Victoria taking over YMCA as temporary pool during Crystal Pool renovation

When Crystal Pool shuts its doors next fall, swimmers won’t have far to go. Victoria will temporarily take over the YMCA/YWCA pool space on Broughton Street to keep programs running during the $209.2-million, five-year rebuild. Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto called the agreement “a big win for Victoria’s pool users,” saying the city worked hard to find a local solution that would maintain recreation access throughout construction. “We asked staff to leave no stone unturned in finding solutions that lessen the impact of the Crystal Pool closure,” Alto said in a press release. “The result of that work, in collaboration with community partners, is a big win for Victoria’s pool users.” The downtown YMCA, located at 851 Broughton St., is set to relocate to the top floor of the Bay Centre in early 2026. Once that move happens, the city will step in and begin preparing the existing pool facility for its temporary use. Derrick Newman, the city’s director of parks and recreation, said the interim site will keep its 25-metre pool and smaller leisure pool, along with space for fitness programs and dryland recreation. “It’ll allow us to continue offering our swim clubs as well as swim lessons and aquafit to the community,” Newman said in a press conference Monday afternoon. “In addition to that, we’ll have the opportunity to relocate our core dryland recreation services, as well as all of our other yoga and fitness classes the community relies on.” Newman said the building will need upgrades before reopening under city operation, but those costs are expected to fall within the existing Crystal Pool project budget. “Our consultant team identified a number of renovations and improvements necessary to keep the facility open for another five years,” he said. “We’re going to undertake those repairs to get the facility fit for use so we can keep the doors open there.” The city’s arrangement is with Concert Properties, which owns the Broughton Street site. The company purchased the property for $21.9 million in 2018. Newman said timelines are still being finalized, but confirmed the city aims to secure access to the building for the full five-year construction period. Meanwhile, the new YMCA space [https://vicnews.com/2025/07/04/duct-tape-and-glue-what-prompted-victoria-ymcas-move-to-bay-centre/] at the former GoodLife Fitness location at the Bay Centre will cover roughly 20,000 square feet and include fitness studios, weights, and multipurpose areas. The new location won’t have a swimming pool, racquet courts, or basketball gym and is expected to open in early 2026. While the new arrangement keeps pool access within Victoria, Newman acknowledged there will still be fewer lanes and programs than at Crystal Pool. “The facility is a smaller pool, so we will have a reduction in the amount of lanes available for swimming and the types of programs we’ll be able to offer,” he said. “We’ll continue to work with our regional partners to manage the various demands we’re anticipating.” Crystal Pool’s closure date will be confirmed in early 2026, with construction expected to take a total of 62 months. web1_251017-vne-poolmove-pool_1 [https://www.bpmcdn.com/f/files/shared/feeds/gps/2025/10/web1_251017-vne-poolmove-pool_1.jpg;w=960]The leisure pool inside the Quadra and Broughton Street facility that was home to the YMCA for nearly six decades. (Tony Trozzo/Victoria News)