A dry summer: Neighbourhood pool at risk of not opening as it waits for a federal grant
A neighbourhood pool in west London, Ont. may not be able to open this year because the federal funding it depends on every year to hire lifeguards has not come through.
It’s left pool users with a sinking feeling.
“We can’t open at this time, we’ve been advised not to open,” explained John Clack, the president of the Board of Directors at Forest Edge pool in the Westmount neighbourhood.
Clack said for as long as he remembers, Forest Edge has received a grant from the federal Canada Summer Jobs grant program every spring to hire lifeguards. He said they usually know by March, but so far this year they have yet to receive word on whether that annual grant will come through.
“We have not received any feedback on whether or not we’ve been approved of that, to date, so we are currently in a holding pattern,” said Clack.
“It’s very frustrating when you hear that for-profit organizations are getting this grant approved,” added Vice-President Jessica Lefebvre. “I think if there is delays there should be priorities to those in need and that depend on this grant.”
Sifton, the neighbourhood’s original developer, built the pool more than five decades ago. It has been operated by the neighbourhood ever since.
It currently has a membership of 150, including many family memberships.
Forest Edge Pool in Westmount, seen on June 9, 2023, may not open because a federal summer jobs grant to hire lifeguards has not come through. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)
According to Clack, its operating budget is as much as $75,000 per year. He said last year, more than half of that came from the federal grant.
The pool has hired six full-time student lifeguards for the summer, who are on standby. It also has two senior lifeguards and a number of junior lifeguards.
Members see it as much more than just a place to swim.
“I think it’s absolutely essential,” said long time neighbour and Forest Edge pool member Pia O’Leary. “First of all, it binds us as a community. We have things in the evening, like they have movie nights. They have game days for the kids.”
Parent Rachel Hovius said she grew up at the pool, and now her children use it, “So my children learn how to swim here now, they spend their summers here, and again, it’s just a hub for the community.”
CTV News reached out to London West Liberal MP Arielle Kayabaga to find out what’s happening with Forest Edge’s grant application.
Neither she nor her office has responded at the time of this article’s publication.
“Right now no word,” said an exasperated Clack.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.