The City of Vancouver is facing more criticism from a watchdog group which says newly released documents reveal that senior city staff bypassed public processes and elected officials when they decided to kill options to retain a 50-metre pool at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre (VAC).

Jon Girard, managing director of Protecting Our Vancouver Aquatic Centre Society (POVAC), says emails show that senior city staffers “incorrectly tampered” with the VAC renewal process, scripted public messaging and neglected to disclose important information to city councillors, park board commissioners and the public. 

Girard says evidence for the allegations is contained in 900 documents released through a discovery agreement pertaining to the judicial review his organization is seeking to overturn the decision to replace the 50-metre pool with one half the size.

“We’ve definitely learned that there’s shady dealings in the City of Vancouver, sorry to say,” said Girard. “The fact that the public can vote on something means nothing, if, at the end of the day, [the city] wants to pivot and transition to something entirely different.”

Retaining the 50-metre pool was a priority identified in a public consultation and aquatic strategy report called VanSplash in 2019. In 2022, over two-thirds of Vancouver voters approved a plan to fund the renewal of the aging VAC facility, including a 50-metre pool.

But in January of last year, the city revealed the project scope had shrunk to a 25-metre pool within a facility designed primarily for leisure use.

The news was met with a backlash, especially from the many VAC user groups that rely on what is the city’s only competition-style pool. 

POVAC has been posting documents obtained through freedom of information and the disclosure agreement to its website, charting the progress of the VAC renewal saga over the years. The group says they show how public-facing plans were changed behind the scenes. 

For instance, in January of 2023, a procurement document posted by the city to hire an architect for the project had a 50-metre pool as the top specifications. The document also noted an expansion of the VAC footprint from 75,000 square feet to 135,000 square feet “is contemplated.” 

In September of 2023, a staff report to council recommended the city hire Acton Ostrey Architects Inc. on a seven year contract worth $13.18 million, plus tax. The report lists a 50-metre pool as the top priority.

In January 2024, another city procurement document for a project construction manager stated unequivocally that the project footprint “will expand to approximately 135,000 square feet.” 

Girard says internal city emails from March 2024 show that the VAC renewal team was exploring five distinct options for design, including ones that retained the 50-metre pool and expanded the footprint of the building.

However, in an email dated March 24, 2024, deputy city manager Armin Amrolia wrote that she and two other senior staffers —  parks and recreation general manager Steve Jackson and now-departed city manager Paul Mochrie — wanted the project team to concentrate on a design with a smaller pool on the existing VAC footprint.

“In discussion with Steve J. and Paul, we would like you and your team/consultants to scope out an option that looks at a smaller (non competition pool), no dive tank and incorporating the main elements of a leisure experience on the current foot print…” reads Amrolia’s email. 

Girard says the email proves staff overstepped their roles.

“Park Board has the ultimate and final jurisdiction in Vancouver over parks and recreation. But what’s happening is that senior city staff are making these key decisions,” he said. 

“The process for any generational project of this magnitude is typically multiple rounds of user engagement, user consultation, user group feedback sessions, and public involvement when they recognize the primary intent of the facility has diverged from the original project scope.”

In a confidential email dated Jan. 8, 2025, Amrolia suggested how mayor and council should answer questions about the VAC renewal. “Given the potential for media interest, we propose you use the following key messages,” she wrote.

One of the “key messages” reads in part: “This exciting new chapter aims to create a vibrant and inclusive space for the community.” 

POVAC says the email shows how, after locking in the 25-metre pool design, “Amrolia turned to controlling the public narrative.”

“Those are talking points that they’re asking people to adhere to because they know… it’s not the best option for the City of Vancouver,” said Girard.

The public was first made aware there would be no 50-metre pool ten months after Amrolia’s email telling the VAC renewal team to focus on a smaller, leisure design. 

The 25-metre design was presented to Park Board for the first time on Feb. 26, 2025, with city presenters pointing to “site constraints” as the main reason for the downsizing.

“As the project team looked, they quickly realized that an expansion from the existing footprint was not going to be feasible,” Craig Crawford, City of Vancouver director of facilities planning, told commissioners and the public. “It’s simply that the site is too constrained … too small for a 50 metre pool.”

Girard says the explanation doesn’t hold water.

“The [constraint argument] is not at all accurate because in documents we have right in front of us, it was a costing issue. So they used all of these excuses of constraints to try to minimize the truth,” he said.

“In actuality … it was just as simple as they didn’t want the project to go even a dollar over budget. And so if that meant slashing the primary objective of the facility, they would do just that.”

CBC News reached out directly to Amrolia with an interview request. The city’s communications department sent a statement that reads in part:

“Early considerations for a pool retrofit did not include leisure components. However, following extensive community consultation led by Park Board staff, the design was expanded to incorporate key leisure amenities that residents identified as priorities…  This alignment across community feedback, staff recommendations, and Park Board / Council decisions provides the basis for moving forward with the project as designed.”

Park Board approved the $175-million, 25-metre leisure design last April. Demolition of the existing facility is slated to begin by the end of this year. 

However, Girard says his group is almost certain to file an injunction seeking to stop the demolition.

Meanwhile, Comm. Scott Jensen is bringing a motion to Park Board on Mar. 9 to invite Vancouver’s auditor general to do a performance audit of the city’s recommendation to downsize the pool.

“Given the importance of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre to residents, user groups, and regional aquatic programming, there is a need for independent review of the analysis, assumptions and decision-making that informed the recommendation for the 25-metre pool configuration,” reads the motion.

Jensen said an audit could inform the upcoming Kits Pool renewal process.

“[Bringing in] the auditor general is simply asking for as much transparency as possible. And I believe this Park Board has nothing to hide,” he said.

“There should be a full welcoming of this opportunity to gather as much information about what has occurred with the Vancouver Aquatic Centre.”