A Swimming Canada report says that the ravages of time have left a mark on the majority of the country’s public indoor pools.
According to the report, over half of Canada’s pools are over 25 years old, and many are not in good physical condition.
Several are closed for repair and renovation, and some are closed permanently.
Jocelyn Jay is Swimming Canada’s Associate Director of Sport Development, and she calls for a national strategy for renewing and rebuilding public pools.
“If we are not paying attention to our facilities and what is going on with this facility crisis, it’s a scary thought to see what the long-term implications are there,” she said.
Jay says that this “facility crisis” hurts everyone from competitive swimmers to people who just want to learn to swim.
“We have seen an influx of swimmers who want to be the next Summer McIntosh, Blake Tierney, Josh Liendo,” she said.
“But what we are hearing from our clubs is that they have wait lists. They don’t have room.”
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“The risk is that we are reducing the opportunities for our future Olympic swimmers,” she added.
Additionally, Jay explains that learning to swim is an important skill because drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death for children.
“It is compromising water safety skills. It is limiting swimming access for everyday people,” she warned.
Swimming Canada offers a facility toolkit to communities and groups wanting to renovate existing pools or build new ones.