Queen Elizabeth Outdoor Pool at Kinsmen Park

The South Side Pool (renamed Queen Elizabeth Pool in 1939) was the first municipal swimming pool in Western Canada, opening in 1922 with swimming races and novelty events, including apple and bucket races for boys and balloon races for girls. The pool was on the south side of the North Saskatchewan River in what was known as Riverside Park, now Queen Elizabeth Park.

For 82 years, Queen Elizabeth Pool was a popular gathering spot for families and spurred on construction of additional pools in other parts of the city. Due to a crack in the pool’s basin, the facility was closed in 2004. Demolition of the original pool began in 2011 and the new pool opened later that same year. The facility includes a 6-lane pool with a zero-entry zone, a children’s spray park, sun deck, concession, universal change rooms and toilet amenities that serve the pool and the park, as well as spaces for staff, storage and services. Solar panels were also incorporated into the design to provide renewable energy to the facility.