British ColumbiaPeople are driving to Whistler or North Vancouver to get pool access or practice time after the Squamish facility closed amid job action. Union says it has requested a mediator, saying help from a neutral third party is needed to make progressAlanna Kelly · CBC News · Posted: Oct 21, 2025 6:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 hours agoDistrict of Squamish union employees on the picket line outside the Public Works Facility on Oct. 20 2025. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)With a contract dispute in Squamish, B.C., in its third week, residents wanting access to recreational facilities say they are being impacted. People who use the rink and pool at Brennan Park Recreation Centre have had to find other options after the District of Squamish locked out some unionized workers from CUPE Local 2269.Melissa Coffey said the closure of the pool means she can’t do her routine rehabilitation as she recovers from a fractured humerus.“It’s frustrating because I go to the pool generally three to four times a week,” Coffey said. “If I’m not swimming, I’ll notice it gets stiff [and], like, it hurts.”She said she has to drive to Whistler or North Vancouver if she wants to swim. “I don’t want to be driving 45 minutes there and back to use a pool,” Coffey said. WATCH | Pool, rink closed in Squamish amid job action:Pool, rink closed in Squamish amid job actionPicket lines and honking can be seen and heard all around Squamish as job action enters Day 18. As Alanna Kelly reports, people who use the pool are feeling the impacts, as the District of Squamish and the union representing municipal workers remain on opposite sides.Paul Wilkins, vice-president of the Squamish Pirates Swim Club, said the closure of the pool has been disruptive for the team, and young athletes are travelling to North Vancouver or Whistler. “It’s just been extremely difficult for our athletes,” said Wilkins. “It’s certainly not ideal.”The pool at Brennan Park Recreation Centre has been closed twice this year, and there have been staff shortages. Before the recent lockout action, the team was swimming five to six days a week in the pool. “It’s impacting our kids, it’s impacting our athletes, and at the end of the day, I’m hopeful that they can come to some sort of a resolution that’s agreeable to all parties,” Wilkins said.People who use the rink and pool at Brennan Park Recreation Centre say they have had to find other options. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)The closure of the pool is also creating financial challenges and issues retaining coaching staff, Wilkins said. “We just want reliable, consistent access back to our pool as soon as we can. We want to swim.”Union requests mediation The last deal between the district and union workers expired in December. Job action started on Oct. 2, and a lockout was announced on Oct. 16.Brennan Park Recreation Centre was not locked out, but is operated by unionized employees.“The employer chose to lock out most of our bargaining unit,” CUPE Local 2269 president Celeste Bickford said. “The union would never stand for some of our members being locked out and for us not to stand together on picket lines.”In June, the union asked for a 4.5 per cent increase for 2025 and a four per cent increase in 2026. The district presented an increased wage of $27.50 per hour for the lowest paid employees, and a general wage increase to all other positions of 3.26 per cent in 2025 and 2.99 per cent in 2026. A report stated the 2024 living wage in Squamish is $26.76 an hour.Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford said work was done to insulate the community from job action. “Our managers in our top level and our exempt staff were redeployed around the organization and thus not doing their work to their full capacity,” Hurford said. A local swim team says this year has been tough for getting into the pool and their athletes have had to travel the Sea-to-Sky to get into other pools. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)CUPE Local 2269 represents approximately 250 District of Squamish employees, including workers involved in water and wastewater treatment, swimming lessons, children’s programs and camps, recreation services, facilities maintenance, and other services.“We provide extremely vital services to the community of Squamish, and we need to ensure that these workers earn a living wage,” Bickford said.The union requested a mediator and said progress will not be made without the assistance of a neutral third party. “The impact on the user groups is immense, and so the employer needs to take the situation seriously and come back to the bargaining table,” Bickford said. The District of Squamish said the union’s expressed willingness to return to the bargaining table and seek the assistance of a mediator was “welcome news.”ABOUT THE AUTHORAlanna Kelly is a CBC News journalist based in Squamish, B.C., covering the Sea-to-Sky region, including Whistler, Pemberton and the Sunshine Coast. You can email story ideas to alanna.kelly@cbc.ca.
‘It’s impacting our kids’: Contract dispute in Squamish in its 3rd week
