City councillor wants delays at public pools addressed

A Winnipeg city councillor wants the city to develop a strategy to deal with long lineups at public pools without just turning people away.

Coun. Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) said the city's pools are popular spots in the warmer months and everybody should get a chance to use them.

"That's really the crux of the matter, is providing as much opportunity for people who want to come down and enjoy our free amenities, to give them that opportunity to enjoy it," he said.

Prospective swimmers at Happyland Pool faced long waits or left without their dip lastweekend while the St. Boniface pool operated on a reduced capacity due to a staffing shortage.

• 'Sorry we're full': Long waits at free pool irk Winnipeg swimmers

Pagtakhan said city officials told him one of the Happyland lifeguards was sent to another pool in the area to meet high demand at that pool,but he didn't know which one.

In a statement on Saturday, a city spokesperson said "Occasionally, we are required to adjust capacity to accommodate unforeseen fluctuations in our staffing availability."

When those things happen, Pagtakhan said the city needs a clear and standardized plan to let everybody enjoy the public amenities, not just those who got there first.

He'd like to see a model like one on busy days at the Freight House Outdoor Pool, where first-in-line swimmers are allowed in for a period of time around 20 minutes to half an hour before being ushered out so the next batch comes in.

"On a summer day, everybody wants to have anopportunity," he said. "I don't think people mind waiting as long as there's a system in place that allows folks to utilize it, I think people are quite patient and willing to wait in line."

Pagtakhan wants the city to start discussing how to address delays and look at best practices in other cities.

He said he'd like to see the system brought in as soon as possible andideally in time for next summer's swimming season.

"These things take time, and if we can get it in sooner, then great," he said.