Even though the hot season lasts barely four months – or perhaps because of it! –Edmontonians adore their outdoor pools.... February 2, 2005 Edmonton Journal

Dreams do come true! Redevelopment of Edmonton’s Queen Elizabeth Outdoor Pool was a dream for many people in the community, likely even more for a small group of 1991 pool users (Susan Bard, Susan Ekholm, PearlAnn Reichwein, Shauna Robinson, MaryEllen Vickers and Harold Weissenborn), who that year formed the Friends of Queen E. Pool Society and had it registered under the Societies Act.

After two decades of advocacy, lobbying and fundraising with support from the community and all three levels of government, a new publicly-owned Queen Elizabeth outdoor swimming pool will be a reality. Construction is progressing towards completion of the new pool that is located North of and close to Kinsmen Sport Centre (9100 Walterdale Hill). The new pool will include the following amenities.

• A 6- lane, 25-meter pool with zero depth entry to accommodate all ages and abilities


• A diving component


• Children’s spray park


• Sun deck


• Universal access change room (similar to a family change room) with private individual and family/disabled change cubicles


• Segregated male and female washrooms


• Showers and lockers on the pool deck


• First-aid room


• Staff room


• Concession

The new pool is to commissioned in time for the 2011 summer season. The new Queen Elizabeth Outdoor Pool will be a place where families, friends, neighbours and visitors can once again come together to have fun, socialize and work  on staying fit, a tradition begun in 1922.

In 2005 Edmonton’s City Council approved construction of a new pool. Design work started for a new facility on the original site. Tenders were issued and proposals were received, but initially bids were all over budget. The administration with the support of the Friends then explored an option to build a new pool in Kinsmen Park. More design work followed and a new concept was developed for Kinsmen Park. Tenders were issued and this time the project could proceed. It was identified at this point that several extra features were desired. The cost would amount to an additional $300,000 and extra funds were not available from the City. The Friends of Queen E Pool Society undertook another fundraising campaign and asked Edmontonians to “Dive in and Help” to raise $900,000. Hard work, generosity and luck brought in well over $1,000,000 and additional funds helped ensure that the pool could accommodate diving, and offer an enhanced infrastructure for efficient pool operation.

On September 27th, 2009 construction officially began on the first new outdoor pool to be built in Edmonton in over 45 years. Throughout the winter and the summer of 2010 construction crews worked on the new pool. The tank alone called for concrete, more concrete and even more concrete. Work carried on throughout the winter of 2010/11to ensure completion in time to be ready for the summer season in 2011.
It is anticipated that pool users will have ample reason to be excited about this new facility in the river valley, bringing back the magic of summer swimming enjoyed by many generations since 1922. “Over the years many people shared their memories of the old pool with us,” said John Stobbe, President of the Friends of Queen E. Pool Society. He added “The new structure will enable the next generation of Edmontonians and visitors to make new memories.”

The total cost for the new Pool and Spray Park is $ 6.5 million and $ 5.1 million contributed by the City of Edmonton. The balance came from fundraising by the Friends of Queen E. Pool Society and federal and provincial grants and private donations. The project “aligns with the City of Edmonton Outdoor Aquatic Strategy, the Recreation Facility Master Plan, the Urban Parks Management Plan and the City of Edmonton Strategic Plan. Two complementary achievements came together in the last few years.