Seven Oaks pool closing at least a year for repairs, renovations; parents worry about dried-up swim-lesson opportunities
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Parents in northwest Winnipeg say they’re worried about losing access to swimming lessons after the city announced it will close Seven Oaks Pool for more than a year in order to complete extensive repairs.
The city said Monday that the pool will shut down Dec. 14 for approximately 12 to 14 months to undergo $3.5 million in structural upgrades, including concrete and waterproofing work and tile replacement on the main tank.
“It sucks,” said a woman watching her 10-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son in the water during a Monday-evening class.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Seven Oaks Pool will be closed for a year beginning Monday.
“It’s hard enough to get your child into swim classes. I will look elsewhere, but the way it goes for registering, there’s a high demand. Having fewer pools will only make it harder.”
The mother, who did not want to be identified, said she plans to try registering her children at Sergeant Tommy Prince Place Pool or Elmwood Kildonan Pool, though that means significantly longer drives.
“Especially in winter, you’re adding time on,” she said.
A man whose nine-year-old son also takes lessons at Seven Oaks said the closure could force the family to travel across the city to Pan Am Pool.
“How are families who are taking the bus going to get to Pan-Am Pool and back?” said the man, who didn’t want his name published.
He learned of the closure last week through Amber Trails School, where his son attends and takes part in the school’s swim program.
“It’s supposed to be a 10-week program, but he will only get five weeks now, and they had to move it back (from January),” the dad said, adding he’s concerned about the fate of the pool’s lifeguards and instructors once operations shut down.
Old Kildonan Coun. Devi Sharma said while the closing is unfortunate, the repairs are necessary for the facility built in 1977.
“I’m pleased that the Seven Oaks Pool is getting structural repairs done,” Sharma said Monday. “While we know the closure of the Seven Oaks pool for the next 14 months will be an adjustment for many in our community, this essential work is necessary to ensure the facility remains safe, welcoming and enjoyable for years to come.”
The indoor kiddie pool and splash pad will be open for part of next summer, but the likely six-week closure has not been scheduled.
Seven Oaks Pool previously closed for more than a year beginning in 2017 for upgrades, including new family change rooms, accessible washrooms, an expanded lobby, meeting space, a small teaching pool and Winnipeg’s first indoor spray pad.
Seven Oaks will join a growing list of city-operated facilities under repair, including St. James Civic Centre Pool and Bonivital Pool, while the Transcona Kinsmen Centennial Pool sauna is also shut down for maintenance. Sharma and a city spokesperson said Bonivital Pool is expected to reopen before Seven Oaks closes.
Earlier this year, the Joyce Fromson Pool at the University of Manitoba was also closed. The province’s largest university is currently in the planning stages for replacing the facility.
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott.
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History
Updated on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 11:13 AM CDT: Corrects that the kiddie pool and splash pad are indoors