Fort Saskatchewan is building a public pool with a cold plunge, a hot pool, a sauna, a steam room, a lazy river, water slides, a drop slide, a climbing wall, an obstacle course, and a 10-lane competition pool with diving boards.
All of it. In one facility. In a city of 28,000 people.
The $72 million aquatic centre connected to the Dow Centennial Centre breaks ground this spring and opens in 2029. It replaces Harbour Pool, which has been the city's only public pool since 1982. Fort Saskatchewan has been waiting 44 years for this upgrade. The new facility is not a modest replacement. It is a generational leap.
What is going inside
The full amenity list confirmed for the new facility:
A 10-lane lap pool with diving boards competition-grade, capable of hosting provincial swim meets and diving events that Harbour Pool cannot accommodate. A leisure pool with zero-depth entry for easy access. A separate warmer tot pool specifically for young children. A hot pool. A sauna. A steam room. A cold plunge pool. A lazy river. Water slides. A drop slide. A climbing wall. An obstacle course. Spectator and parent viewing areas. Space dedicated to water therapy and rehabilitation. Multipurpose rooms. Gendered, barrier-free, and universal change rooms throughout.
The design allows multiple groups to use the facility simultaneously without competing for the same water. Competitive swimmers in the lap pool, families in the leisure pool, toddlers in the tot pool, and seniors in the hot pool and therapy spaces can all be there at the same time.
That combination competition pool plus cold plunge plus hot pool plus lazy river plus obstacle course does not currently exist in a single public facility anywhere in the Edmonton metropolitan region.
Why Harbour Pool is being replaced
Harbour Pool opened in 1982. It is 44 years old. Fort Saskatchewan's population when it opened was a fraction of what it is today the city has grown significantly over the past two decades and the pool has not kept pace with either the population or modern recreational expectations.
The new facility is nearly twice the size of Harbour Pool at 52,500 square feet. It adds lanes, adds programming space, adds accessibility, and adds every amenity category the current pool does not have.
Harbour Pool will stay fully operational until the new facility opens in 2029. Residents will not lose aquatic access during the three-year construction period. What happens to Harbour Pool after 2029 has not been formally confirmed.
What the Dow Centennial Centre is
The new aquatics facility connects directly to the Dow Centennial Centre a 144,000 square foot multipurpose recreation complex built in 2003 for Fort Saskatchewan's centennial at a cost of $22 million.
The DCC houses a 550-seat performing arts theatre, fitness facilities, gymnasium space, arts studios, and meeting rooms. It has hosted provincial judo and ringette championships. It is Fort Saskatchewan's main recreation hub.
The one thing the DCC has never had is swimming. That gap has existed since the building opened in 2003. The new aquatics facility closes it permanently Fort Saskatchewan's main recreation complex will finally have everything under one roof.
Dow Chemical's contribution
Dow Chemical is contributing $4.1 million USD toward the design and construction of the facility. Payments are made annually on March 1 from 2025 to 2028, with each payment tied to the project meeting certain construction milestones. The first payment was received after the agreement was signed.
The Alberta Major Projects Registry notes Dow's total support at $5.8 million, reflecting updated exchange rate calculations since the original agreement was announced.
Dow Chemical operates a major petrochemical facility in Fort Saskatchewan one of the largest in western Canada. The company's financial contribution to a public aquatics facility is consistent with a long history of community investment in the city, including the naming rights on the Dow Centennial Centre itself.
How the city is paying for it
The total project budget is $72 million. Council approved detailed design funding of $5.4 million in August 2024, received the full design and cost report in April 2025, and approved the full construction budget in July 2025. The borrowing bylaw for $66.6 million completed its second and third readings in August 2025 the last formal step before construction could begin.
Dow Chemical's contribution reduces the amount the city needs to borrow. The borrowing is structured as a debenture and will be repaid over time through the city's operating budget.
Where it is and who can use it
The facility is at 9904 99 Avenue in Fort Saskatchewan connected to the Dow Centennial Centre with its own parking. It is open to everyone regardless of where you live. You do not need to be a Fort Saskatchewan resident to use it.
Fort Saskatchewan is 25 minutes northeast of Edmonton via Highway 15. For Edmonton-area residents, the drive is comparable to crossing the city. The amenity list particularly the cold plunge, hot pool, obstacle course, and climbing wall combination goes beyond what most Edmonton Recreation Centre pools offer.
The timeline
Construction started spring 2026.
Opening: 2029.
For project updates, visit fortsask.ca/NewAquaticsFacility.
Sources:
City of Fort Saskatchewan, New Aquatics Facility Project page (fortsask.ca/residents/construction-projects/new-aquatics-facility-project)
City of Fort Saskatchewan, New Aquatics Centre Approved news release (fortsask.ca/news/posts/new-aquatics-centre-approved)
Alberta Major Projects Registry, Fort Saskatchewan Aquatics Facility (majorprojects.alberta.ca)
Dow Centennial Centre, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_Centennial_Centre)
Boringnews.ca, City Issues Construction Updates for Fort Saskatchewan Residents, April 27, 2026 (boringnews.ca)
