Uniformed Rangers help visitors with wayfinding, park services, monitoring of play fields, by-law enforcement, and park activities such as filming and special events. For the second year in a row there is a dedicated Ranger to manage homeless issues and outreach. The public is asked to call 311 if they require a Park Ranger’s assistance.

All beaches and parks are smoke-free. Dogs are not permitted on beaches and must be leashed in other areas (except in designated off-leash areas). Fires are not allowed in parks or on beaches at any time. Barbecue coal pits are provided for hot coals at many popular beach and picnic locations.


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Media contact:
Vancouver Park Board
vancouver.ca

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