City Centre Aquatic Complex — Attraction in Coquitlam

Welcome to the Gong Show! A place where no rules — legal or hygienic — are followed, and what should be a public service has turned into nothing more than a cash grab for those who collect taxes from residents and then sell them back access to public facilities.

This public swimming pool, which by law should be freely accessible to everyone, has been illegally rented out to multiple private companies just to generate extra income. Here are just a few examples of the lawlessness and mismanagement at this facility: The main pool, which legally requires at least four lifeguards, often operates with only one. Many individuals shave their faces and bodies in the changing rooms with no restrictions. Swimming lessons are of such poor quality that students who should learn in 10–20 sessions end up spending one or even two years with little progress. Private coaches are banned from using the pool — not for any legal reason, but purely to eliminate competition and protect the facility’s own profits. The air circulation is so poor that it feels suffocating — more like a sauna than a swimming pool. The floors are so dirty and neglected that algae has grown, turning them green. Even members with valid membership cards are charged separately for parking. The incompetent management shows zero concern for the health, safety, or comfort of pool users. People enter the pool without showering, and others walk around the pool deck with shoes on — all with no supervision or enforcement of basic hygiene rules.

In conclusion, what should be a high-quality, free public facility has been handed over to individuals who only care about profit, not public well-being. And sadly, no one seems to be held accountable for this...

This rating is based on pools only, and on a comparitive basis with Poirier, which is by far the superior pool, in every respect. The water is noticeably cooler, here, which some may like, but I don't. Parking is cheap, but you still have to pay, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. The dressing room areas are very badly planned. I'm a woman, and go with my young son, so we use the universal dressing rooms. There are half a dozen very large shower/dressing rooms, which is insufficient for the size of the pool. There are no separate shower areas or changing stalls, so you must wait for the large rooms with combined showers and dressing areas. There's always, always, always a queue for the change rooms, and it gets very long, right after lessons. Additionally, the entire shower room is almost always wet, so changing without getting all your stuff wet can be a challenge. I'd suggest getting swim parkas, if you live nearby, to forgo the change rooms, altogether, and just shower and change at home. Yes, it is that bad.

The swim instructors are hit-and-miss. My son loved his last instructor so much that he'd decided there was nothing in the world more fun than swimming. This time, he left the pool in tears, after his first lesson, saying it was horrible and he never wants to swim, again. I wasn't surprised, as I could see his instructor's stone face, through the entire lesson. My kid is not the best swimmer, but that's why he's taking lessons. At the very least, he should have fun and not be turned off continuing to try. Poirier is a lot further from my house, but I feel it's well...

Update: 7 months after my first post below, zero improvement at the Center. (Hot) Water still running wasted on the showers, many lockers don't have keys and some don't lock. There is a sign outside the Sauna that says "stay in for 10 minutes" but the Sauna still does not have a clock. I guess the management is waiting for somebody to pass out because they could not figure how long they've been there. A few of the Check in staff has hardly any empathy towards customers. Once I left my card at home and instead of looking up on the system, I was told off why I left it at home because looking up on the system made it "difficult". Long term parking pass form does not say anything about having to bring registration paper. This is something you find out after you bring it to be told that you need to go back and forth for that. Why did you not tell me when you gave me the form? Is this not part of your job? In the gym the TV is almost constantly displaying poker games. Is the management aware they help promoting gambling? Is this what the community needs? Why not just CBC? I am feeling disappointed and frustrated to see our tax money is not put to good use. Would you please pay attention to what I shared and consider improving the situation?

New lockers are a pain...difficult to lock, and there is no number on the key. The previous ones were just fine. Bad decision by the management that is wasting our money. Fix the shower valves first. They either run nonstop with a waste or stop quickly. Also put a few more clocks in the pool area and one in the...