Victoria announces details of Crystal Pool closure and plans for YMCA facility

The City of Victoria has revealed details surrounding the closure of the current Crystal Pool and the plan to open an interim facility at the former downtown YMCA-YWCA.

In a press conference at city hall, Director of Parks and Recreation Derrick Newman announced the current Crystal Pool will officially close on Friday, September 25th. 

The recreation facility, which has served the community for 55 years, will then be fenced off and work will begin on demolition so a new replacement Crystal Pool can be built at the same location. 

The project was approved via referendum in 2025 and is estimated to cost a total of $209.2 million, $168.9 million of which is being borrowed. 

With the announcement of an official closure date for the current Crystal Pool, Newman also announced the City’s plan to continue offering services that will be lost when the facility closes. 

“This marks a significant milestone as we transition into the next phase of the project,” he said. 

“In order to continue providing recreational services while the new facility is being built, we’re going to move our operations to the former YMCA building located at 851 Broughton Street, which will be renamed the Victoria Recreation Centre.”

He noted that repairs are currently underway on the former YMCA-YWCA, which was impacted by a significant water leak, and will require upgrades to ensure it will be able to serve the community for the duration of the new Crystal Pool’s construction. 

Because of the leak and ongoing work to upgrade the facility, Newman said the Victoria Recreation Centre will not be able to open to the public until early 2027 at the earliest. 

“We recognize that there will be a period of time between when the Crystal Pool closes and the interim facility opens; however, it’s necessary for us to continue closing the facility in September in order to keep the project on time and on budget,” Newman explained. 

He noted that the City is trying their best to minimize impacts to the community as some programs and access to recreational facilities will be lost between the time of the closure and the interim space’s opening. 

Newman could not provide an exact estimate on how long Victoria residents would be without a recreation centre, but did say that work is being expedited to open the new facility as quickly as possible. 

Following the water leak at the former YMCA-YWCA, the City estimates the damage will cost between $300,000 and $500,000 to repair, though these are preliminary estimates. 

Unfortunately, the City says that because of the time gap between the closure and the opening of the Victoria Recreation Centre, there will be no swimming lessons or other programming that would have been offered through Crystal Pool’s usual fall programs. 

Additionally, some staff of Crystal Pool will be impacted by the closure and the delayed opening of the interim facility. 

The new Crystal Pool replacement facility is expected to open sometime in 2030.