AQUATICS SURVEY

The community survey gathered responses from February 22, 2022 to March 25, 2022. A facility user group survey gathered responses between February 28, 2022 to April 5, 2022 and was followed up by community interest group workshops.

Below is a summary of participation in the public engagement work.

• Coded Access Survey: 1,239 responses/34,286 sent out directly by mail
• Open Survey: 402 responses
• Facility Rental User Group Survey: 6 responding groups
• Community Interest Group meetings: 23 organizations

Below is a summary of the feedback received through the public engagement process as outlined in the Comox Valley Aquatic Needs Strategy What We heard Report [PDF - 5 MB]:

Aquatics facilities are well used and valued by people and organizations.

• It is important to take measures to ensure all members of the community can use the pools. This includes:

• facility schedules;
• public transportation to the facilities;
• admission costs;
• accessibility; and
• inclusivity.

• Offering improved aquatic accessibility and inclusive programming is very important to meet a variety of needs, including:

• fitness;
• socialization;
• therapy and rehabilitation;
• training and competition; and
• lessons/skill development.

• Important facility amenities include the following:

• Dedicated lanes for swimming and competition;
• Hot tub;
• Therapy/warm water pool;
• Shallow end/beach entry;
• Aquatic play features and water slides;
• Viewing area; and
• Group storage

• While there are high levels of satisfaction with the aquatics facilities, the Comox Valley Aquatic Centre receives the highest levels of satisfaction (83% of respondents).
• While some people express dissatisfaction with the Courtenay and District Outdoor Pool (47% of the respondents) for areas concerning condition, accessibility and features of community pools, it also has some very ardent supporters saying an outdoor pool is necessary for the Comox Valley.