At its Regular Meeting of January 22, 2024, City Council received an update from Recreation Services for the 2023 fourth quarter. The report highlighted a significant increase in participation rates over the same quarter in 2022—rebounding to pre-pandemic levels.
Some of the other 2023 highlights included:
- Learn to swim continues to be popular with up to 535 participants on wait lists.
- Recreation Services supported 135 participants in the AquaDapt Program.
- A shorter maintenance period in the Vernon Aquatic Centre and the re-opening of the waterslide was well received by customers.
- In December, Recreation Services began the transition to the Vernon Resident Program (VRP), which includes Coldstream and Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) Areas B and C.
- 432 family passes were purchased—an average of 22 additional passes processed daily.
- Youth drop-in programs, offered at no cost, provided a safe and fun place for youth.
“It is exciting to see that the uptake in our Recreation Services is returning to more normal levels,” said Mayor Victor Cumming. “User increases coupled with significant sub-regional population growth underscores the importance of our continued investment in recreation facilities and services.”
Over the past two years, Vernon Recreation has seen an increase in participation rates. This trend is anticipated to continue in 2024.
In 2024, Recreation Services launched the new VRP and to date, 1122 households have registered. Residents of Vernon are encouraged to sign up for VRP.
For more information related to Recreation Services, visit gvrec.ca.
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