UPDATE: Inglewood Aquatic Centre Closure Postponed
During last week’s mid-cycle budget adjustments, Council voted to reconsider a prior motion to close the Inglewood Aquatic Centre later in December 2024 and to reinstate funding that will extend the operational life of the pool.
Our gratitude goes out to the passionate community members who rallied to advocate for this outcome. While this decision is a temporary stopgap to the eventual end-of-life closure of the pool, we are committed to continuing to enjoy this facility while we have it, and keeping it operational for as long as funding allocated for repairs allows or until the expansion of the MNP Sports Centre expansion is complete, anticipated in 2027.
Councillor Carra has spent the past decade advocating for the Inglewood Aquatic Centre, exploring both reinvestment and potential expansion options to enhance the facility. However, the fact that The City does not own the land on which the pool sits made expansion or rebuild ideas unfeasible.
In 2019, City Council directed Administration to identify permanent operating budget reductions of $60 million. The closure of the Inglewood Aquatic Centre was part of the cost cuts approved in response to Council’s direction. This past year, deferred maintenance and aging infrastructure caught up with the facility. The costs associated, both with continuing to subsidize operations of the pool and the investment needed for critical facility repairs, we’re deemed by admin and council to be too costly for a facility that will eventually be closing. To best protect the organized swim groups and pool user from sudden displacement, it was agreed that establishing a planned closure date, rather than waiting for a catastrophic failure, was the most responsible decision, both fiscally and in consideration of community need.
During the recent mid-cycle budget deliberations, councils political will to keep the pool open shifted. A set amount of $400,000 was approved to cover the costs of immediately-needed repairs and allow for some buffer if future urgent repairs are required. As well, the annual operating costs for the pool was added back into the operating budget for the next two years. We are hopeful we will be able to keep the pool open and operational along a similar timeline as to what was originally planned, with closure anticipated when the expansion at MNP is complete.
A scheduled closure of the facility will be required to complete essential electrical repair work. More information on closure dates and timelines will be announced soon.
While were grateful to have the Inglewood Pool for a little while longer, the situation highlights a broader and much more pressing issue: the urgent need and community demand for significant investment in our recreation facilities. Decades of underfunding from all levels of government have led to the closures and maintenance challenges we are seeing now at facilities across Calgary. We hope the strong community advocacy that preserved the Inglewood Aquatic Centre can now shift toward broader recreational investments throughout the City.
GamePLAN is The City of Calgary’s long-term vision and strategy to shape our approach to delivering inclusive, accessible, and sustainable recreation services for the next 10 to 30 years, guiding future business planning, investment, and policy. In 2025, GamePLAN recommendations will be presented to Council, including a Facility Investment Plan. This will help raise further awareness of the poor state of public recreation infrastructure, the resulting negative impacts, and the need for immediate and sustained investment. By looking beyond individual neighborhoods and assessing our facilities wholistically and with priority, we can collectively champion the development and sustainability of recreation facilities that benefit all Calgarians.
For more information, including Committee Reports, Briefings, and Attachments that informed Council’s decision to close the Inglewood Aquatic Centre, please see the following:
City of Calgary website on the Inglewood Aquatic Facility
Beltline and Inglewood Facilities Rates and Fees – January 2020
Attachment 2: 2019 Revenues by Product Type – this document provides operating loss data for Inglewood Aquatic Centre.
Beltline and Inglewood Pools – Operating and capital targets and update on program of work – March 2020 – this document provides operating targets for Inglewood Aquatic Centre.
Beltline and Inglewood Pools Program – May 2021
Attachment 6: Inglewood Aquatic Centre Operating Targets and Short-Term Program Plans – this document provides 2019 attendance and tax support per visit for Inglewood Aquatic Centre and comparable facilities
Councillor Carra’s previous statement on the planned Inglewood Aquatic Centre Closure - October 2024