Thread by @LegitDocBrown

The @CityofEdmonton is only opening outdoor pools this summer for two months because of budget cuts. @OCLYEG has had to fight almost every budget cycle to keep our outdoor pool open, and in 2020, I decided to compare #yeg to other cities in Canada 🧵

https://twitter.com/CityofEdmonton/status/1529476760013746176?s=20&t=ytLiTVvV3_9Av6asm0yu_Q

Edmonton has almost a million residents, which means each of our outdoor pools serve 200,000 residents.

Calgary has eight outdoor pools managed by a non-profit association (rare in Canada). They charged $5 entry in 2021, compared to $9 in Edmonton. Ratio: 160,000/🌊.

Saskatchewan and Manitoba certainly aren’t flush with natural resource revenue and high incomes like Alberta, they must have less than us?

Saskatoon: four pools, 70,000/🌊
Regina: four pools, 80,000/🌊
Winnipeg: nine pools, unheated are free, 85,000/🌊

How about larger cities further east?

Let’s compare Edmonton to Ottawa, as our populations are similar: nine pools, 55 wading pools, four public beaches, 110,000/🌊

Toronto: 58 pools, 48,000/🌊
Hamilton: 9 pools, 80,000/🌊
Waterloo region: 8 pools, 70,000/🌊

Montreal: 62 pools, 28,000/🌊

Montreal has experienced significant heat events resulting in hundreds of deaths. The City of Montreal extends operating hours of outdoor pools during heat waves. This is climate adaptation.

montreal.ca/en/topics/heat…

What about those cities with oceans or lakes? We must have more pools than them?

City of Vancouver: 5 pools, 130,000/🌊 *9 public🏖️
Halifax: 3 pools, 140,000/🌊 *6 public 🏖️

Okay, we have more than Kelowna. You know, that city on a huge lake that many flock to every summer.

It's very clear that Edmonton is lagging behind all major cities in Canada. This isn’t because we have long winters - this is because we lack vision and haven't invested enough in quality of life. We’ve sprawled beyond our ability to provide affordable and enough services

The @CityofEdmonton Administration threaten to close Oliver Pool almost every budget cycle, without understanding that outdoor pool admission should be lower than recreation facilities. Oliver Pool users doubled when entry was free. Optimize entry fees to increase users.

Historically, Oliver Pool was the last pool to open every season, and then @CityofEdmonton Administration would say fewer entries meant it isn't popular (?!?). Aren't there fixed seasonal costs to opening the outdoor pools every year? Open pools as soon as the weather allows.