The confirmation that UNB Fredericton's Sir Max Aitken Pool will close in the fall is being felt across the city.
“There are all kind of kids who I think are devastated,” says parent Jennifer Andrews. “I know there are some parents who are considering moving if they're at a very high competitive level.”
Marianne Limpert, who won a silver medal in swimming at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games, got her start at the Sir Max Aitken Pool.
“I cannot comprehend how we ever got to this point and where a city like Fredericton could allow its only competitive pool to close when it had a full decade to prepare and plan for it,” Limpert said in a statement.
Fredericton Mayor Mike O'Brien says other Fredericton pool facilities will try to bridge the gap.
“There's no possibility of accommodating everybody,” O’Brien says. “The competitive one is trickier because of the depth of the pool. You obviously can’t dive in this pool, synchronized swimming need a certain depth to do their training.”
But that’s coming as little comfort to members of the community.
“If we were talking about a sport like hockey we wouldn't be having this conversation,” says Andrews. “I think that is one of the fundamental issuers here, that what we're seeing is an issue that's becoming clear to me as gender discrimination. Aquatic sports are dominated by women and girls and what the city is essentially saying is the members of this community don't count.”
The pool is expected to shut down in September, but parents say they're continuing to try and find another option.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Nick Moore.
