Ken Sim pushes to end Kits Pool reservations; ABC to run park board candidates

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim spoke at a popular outdoor pool Monday to discuss the pool’s current reservation system and his ABC Party’s plans to run their own park board candidates in the upcoming municipal election. The reservation system was put in place for Kits Pool by the Vancouver Park Board during the pandemic — something [...]

Ken Sim pushes to end Kits Pool reservations; ABC to run park board candidates Posted July 14, 2026 7:43 am. Last Updated July 14, 2026 7:47 am. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim spoke at a popular outdoor pool Monday to discuss the pool’s current reservation system and his ABC Party’s plans to run their own park board candidates in the upcoming municipal election.

The reservation system was put in place for Kits Pool by the Vancouver Park Board during the pandemic — something Sim is pushing to change. “Pandemic is long gone, swimming restrictions should be as well,” he said Monday. “We can’t lose another summer to these ridiculous swimming restrictions, so again, I’m asking the current park board... open the damn pools.”

Vancouver Park Board commissioners are defending the system. “There are hundreds of people who prefer it,” said chair Tom Digby. “If you’re coming from across town with a bunch of kids, you don’t want to stand in a long line.”

Meanwhile, people do already have the option to drop in without reserving, and many say it has never been an issue. “Most of the time I don’t book in advance, and I’ve never once been turned away,” one swimmer told CityNews Monday. Commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky says he dropped in Monday and found no issues getting in.

“I’m a bit flabbergasted as to why the mayor would suggest drop-ins aren’t allowed,” Bastyovanszky said. Sim took Monday as the opportunity to drop its years-long bid to abolish the park board. “Instead, we are running park board candidates in the upcoming municipal election to modernize and fix the elected park board,” he said.

This comes as the board is set to submit a $739 million 2027-30 capital plan to city council.