Interior of the Westsyde Pool and Fitness Centre (Image Credit: D&T Developments)

By Victor Kaisar

Recreational Woes?

‘Comprehensive’ review underway as city looks to improve use, cost recovery at Westsyde pool

Feb 7, 2026 | 3:21 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Westsyde Pool and Fitness Centre is back in the spotlight as the City of Kamloops is undertaking a “comprehensive operational review” to optimize use and improve cost recovery at the facility.

In a report going before Tuesday’s (Feb. 10) Committee of the Whole meeting, city staff say the Westsyde facility – at 859 Bebek Road – has consistently reported a cost recovery rate well below the city’s desired 50 per cent target for recreational facilities.

“In both 2023 and 2024, the facility’s cost recovery rate remained below 21 per cent, with a slight increase to just under 27 per cent projected for 2025,” report author David Hallinan, the city’s Corporate Services Director, wrote.

“Over the past three years, this facility has operated at a net average tax subsidization of more than $815,000 annually with an average facility operating cost of approximately $1,000,000.”

That increase in the cost recovery rate last year comes despite an over two-month long stretch of reduced weekday hours due to staffing issues. The facility was only open for six hours on weekdays between Sept. 8 and Nov. 16, as the city reassigned lifeguards to the Canada Games Aquatic Centre.

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In his report entitled 2026 Council Budget Consideration, Hallinan also said that while staff have explored strategies that increased revenues in 2025, the Westsyde Pool and Fitness Centre’s “location and distance from urban centres pose inherent challenges.”

“Council directed staff to complete a comprehensive operational review with a community engagement component to identify potential opportunities to optimize facility use and improve cost recovery,” Hallinan wrote, noting that review is expected to be done later this year.

“[It will summarize] key results and findings from the operational review and outlines potential facility and programming improvements and efficiencies.”

Elisa Houchen, the president of the Westsyde Community Development Society (WCDS), told CFJC Today they’re willing to work with the city to make the facility work better.

“When we’ve had these closures, it causes an uproar in our community where they’re asking for these things,” Houchen said. “I do hope through this review that they can find ways to make sure that our community does not lose this facility because we will fight to keep it as we have in the past.”

The Westsyde Pool and Fitness Centre underwent renovations in 2020 and also in 2016-17 after structural issues forced a lengthy closure in June 2015. Westsyde residents were also vocal in 2020 when a facility closure was floated to try and save money in the 2021 budget.

Houchen added the WCDS has met with the city to discuss things like extended hours or gym-only hours so people can still use the facility in the event a lifeguard shortage forces another temporary closure of the pool.

“When we’ve had closures, we’ve had a large portion of our residents say ‘why is it closing?’ and I think that is also something that needs to be looked at in this review,” Houchen said. “The city says they’re not making revenue but last year we had times when the pool wasn’t even open, and you’re not making any money when it is closed.”

Those closures last year also led the WCDS to call on the city to be more proactive to prevent future closures due to short-staffing.

“The community in Westsyde wants to use this pool,” Houchen said in November. “So along that vein, its the communication from the city [that needs to improve]. You can go on their website and the hours say its open, but you get to the door there’s a note saying its not.”

This upcoming facility review was one of many options that staff brought forward for Council to consider as the city faces a provisional tax increase of 7.2 per cent in 2026. At this time, it’s not clear how much – if anything – in tax subsides could be saved at the Westsyde Pool and Fitness Centre.

According to the city, a one per cent tax increase equates to approximately $1.6 million in revenue to city coffers.

It’s also not clear when exactly the review will be completed and Houchen isn’t 100 per cent sure what kind of input the WCDS or users of the facility will be able to have once the review kicks into high gear.

“If they are going to go through this review, our community will definitely have something to say,” she noted. “WCDS will be in contact with the city and our community members to make sure that this review finds efficiencies so that we can retain our facility.”

A new leisure pool on the North Shore is also part of the ambitious Build Kamloops initiative, though that facility is still several years away. There are currently four public indoor pools in Kamloops – two at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre and one each in Westsyde and the YMCA pool downtown.

There is also one outdoor pool located in Brocklehurst.