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Earl Rowe Park pool will remain closed for the season

July 13, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

Unless you have your own backyard pool, opportunities to enjoy a dip locally are limited this year.

It has been announced that the swimming pool at Earl Rowe Provincial Park in Alliston will again remain closed for the 2023 season.

The swimming pool closed in the summer of 2020 due to restrictions caused by the pandemic. This year, the pool will remain closed for a fourth straight year so needed repairs can be completed to the pool surface.

In addition to repairs, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks said a lifeguard shortage would have prevented the pool from opening this year even if the pool was ready.

A lifeguard shortage across the country has caused many public pools to either remain closed or limit their hours of operation. This includes the Rotary Pool in Alliston, which has limited swimming times this year.

The lifeguard shortage is a result of the pandemic when training was put on hold resulting in a lack of qualified lifeguards this year.

Prior to the pandemic, close to 20,000 people used the pool at Earl Rowe Park every year.

There is still swimming available at the Park’s beach area. However, visitors need to be cautious and mindful of public health posts about dangerous levels of bacteria, which can either put a stop to swimming altogether or cause a warning to be issued about the dangers of swimming in the water.

The Earl Rowe Park pool is expected to return to full operations in 2024.

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