Tue Jun. 23 2009 10:23:17 PM
City staff to recommend closure of 23 school pools
cp24.com
TDSB trustee Josh Matlow |
Toronto District School Board staff will recommend closing 23 school pools at a budget meeting to be held on Wednesday.
St. Paul's trustee Josh Matlow told CP24 on Tuesday night that the staff report recommends the temporary closure of 16 pools and permanent closure of another seven. He did not say which pools may be on the chopping block.
He says the recommendations arrived on the eve of a budget vote, which means parents and community members rallying to keep the pools open will have no time to react to the report.
"I hope they swim rather than sink," he says. "They are important to the community. There is no appetite to see more pools be closed"
However, Matlow says a recent task force headed by former Mayor David Crombie found that a number of the pools slated for closure could be saved.
The TDSB voted last year to close all school pools if funding couldn't be secured to pay for their operations.
However, proponents of keeping the pools open have suggested such options as naming sponsorships and renting out pool time.
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Comments are now closed for this story
June 24, 2009 at 12:48:45 AM
jackie
Why???? Like we don't pay enough taxes; please explain to me where our tax dollars go (besides your pockets)
June 24, 2009 at 1:01:29 AM
DJ
This just keeps getting better and better.A joke,that is.You need funding,give up 10% of trusties expence acounts.Things are getting pretty sad when political forums choose to target the children.It's always the ones who can't fight back.With the unions and the politicians of Toronto,the people of Toronto don't have a chance.Unless you're rich.The stink of Toronto doesn't appear to be confined only to the garbage strike.
June 24, 2009 at 1:50:45 AM
Andrew
The TSBD should hand over operations of the swimming pools to the City of Toronto. Why should schools be operating pools? The City of Toronto should open the pools to the public and charge a small fee to cover the operating costs.
June 24, 2009 at 7:46:09 AM
mikey m
This is because the unions are bleeding the city dry without consideration for anyone but themselves,
As the unions get more wages and benefits, citizens lose things like swimming pools. If we don't end this now, citizens will have even less.
June 24, 2009 at 7:48:06 AM
BA
We open, we close, we open, we close, we open, we close..... Stop holding us hostage, either you make an effort to keep it open or close it permanently altogether!
June 24, 2009 at 9:12:12 AM
Lee in T.O.
Isn't it a shame we build these pools/community centres for the "children" and rejoice that they won't be bored all summer and stay off the streets?
Only to have these pools/centres closed a few years later, pushing the kids on the streets....then spending money AGAIN for these youth shelters and programs to get the kids OFF the streets?
Does anyone see a pattern here?
The gov't spends tax dollars to open these pools, closes them, kids on streets, spend tax dollars again for programs etc to get kids off street.....
HMMMMMM - something just doesn't seem right here!
June 24, 2009 at 9:19:59 AM
Dan
If every parent would just put a pool in their own backyard, we would not be having this problem. Stop putting all the blame on everyone else. Do something yourself.