U of M pool closing adds to training headaches for athletes, swim clubs

Winnipeg Free Press

16-06-2025

The University of Manitoba has permanently closed its pool and must replace it, creating a ripple effect that swimmers say will further limit the number of spaces to train.
Joyce Fromson Pool was closed in April because of a leak. Repairs were attempted but were ultimately unsuccessful and the university has made the decision to replace the facility, U of M chief risk officer Raman Dhaliwal said.
'The last time we had a new pool was 60 years ago,' she said. 'Obviously, shutting it down was an inconvenience, but we'll provide regular updates about what the plan is for the pool.'
The new pool is slated to open in spring 2026. Dhaliwal didn't say how much the project will cost, but said it'll only replace the existing pool, not any other infrastructure, including the change rooms. The university's swim team will still look for other pools to practice in, Dhaliwal said, but she didn't give details about which facilities.
Former Canadian Olympian Kelsey Wog's dream to become an elite-level swimmer started at the pool, named for the director of sport in 2002, a year after her death.
Wog started swimming there when she was seven years old. Now 26, she's since retired, after competing in Women's Breaststroke during the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games, to focus on her master's degree at U of M.
'It wasn't a massive aquatic centre, and it wasn't really a place you would think a high-performance athlete would come out of,' Wog told the Free Press. 'I made it special and good for me.'
Wog said she's glad the pool is being replaced because it's 'definitely needed,' but she said it'll make training difficult for the university's athletes who will have to leave campus to train at different pools while balancing classes.
'You need stability to be able to know your routine and put forth your best effort every day,' she said.
The St. James Seals Swim Club was sharing its space with U of M's team since the April pool closure, said team vice-president Melissa Grenkow. But the more than 60-person team is now also without a pool after its home at St. James Civic Centre shut down Friday for year-long renovations.
The team will now train at St. James Assiniboia Centennial Pool and Pan Am Pool, Grenkow said. Bonivital Pool, on Archibald Street, also closed for renovations in May and is expected to reopen in late summer or fall this year, according to the city's website.
'As more pools close and we have to fight for space, we won't be able to have as many kids, and they will miss out on the opportunity to learn to be part of such a great sport,' Grenkow said Monday.
The scramble to find temporary spaces for their kids' swimming has left many parents frustrated, she said.
Pan Am Pool is already the main training space for the Manitoba Marlins Swim Club and Manta Swim Club.
With many teams swimming out of the same space, proper training can't happen because not everyone is at similar skill levels while practising and it can create frustrating traffic jams in the water, Grenkow said.
She said it's an oversight for the city to close multiple pools at the same time, and it will eventually impact how competitive Manitoba will be for producing top-quality athletes.
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'They (the city) would never close this many hockey arenas at the same time. That just wouldn't happen,' she said.
Meanwhile the RM of Springfield is building its first indoor community pool with the help of $150,000 in funding from three Manitoba Co-ops — Red River, Beausejour and Pembina — as part of the chain's Community Spaces program. The facility in Dugald, 23 kilometres east of Winnipeg, is being built as part of a new assisted-living space in the town, and is expected to open in fall 2026.
Wog said the U of M construction could provide an opportunity to increase the pool size in line with competition-ready facilities, such as Pan Am Pool. Olympic-sized pools are 50 metres long with 10 lanes, while U of M's is just 25 metres with six lanes.
'There's no room for growth,' she said. 'If we can do that, I think it'll open up a lot of opportunity for the pool in terms of competitions and inviting other clubs to compete and train. That would be really special.'
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