LETTER TO THE EDITOR: City must re-examine pool priorities
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/11/2022 (764 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
About that pool.
When I was running for council in Brandon’s recent election, I was asked by a resident of Ward 1 (Brandon’s North Hill) about my support for a family change room. The resident explained that her son has special needs and requires her assistance to change. Currently, the staff at the Sportsplex have tried to make accommodations by allowing her and her son to change in a spare locker room on the hockey side, if one is available.
How would you feel if you were in her position? How much would it cost to renovate the change room area, which lacks accommodations for families, or people with gender concerns? At what point would a human rights tribunal make an order compelling the city to make these accommodations to a public facility? And at what cost?
The money spent on maintaining and repairing the Sportsplex pool over its 43 years has run into the millions of dollars. The facility still isn’t adequate for many of Brandon’s residents who pay taxes and would make use of the facility if it were more accommodating. The cost of missing out on hosting national swim competitions such as the Canada Games has cost our city tens of millions of dollars.
The fact that Brandon’s lone bid to host the 2017 Canada Games was rejected, primarily because the Sportsplex pool was two lanes short of the eight-lane minimum, should have been a clarion call for an examination of our aging facility. It wasn’t just swimming that we missed out on — the Canada Summer Games comes bundled with 20 sports that would enhance every aspect of our recreational facilities in Brandon.
This past summer, Ontario’s Niagara region hosted the Canada Summer Games and reaped the benefit of $246 million in economic spinoffs as reported by the Greater Niagara Region Chamber of Commerce.
If there is momentum in our city to build a family-friendly aquatic centre, wouldn’t it make sense to include the space for eight lanes, as well as family change rooms? Wouldn’t it also make sense to have this facility indoors so it could be utilized year-round?
Understandably, the cost would be steep, but the cost of missing out on hosting national events and helping our most vulnerable citizens is steeper. It’s time to re-think the pool.
KEVIN CHAMBERS
Brandon