FAQs - Aquatic Strategy

1. What is the purpose of the project? 

The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) and the City of Courtenay are taking a collaborative approach as both organizations own and operate aquatic facilities and provide aquatic programs and services to the community.

The CVRD operates the CV Sports Centre and CV Aquatic Centre indoor pools.

The City of Courtenay operates the Courtenay and District Memorial Outdoor Pool.

The CVRD and the City have recently completed independent Facility Condition Assessments for their respective aquatic facilities, which concluded that both the CV Sports Centre Pool and the Courtenay and District Memorial Pool are nearing the end of their expected lifespans.

The Aquatics Strategy will ensure long-term facility plans align with community expectations for aquatic services.

2. What will be the outcome of this project? 

The Aquatic Strategy focuses on determining the present and future needs for aquatic facilities and services in the Comox Valley. The strategy will offer recommendations about pools, including potential enhancements or additions. Those decisions will be ultimately made by City Council and the Comox Valley Recreation Commission (CVRD). This Strategy will describe the future of both indoor and outdoor aquatic services in the Comox Valley for the next 25 years.

3. What research is being done to develop the Strategy? 

• Review of municipal and regional planning documents Including Official Community Plans (OCPs), master plans, and facility assessment reports
• Evaluating our services by comparing with our jurisdictions
• Trends and leading practices research
• Utilization of existing facilities
• Community engagement

4. When will the strategy be finished? 

The draft Aquatic Strategy is expected for public review in early summer.

5. How can I participate in the development of the strategy? 

A survey is available to residents in the Comox Valley through a postcard mailed to every household. The postcard has an access code for the survey. To maintain privacy, the codes are not connected to specific addresses.

Anyone wishing to fill out the survey who either didn’t receive or misplaced their postcard or access code, can still provide feedback though a separate open survey link.

Access survey links on the project webpage.

6. How can I participate if I lose my postcard?

Anyone wishing to fill out the survey who either didn’t receive or misplaced their postcard or access code, can still provide feedback though the open survey link provided on the project webpage.

7. Why are you using a public survey that requires an access code?

The access code helps limit responses to the coded access survey to one per household. The findings collected through the coded access survey will provide feedback that will be considered representative of households in the Comox Valley within a margin of error.

8. What If I don't want to answer the questions online or I have poor internet connection?  

You can complete a paper copy of the questionnaire. Paper copies will be mailed out along with a postage paid, self-addressed envelope. Please include the access code from your postcard on the paper survey if possible.

Contact us to request a paper copy of the survey:

Please submit your request for a paper survey no later than March 11, 2022 to allow enough time for delivery and return mail.

9. Why doesn't the CVRD and City of Courtenay mail copies of the survey to everyone?

Sending out a postcard to households instead of a full survey helps reduce waste and return postage costs. Online engagement has been used successfully on many other projects, and allows information to be rapidly, accurately, and efficiently compiled.  

Paper copies of the survey will be mailed out upon request.

10. What other engagement is being done?

Community groups that use the aquatic facilities in the Comox Valley, various community stakeholders, will be contacted to provide their input through a group survey and discussion sessions/meetings. 

K’ómoks First Nation will be invited to participate in information sharing and conversation. Consultation will adhere to OCAP principles: "Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession" - the four pillars of information governance as outlined by the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC).

Additional engagement will occur to gather feedback on the draft strategy once it is available.  

11. I am a member of a club or organization that uses the pool. How can our club/organization provide feedback?

User groups can participate in the online user group survey starting February 28th and closing April 1, 2022.  Please send an email if you’d like your club/organization to receive an invitation to this survey. Electronic copies will also be available upon request. Only one response per club/organization will be considered.

12. I have more questions about the project

Return to Aquatic Strategy