Montreal's Summer Swim Crisis: A Call for Open-Water Pools
Montreal, a city surrounded by water, is facing a summer swim crisis. While other cities like New York are investing in open-water pools, Montreal is missing out on this simple yet popular concept. The city has a golden opportunity to catch up and transform its waterfronts, benefiting locals and visitors alike.
The case for open-water pools is compelling. Firstly, Montreal has a shortage of accessible swimming opportunities. While the city has dozens of outdoor pools, there are only a handful of beaches where the public can get in the water on hot days. This is a missed opportunity, especially for island cities like Montreal, which are surrounded by water but lack convenient swimming spots.
Secondly, open-water pools can improve water quality and safety. Fondation Rivières, an organization promoting public access to waterways, found 57 sites in Montreal suitable for swimming, including in Lachine. The waters off René-Lévesque Park, where the open-water pool was slated to go, are some of the cleanest in Lac St. Louis. A floating pool would provide a safe and accessible swimming spot, away from strong currents in deeper parts of the St. Lawrence River.
Thirdly, open-water pools are a wise investment. The $500,000 cost to put in decking and rope lanes to make swimming safer is entirely reasonable, promising big impact for a modest price. This is especially true when compared to the $55-million cost of re-establishing a marina, which Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada ruled out.
However, the future of the open-water pool remains up in the air. The project was halted by the new Ensemble Montréal administration, who called it too expensive and divisive. But the $500,000 cost is a drop in the bucket compared to the benefits of a floating pool. The city has a two-year window on the environmental permit, and the mayors of Montreal and Lachine should take the plunge before it expires.
Montreal has a golden opportunity to catch up to other cities near and far that have already transformed their waterfronts. The city's hard work has already been done, and the $500,000 cost is a wise investment. Summer is short, and the weather is hot. What are they waiting for?
In my opinion, the mayors of Montreal and Lachine should take the plunge and invest in the open-water pool. It's a simple yet effective way to improve water quality, safety, and accessibility for locals and visitors alike. Montreal has a chance to become a leader in waterfront transformation, and it should seize this opportunity before the window closes.
