The City of Burlington offers a variety of swimming and aquatic programs. Recreation swims and lap swims will be walk-in at the outdoor pools, no reservations. Indoor recreation swimming and lap swimming will continue with walk-in and reserve your spot.
Explore our programs, including recreational, fitness and lesson options.
View Drop-in Swimming Schedule
Aquatic fitness
We offer several types of aquatic fitness programs that helps improve stamina, endurance and muscle strength while reducing stress on joints. These programs are available to be reserved in advance or walk-in.
Aquatic leadership
The City of Burlington offers many Aquatic Lifesaving Leadership courses, register online, join in and have fun! These programs will prepare candidates for both leadership and employment opportunities.
The Government of Ontario has lowered the age requirement (now 15 years) to work as a Lifeguard and Swim Instructor. As a result, the Lifesaving Assistant Instructor Course is no longer needed to work in Aquatics at the City and the course is no longer offered.
Lap swim
Lap swim programs are an excellent fitness options for swimmers of all abilities. Lap swims will be walk-in at the outdoor pools, no reservations. Indoor lap swims will continue with walk-in and reserve your spot.
Recreational Swimming
We offer several swimming and aquatic fitness drop-in programs. Including Free Swim, Fun Swim, Leisure Swim, Water Running, and others. Everyone is welcome to enjoy Burlington’s recreational swimming opportunities, swims are available to be reserved in advance or walk-in at the indoor pools or walk-in at the outdoor pools this summer.
Swimming Lessons
We offer swimming lessons for all swimming ability levels. Our lessons follow the Swim for Life™ learn to swim program to develop swimming skills that will last a lifetime. You are never too young to learn how to swim and never too old to start.
Online Progress Cards
The City of Burlington is moving to online progress reports for our Learn to Swim Program.
With online progress reports you receive a number of benefits:
- View and print progress reports at any time and you can share with others.
- Instant access to what you need to register for the next level.
- A record of your child’s progress report and you can save it to your personal files.
On the last lesson, your child’s instructor will give you and your child a verbal assessment of how the session progressed and will discuss if your child was successful in completing all required swim items for their level.
- You will receive an email with your Contact ID number for your Live&Play account
- The following URL can be used by parents and swimmers to view progress cards:
http://swimgen.net/search/burlington - Enter the Contact ID number from your Live&Play account.
- View your swimmers progress card report at your convenience
Swim levels and progressions
The Swim for Life™ program offers the following levels for different swimming abilities and ages. These can be used to determine what program will best fit your child's needs.
Parent and Tot 1 - 4 to 12 months old |
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This program is designed for infants 4 to 12 months old who are ready to learn to enjoy the water with a parent. |
Parent and Tot 2 - 12 to 24 months old |
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This program is designed for infants 12 to 24 months old who are ready to learn to enjoy the water with a parent. |
Parent and Tot 3 - 2 to 3 years old |
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This program is designed for toddlers 2 to 3 years old who are ready to learn to enjoy the water with a parent. |
Timid Toddler/Little Splashers - 2.5 to 5 years old |
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This program is designed for toddlers 2.5 to 5 years old who are just starting out on their own. |
Preschool 1 - 3 to 5 years old |
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This program is designed for children 3 to 5 years old who can move through shallow water with assistance and are ready to explore and learn with a swim instructor. |
Preschool 2 - 3 to 5 years old |
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This program is designed for children 3 to 5 years old who can:
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Preschool 3 - 3 to 5 years old |
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This program is designed for children 3 to 5 years old who can:
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Preschool 4 - 3 to 5 years old |
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This program is designed for children 3 to 5 years old who can:
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Preschool 5 - 3 to 5 years old |
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This program is designed for children 3 to 5 years old who can:
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Swimmer 1 - 5 to 13 years old |
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This program is designed for youth who are 5 to 13 years old and are just starting out. |
Swimmer 2 - 5 to 13 years old |
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This program is designed for youth 5 to 13 years old who can:
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Swimmer 3 - 5 to 13 years old |
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This program is designed for youth 5 to 13 years old who can:
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Swimmer 4 - 5 to 13 years old |
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This program is designed for youth 5 to 13 years old who can:
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Swimmer 5 - 5 to 13 years old |
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This program is designed for who are 5 to 13 years old who can:
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Swimmer 6 - 5 to 13 years old |
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This program is designed for who are 5 to 13 years old who can:
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Swimmer 7 - 5 to 13 years old |
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This program is designed for who are 5 to 13 years old who can:
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Swimmer 8 (Rookie Patrol) - 5 to 13 years old |
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This program is designed for This program is designed for who are 5 to 13 years old and the preferred progression after completing Swimmer 7. |
Swimmer 9 (Ranger Patrol) - 5 to 13 years old |
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This program is designed for This program is designed for who are 5 to 13 years old and the preferred progression after completing Swimmer 8. |
Swimmer 10 (Star Patrol) - 5 to 13 years old |
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This program is designed for This program is designed for who are 5 to 13 years old and the preferred progression after completing Swimmer 9. |
Bronze Star - 10 to 15 years old |
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This program is designed for This program is designed for who are 10 to 15 years old and the preferred progression after completing Swimmer 10. |
Healthy Swim Etiquette
To reduce the risk of spreading germs and to keep our pools clean, remember the following when participating in our swimming programs.
- Shower before you swim
Please shower with soap and warm water before entering or re-entering the pool. It’s clean and it’s green and promotes water quality. - Wear appropriate footwear
Bring clean flip flops or sandals to wear on the pool deck. Street shoes are not permitted. - Not feeling well?
Swimmers should not use the pool when ill, or if they have experienced diarrhea in the past week. - Prevent pool fouling
Please refrain from feeding children or eating large meals before swimming. All swimmers are encouraged to visit the washroom before entering the pool. - What to wear?
Patrons on the pool deck must be dressed in suitable bathing attire and pay the posted admission fee. Children that are not toilet trained must wear swim diapers made for swimming pool use. These are available for purchase in the pool office. - Food-free zone
No food on the pool deck. Only water in reusable, non-glass, drinking containers is permitted on the pool deck. - Photographic devices
The use of any device capable of taking a photo is prohibited in the showers, change rooms and washrooms.
Pool closures
Check out our pool closure newsfeed for updates on pool closures.
Pool Locations
Find a pool closest to you.