We are appealing to the British Columbia Court of Appeal. Counsel is retained. To do it, we spent every dollar the Society had, and a director of this Society (Jon Girard) covered the remainder personally. What we need now is to make that back. $5,000, in the next 72 hours.
What this actually buys
The City is confirmed and intends to begin demolishing the Vancouver Aquatic Centre on October 1. Vancouver elects a new Park Board on October 17.
Sixteen days.
That is the whole of it. The next Park Board needs something to make a decision about. They may choose to retain it. They may not. But the choice will exist.
If it comes down on October 1, there is no choice left to make — by anyone, ever. A design can be revisited. A budget can be revisited. A contract can be revisited. Rubble cannot.
Why now
Nothing requires this building to come down in the next eight days. Not the site. Not the budget. Not the contract. This facility has stood for fifty years; it can stand for two more weeks.
We will say plainly what we believe: the timing is vindictive, and profoundly anti-democratic. It is the one decision in this entire file that cannot be undone, and it has been scheduled for the narrow window before the public gets a say. In the Society's view, that is not a coincidence — it is the point.
The numbers
Our previous counsel quoted $20,000 for the appeal — more than this Society has ever held at one time. We found counsel willing to take it at a $10,000 flat fee, all in. There was no time to fundraise first. The retainer had to be paid, or there was no appeal at all.
We publish our books because our donors are owed them:
- Appeal retainer: $10,000.00 — paid
- Society funds applied: $6,969.00 — our entire balance
- Paid personally by a director (Jon Girard): $3,031.00
- Still owed to our previous counsel: at least $1,800.00
- Society funds remaining: $0.00
That is $4,831 in known obligations and nothing left in the account to meet them.
There is more coming. Because the petition was dismissed, the City is in a position to seek its costs against us, and responding to that process carries its own expense. We cannot tell you today what that number will be. We are not going to pretend it isn't there.
We are asking for $5,000 as a floor. We would rather raise $6,000 so that filing fees, disbursements and the costs process are not the thing that stops this.
The ask
This community has raised roughly $100,000 for this fight. We are asking for five thousand more. Two hundred people at $25 finishes it by Friday. 100% goes to legal costs.
We will not pretend an appeal by itself stops a demolition crew — it does not, and no one can promise you how urgent relief lands. What we can tell you is that the ground is real, counsel is retained, and the alternative is to stand aside and watch it happen. It is better to do something than nothing.
This has never been one person's fight. It is a public pool, built with public money, authorized by a public vote. It should not come down to a single volunteer putting thousands of dollars of his own money on the line to keep the case alive.
- Halt the demolition until this appeal is heard.
- Open the record on the 25-metre decision.
- Respect the vote — the 2022 plebiscite authorized borrowing for a 50-metre pool renewal.
Last Updated: September 23rd, 2026
With thanks,
Jon Girard Managing Director, PROTECTING OUR VANCOUVER AQUATIC CENTRE SOCIETY
PROTECTING OUR VANCOUVER AQUATIC CENTRE SOCIETY (S0083228) is a registered non-profit organization dedicated to democratic accountability and voter rights. The judicial review (Case No. S-263492) has been brought pursuant to the Judicial Review Procedure Act.
