---
title: "Ken Sim promises 50-metre pool at Vancouver Aquatic Centre and defends plebiscite questions"
description: "The ABC Vancouver mayor told Daily Hive he will build a 50-metre pool despite staff saying it cannot fit, and he explained why he put two public safety questions on the Oct. 17 ballot."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/news/ken-sim-vac-pool-plebiscite-interview-october-14"
last_updated: "2026-10-17T19:03:19.467Z"
---

[Ken Sim](/candidates/ken-sim) told Daily Hive on Oct. 14 that ABC Vancouver will build a 50-metre pool at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre if he wins re-election on Oct. 17, and explained how the two public safety questions on the ballot would work.

The interview was conducted with Sim and ABC Vancouver councillor [Sarah Kirby-Yung](/candidates/sarah-kirby-yung), who is also seeking re-election.

## The 50-metre pool

ABC Vancouver's platform promises a 50-metre pool at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. The current plan, approved by the Park Board, calls for a 25-metre pool. Park Board staff said a 50-metre pool cannot be accommodated in the existing building footprint alongside the other planned aquatic amenities while meeting required design standards, and would require a larger footprint, which would raise construction costs, Daily Hive reported.

Sim told Daily Hive he would "make it happen." The B.C. Court of Appeal has temporarily halted further demolition of the current building until Nov. 3, 2026.

## The plebiscite questions

The Oct. 17 ballot includes two advisory questions about public safety. The first asks whether voters support the City strengthening its laws to forbid open-air hard drug use in public spaces. The second asks whether the City should formally ask the provincial government to convert portions of the old St. Paul's Hospital, or a similar site, into a secure medical facility with more than 100 involuntary care beds alongside voluntary care options.

Sim told Daily Hive the drug use question is designed to let the City pass a bylaw allowing police to issue a ticket and confiscate drugs without making an arrest. He said the current process can take between half an officer's shift and a full shift per incident. Critics told Daily Hive that open-air hard drug use is already illegal under provincial law, that the old St. Paul's site is not suitable, and that Council could have passed a bylaw without a plebiscite.

## Other platform promises

ABC Vancouver's platform has two sections the party calls "restoring Vancouver" and "raising Vancouver," Daily Hive reported. Specific promises include a second consecutive year of no property tax increase, ending parking fees at city beaches and community centres, new public swimming pools, and 4,200 rental homes built on City-owned land.

Sim said the City's reserves were at $33 million when ABC took office in 2022, which he said gave the City no safety margin on its combined operating and capital budget of around $3 billion.

Voters can review what each party has promised at [/parties/abc-vancouver](/parties/abc-vancouver). General voting day is Saturday, Oct. 17, with polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at any of Vancouver's 85 voting locations. See [/where-to-vote](/where-to-vote) for the full list.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.