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26percent

Former city lifeguard here. I’d suggest emailing [email protected] as well as copying the city councillor for this ward [email protected] The city is extremely stingy with its maintenance budget and getting management to believe that something is an issue is impossible unless the public also complains. I’ve literally walked around a green pool with a facility supervisor and they told me it was fine.


graphophonic

Yes, well according to the lifeguards it's "safe" and the water tests look okay, but they also admitted that they wouldn't go in themselves unless there was an emergency. 


Dakadaka

Yeah you might want to also cc the aquatic supervisor Andrea Chow in your email to Malik. The aquatic supervisors are notoriously bad at their jobs and need that extra something to get them to stay on the ball.


26percent

She’s moved to Parks. Aquatics would be Eric. If anyone’s interested the [directory is posted online](https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/city-administration/staff-directory-divisions-and-customer-service/parks-forestry-recreation/) Glad people are reaching out to the councillor. Lights a fire under people’s asses and forces aquatics management to actually talk to facilities management


Fox_and_Otter

They are testing for chlorine & pH levels, so it is safe. Likely just a build up of particulate due to filters not catching stuff.


radman888

You know how pool filters work, right?


alreadychosed

They filter better when they're older, but also restricting flow.


mtech101

I'm sure every kid who entered that pool has pissed in it lol


iLoveHumanity24

I'm pretty sure I've peed in that pool and I've never even been in it


0EFF

That’s some Miles Davis level cool.


shoresy99

I don’t think filters are going to remove pee from the pool.


Correct_Huckleberry4

That's why they use chlorine.


Trollsama

no thats what the chemicals are for. the filters are so your not swimming in a watered down oatmeal made predominantly of filth and dead skin.


Personal-Mechanic-40

Holy fuck I could have had a fine morning without reading that. It’s true though


Milch_und_Paprika

Wonder if you could up the urgency of your email with a photo of some water you “borrowed” where you 1) let a bunch of silt settle out over a few days or 2) pour it through a coffee filter and get a bunch of residue left behind 👀


IAmWhatTheRockCooked

And then smoke it! Right in the councillor's face.


DietCherrySoda

Lifeguards are teenagers, not qualified water quality experts.


ThirstyBigPoppa

It’s a simple test, they do it all the time.


uuuuh_hi

Their higher up does the test, either a pool in-charge or a 416 facility staff


ThirstyBigPoppa

Municipally owned pools likely get the higher ups but I’ve had lifeguards do it many times. Again, it’s a very simple test. I inspect these things for a living, continue to call public health until they rectify.


Worldly_Influence_18

We're heading into a heatwave...


fatalflaws-

Get a grip. There’s a massive pool right next to it. The hysterics are beyond.


FakeGirlfriend

And if the councillor gets like 3 actual real life phone calls about it they'll call an emergency meeting about the issue. Or so I remember from about 10 years ago in comms.


Equivalent-Text1187

It's not fine. Chlorine levels are irrelevant if the water turbidity is high, because bacteria can "hide" in and on the particulates. If they can't afford to maintain the pool properly then they need to close it


graphophonic

It would be a shame to close the pool. A lot of people aren't going anymore, obviously, and I worry this will give them justification to cut the already very few hours that the pool is open for. 


JagmeetSingh2

Tweet it out as well, only way to get city to do anything nowadays seems to be with public shaming


IAmWhatTheRockCooked

Only way to get anyone with a vested interest in public perception* to do anything nowadays. it can be a powerful tool but it's wielded mostly by idiots, so ymmv


FabulousSenior

The 2024 budget for Shelter & Support Services is $748 million. Would the city consider sharing some of those millions with community centres.


RKSH4-Klara

I’d rather it come from the 1.2 billion the TPS got.


cutemepatoot

Yuck


Flashy-Psychology-30

After COVID the public health infrastructure has taken a more active and direct method of improving general health, infect all the kids only the strong will survive the pool. We project losses of 40-65% for the next 2 generations but after that they should be able to drink anthrax like a soda.


JaySolated

hahahaha WTF 😭


Obo4168

That's literally how some people think. It's mindboggling the leaps of logic these people make. So tired of Youtuber "facts".


ephemoL

I sent an email to the councilor about this post. Will update if I get a response. Edit: They responded quickly: We will be reaching out to Parks, Forestry, and Recreation staff, as well as the community centre, to ensure we can quickly get this resolved. 


graphophonic

Thank you for doing that! I am planning to do so as well but thought I'd complain to strangers online first like a good Redditor. But in all seriousness this will get more attention if multiple people bring it up. 


waterloograd

>complain to strangers online first like a good Redditor This is the way


Kingkong1152

Thank-you for taking action on this and for the update


Open_Performance_854

Thank you. I was there last weekend and wrote the councillor and crp and got a similar quick response. Complaining on Reddit and not writing anyone isn’t a solution. It just gets a bunch of useless replies and suggestions from people who want other people to do something. 


OnlyKeith

Jesus. Things must have changed some from back when I was a lifeguard (15-20 years ago). I’ve been both a public sector and a private sector lifeguard in towns a bit east of there and it normally just took a quick chat with the maintenance folks to get something like this sorted out in the extremely unlikely event that I noticed it before they had already noticed and sorted it. That may be chemically correct but it’s fucking filthy. I will now be following up with the city.


irlazaholmes

I’m lifeguard right now, the city became really lazy and will only listen if enough people from the public complain.


whogivesashirtdotca

> the city became really lazy Not lazy, *broke*.


RosalieMoon

This is why property tax went up the tiny bit it did. And look at the crap people spewed about THAT


MimicoSkunkFan

My nephew became a lifeguard last year and he's refusing to work for the city this year - he was really disappointed with how they blamed the budget for everything, like even if it's chemically correct it's not okay So he's lifeguarding at some apartments this year so he doesn't have to worry about questionable conditions being pinned on him. I hope wherever you're working they're doing the right thing!


irlazaholmes

There’s pros and cons to working private, so I’ll still choose to work for the city over it but good for your nephew! And it definitely depends which pools too (some pools have way worse environments).


graphophonic

Thank you 🙏


TownAfterTown

What happened since you were a lifeguard was 12 years of conservative mayors starving the city of funding!


tor93

Call your councillor


wedontswiminsoda

Sorry to see that. City pools are usually great. Not sure why it would take so long to get a replacement approved... Keep us posted


NefariousnessSuch868

This pool is a mess. One time the little pool has a jacuzzi temperature, the other it’s the polar bear dip, (and the other, it is closed for maintenance). Very nice pool, but that pool in particular sucks. Asked the personnel why the variability in temps and they said it came down to someone remembering to turn on the heater 😂


DJJazzay

I know this can be said of ***quite*** a few parks and public spaces, but the overall lack of care and maintenance given to Trinity Bellwoods (both the park and the CC) is honestly a bit embarrassing. Considering how heavily-used and well-known it is? To have massive patches of mud where city trucks have torn apart the turf, or concrete paths torn up by roots or erosion, or pisspoor drainage leaving small ponds after even modest amounts of rain... It just reflects so poorly on us as a city.


M_urr

I don't know why they use such large trucks for maintenance in the parks! Could easily use more practical trucks like those small "maintenance" types like this. https://images.app.goo.gl/AXJYRT9jgesZdSHPA


DJJazzay

Totally - seems wildly unnecessary. And honestly most of the time I see them it's not as though the truck is helping the guy haul heavy equipment to a certain area or anything.


t1m3kn1ght

Ffs. Former water services employee and lifeguard once upon a time here. I'd recommend a three pronged approach to get this fixed: 1. Contact the facilities supervisor for that area. This is their purview. It's on them to get the ball rolling on work orders for City buildings for everything from HVAC to plumbing. To my memory TBCC is part of the Toronto East York district which has its own facilities supervisors. 2. Contact the Aquatic recreation supervisor for that area as well. It's not necessarily their purview but sometimes they push to run pools well beyond appropriate maintenance periods. 3. Contact the ward councillor and mention to the above that you are reaching out to them as well. Emphasize to the councillor that neglect of community infrastructure is unacceptable austerity. A hard truth from my past work experience was that political gamesmanship was all too important compared to having functional infrastructure. Opening a community centre is a social media and reputation building extravaganza, ensuring that the same centre has an operational filter system? Not so much.


JoeCartersLeap

'Tis a fine septic tank, but sure 'tis no pool.


helicopb

Doh’eth!


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Uncanny1982

You use stabilizer in outdoor pools, not indoor pools.. Stabilizer stops the sun from quickly breaking down your chlorine.. It's in the ontario health regulations that stabilizer cant be used in indoor pools and spas


Glittering_Cell_4256

Sand in the filters needs to be replaced every half dozen years. For that size pool it probably only needs 4 or 5 bags of sand and and afternoon's worth on work for one person. I used to have a 12' x 24' x 3m5x deep pool and it needed 3 bags and a Saturday afternoon to replace.


DeadpoolOptimus

Mmmmmmm, poo particles. Pink eye is always fun when summer break is about to start.


bryankerr

They just need to drain and refill, the filter is a bunch of sand in a big tank. They just need to backwash it unless its physically broken. If people took showers before they went in the pool that would also make an enormous difference.


CowHoliday9242

Yes that would help. Could be the result of a lot of people through due to heat and not showering so lots of free organics in pool.


bryankerr

I have 2 kids, there's no such thing as a "swim diaper" it doesn't contain anything, it just doesn't expand with water. They should absolutely be draining this pool every day.


zombiemittens

Report this to Toronto Public Health. They have legislation and inspect pools. Cloudy water usually merits a closure order as it can be a drowning risk if you can't see the bottom of the pool (black disc) from 9m away.


Justahappyfellow

I've worked in the field and this indicates a poor routines and a misunderstanding on what a public pool requires to be healthy. - In this case its likely worth it to just empty this system if not connected to the others. We usually empty a pool if polluted if less than 5.5k gallons. In this case I'd be interested in knowing the amount of salts before making a decision. We could be fine by letting the filters and chemicals do its job. - Most of the times the filters are just fine. Unless they are leaking violently. The filter media can easily be switched if needed, but is almost never necessary. Clean it with hydrogen peroxide. * When you have cleaned the filters. Emptied the pool. Clean it, there's a very visible fatty line that indicates it is not cleaned often enough. Also make sure that regular filter backwash is done. This removes the silt that settles between the sand particles. * Adjust the addition and bleeding of water from the system. * Adjust the flocking compound. This can be the cause of high turbidity. (lots of small particles in solution.) * Adjust pH lowering solution, adjust chlorine solution. Of course. It could be that this pool is very old and have poor circulation, in combination with it being very overbooked. In this case we'd have to look at this from other angles. Here in Europe we have high standards when it comes to public waters. If by any chance I can help Trinity Bellwoods with my experience I'd be happy to do so.


l_reganzi

Well said. I used to take care of a YMCA pool and you need to be a bit of a chemist to keep it clear. Clearly somebody’s not doing their job because it’s something you need to do every day.


PurpleCaterpillar421

Ewww I’d rather swim in be lake lol


beartheminus

This is always the biggest problems with government funded projects, operating expenses. Every politician loves to spend money on capital cost investments, but its the on going costs that often get neglected. Big career defining projects often get built and then are left to crumble apart. You can't have a ribbon cutting ceremony when they change the pool filters.


reviverevival

It's because it's easier to embezzle big infrastructure projects. That's why so many developing countries get so thirsty for the olympics


oldgreymere

That pool always has problems. Even the heating for the showers is often not working. 


goooooooooooooogly

The urine will kill whatever is growing in there.


kitttxn

Ewwww wtf. Are you saying they’ve kept the pool open with the water looking like this?


graphophonic

Yes, the pool is open in this condition. 


kateyklod

Eww


xprofusionx

My toilet water is cleaner than that.


Capital_Influence_57

The saddest thing about this is keeping a pool clean is one of the easiest things you'll ever do. It just costs money. Money for maintaining filters, money for chemicals, money money money. Just shows you it's the management being stingy with money and nothing else.


No_Strategy7555

Kids pool you say, I wonder what the problem is?


[deleted]

So we have millions to rename Dundas street but we can’t keep our community centers clean? What a shame.


The_hipp1e

Of course! The dozens* of people that know of Henry Dundas's history will be gravely affected by having to remember his name. Absolutely nobody will be affected by dirty pool water. Source: trustmebro (*3% margin of error) /s


[deleted]

😂


ScagWhistle

At this point, it's just human body soup.


meownelle

There's no way that's safe to swim in. I'd go to Canadian Tire and buy a pool testing kit.


toobigtobereal

The filter medium must be muck for it to be that bad. Do not swim in this water. Too much organic matter in the medium.


mwmwmwmwmmdw

the medium is the message


minetmine

It's disgusting. I signed my baby up for swim lessons back in May and it was like this. I never went back after the first lesson because I just couldn't bring myself to step foot in there. 


lisamon429

I sent an email too bc this made me so angry. https://www.imghippo.com/i/T3fHl1718643172.jpg


graphophonic

Thank you for writing and sending that email!


lisamon429

Government incompetence is the only time I feel good about being a Karen. There’s no excuse.


fatalflaws-

Karens are gonna be Karens At least you know what you are.


apartmen1

piss and shit, nice!


Wandering_instructor

You get a uti, you get a uti, everyone gets a uti!


MaxShadowCat

This is why kids get sick all the time cus it seems like nobody cares to clean up their areas wether it be play areas, pools, etc


kremaili

Gotta throw a few chlorine pucks in there asap.


tropic0_window

This is not a chemical problem


kremaili

Oh yeah this needs a serious intervention. I’m mostly kidding, although it couldn’t hurt.


Worldly_Influence_18

The pool probably looks like this because that's all they've been doing


CanuckGinger

🤢


Backeastvan

That's poop


Elscorcho69

W.T.F


Woodguy2012

Make sure you floss if it accidentally gets in your mouth. 


Bawd

98% pee


CaterpillarThriller

you do realize that the pools in the backyards of our politicians are much more important than us, the people.


Fit-Tennis-771

Looks to me like not just pee, but poo's have been had in that pool. Hard to filter that out.


gymaddict1976

We have millions to waste on a new spa for the rich owned by a foreign corporation


mebg1956

Cloudy water is not just about the filters but about the chemicals. That is gross.


cliffopro

This is probably from both #1 and #2, chlorine takes care of it!!!😗😗😗


youngfierywoman

I used to work at this pool (over a decade ago), and our biggest issue then with the kiddy pool was that one of the maintenance staff was incompetent, and would frequently drain the baby pool by accident. And then we had to wait for the pool heater to heat up the cold water that was being pumped in. Was not fun trying to teach a Parent & Tot class in the main pool whenever it happened. I used to cancel the class, and just do paperwork until I had my next class. Nobody likes seeing babies turn blue!


SwiftyTorontoGoose

Facilities is the worst department in the city. Can confirm as a city employee I could shed a lot more light on this but am not supposed to technically


Aggravating_Umpire34

So this is where IPAs are made.


Same-Kiwi944

Sounds accurate Lots of city pools have sand all over the bottom due to poor filters. Not a chemist but pools themselves are pretty gross concepts. All the urine, sweat, sunscreen, hair, bandaids, vomit and poop in a soup of sorts. They shock the pool with tons of chemicals after someone pukes or poops but they don’t drain the pools of course. Not sure how often the water is actually changed


I_havean_Idea

I wrote to the councillor and got this response - new filters are going in: [https://ibb.co/rbfbSgK](https://ibb.co/rbfbSgK)


graphophonic

Thank you for writing and for posting the response. Looks like it will all be sorted out by July 3rd. 


Son_of_Dad2024

Yet the city is super strict with every condo pool and will shut you down if your alkalinity is off by even a tiny bit. Hypocrites


iq2da

🤢🤢🤢


popowolf24

yuck


Shageen

Human Soup.


goleafie

All Toronto is green with envy. We need Brita filters here now!


northbi35

He called the shit, poop


Playful-Target-7231

And this is why I haven't worked for city of Toronto yet


BurlingtonRider

Looks like lack of filtration


bawbthebawb

I'd avoid the water in the pool, looks like the remnants of an o-henry bat


KunaSazuki

poop water


santanapoptarts

That’s disgusting


MonkeyAlpha

Brown? 🤢🤢🤮


wholewheaatt

Water almost looks like it smells like piss 😂💀


Acrobatic-Guess-5363

This is the first time that a “Brotha euhh.. what’s that brotha?” meme is fully warranted


UpstairsMail3321

That’s doo doo baby!


Apprehensive_Key_644

This seems like a need for oxidizing shock more than filter.


Only-Positive5948

Looks fine to drink to me 🤷🏻‍♂️ 


Connect_Progress7862

The city is broke


nicenyeezy

This is a public health risk


Leafsnthings

Lol I used to be a lifeguard for the city, I will never set foot in a public pool for the rest of my days, and don’t hold your breath about the city actually changing anything


Dannypalfy

Prolly should upgrade to the 3m Masala scrubbers.


surewhtvr

Gross af. I’m envious y’all have windows. Albion CC is somber cloudy water would be hard to detect


NoMakeupp

This is typical. But gross. Needs new filter media


latchkeyk1d

Infections waiting to happen


nzal1984

But hey, a million to change the name of Dundas Square 😂😂


Perfect-Text-4001

Buy pool testers online and secretly test the water yourself while filming.


Tengoatuzui

That looks illegal


Prize-Ad-8594

Kids pool also known as the pee pool


Gomesi

Omg. That’s 💩


IllustratorValuable3

Yikes….😱


downwitbrown

I like it


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toronto-ModTeam

No racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, dehumanizing speech, or other negative generalizations.


Resident_Cress_8034

I saw this post yesterday and it’s amazing how quickly it became a news story.


titillywonderfull

That’s a nope for me, and a nope for my kiddo that would trooper in there if this piss pool held a swim class or a “fun” swim.


a-user1209

The city has always been stingy with anything... This is a new low...


TLBG

Would love to see the old filters that come out of there AND have them tested for bacterium etc. This is not acceptable and if they aren't being changed regularly and earlier if needed, then close it down.


WeArrAllMadHere

I wouldn’t let my child near that.


Early-Comfortable440

Ewww gross!! I wouldn't swim in this cesspool either. Heaven only knows what diseases you would catch from swimming in it


Any-Zookeepergame309

Nanh. The filter?!? They just need to change the kids. Those kids are filthy!


FaithlessnessOk6390

Looks like the Ganges River


Cautious_Wrap3877

Shut it down


backpackknapsack

When the city finds you haven't cut your grass they come and will do it for you and send you a bill. As taxpayers, we should be able to do the same. Go change the filter, clean the pool, and send the city the bill. This stuff belongs to us.


Reelair

Does nobody on staff at the Community Centre know how to backwash the sand filter?


podbotman

Just corrupt city things.


squirrelduke

That's not at all true.


PaleJicama4297

We are a third world country owned by multimillionaires/billionaires who are not taxed and we expect better? Tough luck proles. You are drinking this.


[deleted]

Brown colour is not coming from filters. Google "fouling".


PuzzleheadedTiger732

City blew the budget on sankofa square and painting rainbows on the paths, no money left for parks ans rec.


Pale-Ad-8383

Looks like salt water pool… sand filtration. I am not 100% certain but a reverse flow loop is needed to rinse and dump the media. They probably got rid of the employee that did it daily and replaced with less frequently.


Weak-Lead-8455

Surely if they only allowed swimsuits and a shower before getting into the water there would be more hygiene in the pools.


Big-Peak6191

That's disgusting, what a shithole


datums

Yet people keep voting for John Tory.


graphophonic

Tell me you're not from Toronto without telling me you're not from Toronto. 


datums

Kinda just pointing out that if John Tory were still mayor, he'd be getting roasted in these comments. But now that Chow mayor...


onpar_44

Yeah, why didn’t Olivia completely pay off the $1.7BILLION maintenance deficit within her first year in office? /s This is the result of multiple terms of conservative mayors who refused to raise taxes to pay for things like this. Olivia is the first one to actually change that.


tropic0_window

You gotta update your bot bro


Loonie_Toque

… Tory left years ago.


onpar_44

Years? He left 11 months ago, and polls showed he would have easily won again had he run against Olivia.


SCAMMERASSASIN007

Well, that looks like the total chlorine may be fine, but I can't say the same for the stabilizer or free chlorine and ph. Jesus, someone needs to get a sample and take it to a pool place to get tested. I need to know how bad it is. Lol


Future_Musician_1879

I bet it was full of trudopes' friends


wildernesstypo

I'm unsure if you're a racist or just saying Justin has no friends


UncleBensRacistRice

Sorry. Had to use the budget for the Yonge and Dundas name change that no one asked for


PythonEntusiast

So nice of Canada to become a third world country. s/


worst-in-class

Olivia Chow's Toronto