British ColumbiaThe Vancouver Aquatic Centre (VAC) is set to reopen Friday, after a piece of concrete from the ceiling fell into one of its swim lanes earlier this month and forced an unexpected closure.Netting has been installed after a piece of concrete from the ceilingCBC News · Posted: Nov 20, 2025 11:54 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The Vancouver Aquatic Centre is set to reopen on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (Ben Nelms/CBC)The Vancouver Aquatic Centre (VAC) is set to reopen Friday, after a piece of concrete from the ceiling fell into one of its swim lanes earlier this month, forcing an unexpected closure.In a statement Thursday, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation said the facility has undergone a safety review, including inspections by the city’s chief building officer and structural engineers. As a precaution, ceiling netting has been installed.The closure began Nov. 3 after the city later confirmed “a small piece of concrete” had fallen from the ceiling. No one was injured.The board said “this type of issue can occur in older buildings,” noting the VAC is more than 50 years old and beyond its intended service life. The facility in the city’s West End has faced a series of structural problems over the past decade. Last year, two large sections inside the VAC were closed to patrons and swimmers after a piece of concrete fell from the ceiling, and a number of acoustic panels were found to be loose.WATCH | City greenlights more funds for VAC:City greenlights more funds for Vancouver Aquatic Centre renovationVancouver city council has unanimously approved the park board’s request for additional funding to renovate the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. As CBC’s Michelle Gomez reports, some swimmers are not happy about the changes.A statement from the city at the time said the concrete fell in the pool area, likely as a result of maintenance being done on the building’s exterior.In 2022, a three-metre-by-10-metre section of the outside wall above the entrance doors fell off the building when the centre was closed.And in 2015, flooding in the mechanical room took out the electrical system.The recent closure left many of its regular patrons scrambling.The Canadian Dolphin Swim Club, which trains at the VAC, said it was forced to disperse its 350 swimmers across 10 different pools in Metro Vancouver. The city and park board say they are moving ahead with a renewal of the aquatic centre, with funding set aside in the 2023–26 capital plan and construction anticipated to begin in late 2026. But the proposed $175-million project has sparked debate. The current 50-metre pool would be replaced with one half its size – a move officials say is necessary due to space constraints on the site. WATCH | Other pools face overcrowding following VAC closure:Vancouver Aquatic Centre closure causes overcrowding at other poolsIt’s been two weeks since falling concrete forced the closure of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. The debris fell into the pool but no one was injured. But as Troy Charles reports, regular users and other pool patrons are feeling the effects of the shutdown. Competitive swimmers and a group called Protecting Our Vancouver Aquatic Centre Society say losing the Olympic-sized pool would undermine the facility’s role as a high-performance hub. The group is in the process of launching a legal challenge in an effort to force changes to the plan.
Vancouver Aquatic Centre to reopen following repairs
