The City of Toronto is beginning its seasonal rollout of park washrooms, fountains, splash pads and pools, with more than 1,000 water amenities set to reopen in the coming weeks ahead of warmer weather.
Mayor Olivia Chow made the announcement on Wednesday, emphasizing that the city has “put in new guidelines as part of the heat relief strategy to make sure pools stay open on very hot days.”
The early reopening comes following intense criticism last year in June when residents and even Premier Doug Ford criticized the city for keeping some pools closed during severe heat waves while people were actively seeking relief during dangerous temperatures.
Today, Chow noted that more than 1,000 water assets in parks, including washrooms, water fountains and bottle-filling stations across the city are “in the process” of reopening. The city says most park washrooms should be open starting this week.
Meanwhile, more than 140 splash and spray pads are scheduled to open Saturday, May 16. Standalone water fountains, bottle-filling stations and dog fountains are expected to open by May 25, with the city adding that they must be “tested to ensure the water is safe to drink” beforehand.
The city says lifeguard supervision at 10 beaches will also begin next month on June 6, operating daily from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
“It used to be that becoming a lifeguard, you have to take these tests, you have to get certificates, and it costs money… that is holding back some of the very good swimmers that should be lifeguards," Chow said. “Our leadership program means that whoever can swim well can be trained and can become a lifeguard, which really helps diversify our lifeguard pool and increase it quite dramatically.”
In addition, 15 outdoor pools and wading pools will open early on evening and weekend schedules starting June 13, while all outdoor pools are then expected to open on a partial evening and weekend schedule on June 20, before moving to full schedules on June 26.
The city said it has invested $132 million to upgrade 125 park washrooms, converting them from seasonal to year-round use, while adding 16 new public washrooms including at Allan Gardens, Biidaasige Park and Centennial Park.
