ACCESSIBLE FOR FAMILIES TO ACCESS: pro Their is swimming in the more expensive facilities in the times most families want to go swimming. Fore example between 3 to 7. Their is a leisure access program that has an extreme amount of access to city of Edmonton programs including swimming. The numbers are based on adults and children. If you are working and do not have lots of people that are unemployed in your home, generally you are hooped. As a single working parent, I would need to be on welfare to qualify. A two parent family with one child if one parent is working has a chance. COMMUNITY CENTRES have free swimming for one or two hours on a selected day if you are a member. If you are not working on those days it is a good option. It is good to see the pools are full which shows their is an interest and need for affordable swimming!!
SWIMMING IS TO EXPENSIVE FOR BOTH SINGLE AND DUO INCOME FAMILIES. If you have children under 12 you can not access most of the programs in the newer centres. IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN UNDER 12 YOU CAN NOT ACCESS MANY AREAS WITH THEM: All exercise areas are off limits even though you have to pay for this feature. Most areas are set up for adults, my son and I both were injured at the Clareview centre when we tried to play volleyball and badminton. The area is dominated by teens and adult and most players are very territorial or aggressive. Be aware also the water park does not work at Clareview and the slide does not work at the Commonwealth. Skating for families is almost non existent for the Clareview (Commonwealth does not have). THE LOWER COST FACILITIES GENERALLY DO NOT HAVE SHALLOWER PLACES FOR LITTLE ONES TO SWIM AND THE HOURS GENERALLY ARE IN THE DAY OR AFTER 7 PM. So for most families this is to late and if you work not accessible. COST: adult 7.50 to 11.25 youth 6.50 to 8.75, family 20.50 to 30.75. LEISURE ACCESS PROGRAM STILL A VERY GOOD PROGRAM, however we need accessible swimming for The middle income single or duo family.
SUGGESTIONS TO MANAGEMENT 1. Easiest solution, have a reasonable cost to go swimming at all facilities. Have a wrist band that allows only swimming. Please note in a 170 family survey I implemented all families both single and duo reported the cost to go swimming causes a hardship and makes swimming more unaccessible. 92 percent reported they swim for less than an hour and a half. All 170 families 93 percent report they can not use any of the adult based programs such as the exercise centre as they have children under 12. The families that do use the exercise centre report they go before or after work and never take their children as the children can not be unattended. The suggestion from recreation staff that you should just pay for the kids to sit in front of a tv at the leisure centre is not a reasonable option for most families just so you can use a the exercise facility for which you have already paid for!!. The exercise facilities are already monitored so ensuring those families only use swimming should be reasonable. Twiligar already has a way to restrict access!! 2. Make the leisure access program a bit more reasonable for cost to implement. 4 times to experience Fort Edmonton and other attractions rather than unlimited so this money can be channeled to allow families still in the low income that do not qualify for the leisure access program to have reduced cost to swim!! 3. Stop discriminating against single parents. The leisure access program needs to consider one parent families with one child! Two parent families with one child have an advantage for income level cut off!! 4. The people who work pay for the Edmonton facilities, yet the ones that work experience a hardship or just can not afford to pay for the extreme prices to go swimming or go to edmonton attractions. The rise of obesity, increase of gangs, increase of families developing routines to sit in front of the tv and video games (we are very cold for most of the year!!) should be enough encouragement to allow SWIMMING to be easily accessible for families!! Please see 2015 stats canada for single parent families... read more