Aquatics & Aging Infrastructure: Part 4

September 11, 2025

In the previous article in this series I proposed some possible solutions (or routes to solutions) for the current issue of aging infrastructure in the aquatics sector in Canada. Admittedly, many of my suggestions were technical, and only brushed the surface of what can be a very complex topic. So what are some more simple things the average citizen can do to help break us out of the cycle of running aquatic infrastructure into the ground before replacement is any more than a faint hope?

1) Learn more about your pool (local, favourite, or both)

The more you know about your local pool, the better chance you have to understand any announcements about its condition or future plans for the facility. While not one to one, knowing the age of the facility is similar to knowing the age of your house. The main bones might still be solid after 50 years, but the roof needs to be replaced, the furnace is making strange noises, the water heater is busted, the chimney needs to be repointed, and the sidewalk is crumbling. Finding out those sorts of details about your favourite swimming site can assist your understanding of news items as they arise. Most commercial equipment for a building like a municipal swimming pool are more expensive than what you install in your home. This helps start you on the journey of really getting to know your favourite pool.

2) Understand who operates and owns your pool of choice

Who runs your pool of choice? Are the owner of the facility and the operator one and the same, or are they two different entities? The circumstances of owner versus operator can make a big difference in understanding how things get done, and who is responsible for what in a facility. If your local municipality owns and operates the local pool, then it is a one-stop for information about the operation; the municipality is responsible for everything. In other cases, however, you might have a municipality that owns the facility and the land it occupies, but operations may be taken on by a non-profit organisation or local recreation board. In that case repairs and maintenance may be split between the two parties based upon very specific legal agreements or contracts. Knowing which agency is the right one to contact or apply pressure to at the right time can really make a difference in ensuring a pool is kept running smoothly, or that replacement is being pro-actively prepared for.

3) Understand how the owner/operator of your local pool sets up their budget and ensures operations are maintained

How does the operator of your local pool set their budget and spend money to ensure operations are maintained? Many municipalities in Canada operate in a budget environment where income and expenses are not directly linked. The easiest way to think of this is having two big pots where money goes, one for income and the other for expenses. The expenses pot is set during the budget process each year, with totals decided for all operations to ensure everything runs. The income pot, on the other hand, collects everything that comes in to the municipality that is not specifically allocated (by council policy or other legislation) to a designated purpose. Recreation facilities, like pools, generally fall into this category of non-allocated income. That is, if income for a facility comes in much higher than expected it is not available to be spent at that facility because it goes into general revenue. The expenses for the facility are already set and cannot change without specific approval from municipal council or other appropriate delegated authority. These budgeting practices are why even though a facility may seem to be extremely popular and always busy there is no money available to extend hours or pay for immediate repairs or upgrades because those items were not in the budget prepared at the start of the year.

4) Get to know the staff at your pool of choice

Generally the staff at your pool of choice are going to know more about the inner workings of the facility and the management processes of the operator. While they may be restricted in the information they can provide to you, they generally do want to provide as much information as possible and to ensure that users are able to access the facility as much as possible. Getting to know the staff at your favourite pool, especially the senior staff (head lifeguards, supervisors, managers, etc.) is a great way to learn more about operations and why things are they way they are and the way they potentially could be in the future.

5) Learn more about pool operations and maintenance and pool mechanical systems

For those who really want to dig into technical aspects of operations, taking a training course on pool operations and maintenance is a great way to gain more knowledge. In Manitoba the Aquatic Operator Course is run by Recreation Manitoba as mandated by the Province of Manitoba. Other similar courses exist across Canada and internationally, and some are offered online. They can be a great way to learn more about what makes your favourite pool tick, and the challenges faced everyday by pool operators to keep facilities open and safe for the public.

6) Support and encourage leaders/politicians who are willing to engage with complex topics rather than issuing simple slogans

If you really want to ensure your local pool has a secure future ahead of it, both in terms of regular maintenance and a future replacement plan, then ensuring your local politicians are on-side with the issue is imperative. Your municipal councillors (or equivalent) are responsible for setting the policies that govern operations within the municipality, including policies around operating recreation facilities like swimming pools. Further, these councillors also set the annual budget for operations, the long term capital budget for replacement infrastructure, and they approve the long-term development plan for your municipality. If your local swimming pool is an afterthought in this process rather than front and centre, it may be lost in the mix. It is important to realise as well that municipal councillors are usually bombarded with many more items considered priorities than they have money available for. This is where pushing provincial and federal elected officials to come to the table is important. The big provincial and federal issues of crime, health, and safety (which show up in survey after survey) can be positively impacted by the proper funding and provision of recreational facilities in affected areas. But, unfortunately, building a pool or having a national pool building plan is just not sexy or a vote winner in our current system compared to getting "tough on crime" or "ending hallway medicine" as campaign slogans.

What are your thoughts as we wrap up this current series? Please chime in through our social media channels or drop us an e-mail.

Christopher Love
President
Wavecrest Aquatics Inc.