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Petition created to support Westsyde Pool staying open

Petition for Westsyde

A petition supporting Westsyde Pool's continued operation has collected over 1,400 signatures in just a few days.

The Change.org petition was started by Westsyde resident Amanda Cosburn late last week and cracked 1,400 yesterday (Nov. 1).

The city is planning on temporarily closing Westsyde Pool once Canada Games Aquatic Centre (CGAC) at Thompson Rivers University is operating again. Upgrades to the CGAC are expected to be finished as early as December.

In August, council approved a city staff plan where only one city-run pool would be open.

At the time, recreation supervisor Linda Stride explained that if the city is going to have only one pool open it should be the largest one, once that is possible. She noted Westsyde Pool requires a subsidy from the city of about $12,400 a week.

On the petition page Cosburn says the pool is a right and should remain open after CGAC has reopened to serve residents from Brocklehurst to Rayleigh.

She also relates the potential temporary closure of Westsyde Pool to discussions in 2015 and 2016 around closing Westsyde Pool permanently. At the time the structure was in disrepair and required millions to refit.

"So once again we raise together as a community to let our city officials know how important our pool is and that we need more access to it not less," she writes on the page. "We need it open year round with longer hours. With proper staffing numbers."

The neighbourhood lacks a business district, and other facilities, she adds.

"We should not be expected to access or travel to facilities outside our community."

The petition page can be found here.



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