Fredericton diving club seeks ways to fight for facility

The vice president of the Fredericton Diving Club will be lobbying for a new diving facility on Thursday night as aquatic groups in the capital region look for ways to keep a pool in the city.

The swimming and diving community will meet on Thursday to discuss past efforts for an aquatics centre and to figure out what needs to be done if they want to continue having the sport in the capital region.

Christine Cross says Diving Canada, the parent organization for all diving clubs in the country, is already worried that Atlantic Canada is in danger of losing clubs ... a couple of have closed in the region.

Prince Edward Island lost its diving club, only two are left in Nova Scotia and one in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"We have been well aware for years that UNB has wanted to close that pool. So we've been kind of hanging on hoping, sort of, for the city to do something about a new pool," said Cross.

• Former Olympian surprised no contingency plan for UNB pool

The diving facility at the LadyBeaverbookGym on the University of New Brunswick campus is aging and will remain open until 2018 at the latest.

The University of New Brunswick's decision to move forward on a new $36-million facility that does not include a pool will mean Fredericton may be without a facility for competitive aquatic events by 2018.

The federal and provincial governments announced earlier in September they were putting a combined $25 million into a Centre for Healthy Living at the UNB, which will mean the end of the Lady Beaverbrook Gymnasium.

But Cross said she wants a plan that will see the province's diving community continue and thrive.

"We need a dive tank. You know, it's certainly possible to build a pool that might need other needs. But we need a particular depth and size of a tank, you know, at the end of the pool, that would give us room for boards, we have one meter boards, three metre boards and we'd like to put in a five metre platform as well."

Information Morning - Fredericton9:22Christine Cross - Pool

Swimmers and divers renew their lobbying efforts for a new facility in Fredericton.

She said the decision is ultimately the city's, butthe provincial governmenthas always been supportive of the Fredericton diving community.

"The province itself has been very supportive. We've had grant money. We've had all kinds of encouragement and support for growing our sport."

""It would be a real shame, I think. to have so much financial support for the club but then if we don't have a facility to train in, that's all wasted."

Cross said Thursday's meeting is a chance to discuss a strategywith other groups to show the importance of an aquatic centre in the capital region.

"I just think we need to let them know how important an aquatic facility is to the people of Fredericton and that might involve us educating the people of Fredericton about how many people use the current facility and, you know, that there are no other options really, there's nothing that can pick up the slack if this pool closes."

On Tuesday, Premier Brian Gallant said that investing in an aquatic centre wasn't currently on the provincial government's radar.

Gallant on future Fredericton pool

8 years ago

Duration 1:54

Premier Brian Gallant responded to questions on whether the province would invest in a Fredericton pool