New pools in Toronto finally opening as suffocating heat continues

After a lengthy repair, the Donald D. Summerville Olympic Pools will reopen this Saturday as Toronto expands access to its outdoor assets following a week of heat warnings.

All three of its pools were kept closed last summer following several years of repairs. An emergency liner repair in 2022 was followed by the full repair of all the pool tanks the following year. The project carried a price tag of just over $4 million.

“It’s a 60-year-old facility. Anything over 60 needs a little TLC,” said Paul Farish, who oversees the repair work and construction of new facilities for the City of Toronto.

Anyone taking a stroll along the boardwalk over the winter may have noticed the scaffolding around the Summerville pool and Farish said crews have been working hard to get it open again in time for summer. On Friday there was a flurry of activity in the facility, from crews working to clean up the changerooms below to lifeguards on the pool deck getting lane ropes and filters prepared for a summer of laps and diving.

“We are extremely excited to be able to open this back up for Torontonians,” Farish said. “It’s a fantastic asset and a great place to be in the summer.”

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The city already opened 10 outdoor pools on June 15, for which it extended the hours this past week to accommodate people trying to escape the brutal temperatures. It also opened 10 wading pools that weekend, which is earlier than usual.

Saturday will see a wider expansion of outdoor pools and wading pools, with dozens opening on modified hours on weekday evenings and weekends until the full summer schedule begins on June 28.

The city’s website details several pools and wading pools that will remain closed for repairs. Monarch Park’s outdoor pool will be open on Saturday, but its neighbouring wading pool is listed as closed for the summer.

Stephanie Soo, who lives nearby, said she was disappointed to hear about the wading pool’s closure and said while she might try to get her kids in the bigger pool, other parents with smaller children may not feel as comfortable.

“The families in the neighbourhood who don’t have the means to get around as easily, the fact that this isn’t open is going to be a big deal for them too,” Soo said.

Farish said not all pools that are listed as closed are necessarily out of commission for the entire summer.

“Some may need another month of work and if we can get them open for summer season, we certainly will,” he said.