All Quebec pool owners must follow new safety rules – if they can find the supplies
Some new rules for backyard pools are coming into effect in Quebec – but with huge demand, they may be tough to implement right away.
Last month, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing determined that all pools, regardless of when they were installed, will have follow new safety guidelines.
The regulation requires, among other things, that a pool be enclosed by a fence, and any access door must be equipped with a safety device that automatically closes and locks. Any adjacent deck must be equipped with an enclosure and door to protect access.
Until now, pools built before Nov. 1, 2010 were grandfathered in and did not have to be protected, provided they were inside a fence-in yard.
“The principle is we need to control the accessibility for the backyard pool. It doesn’t matter what kind of backyard pool you have,” said Reynald Hawkins of the Quebec Lifesaving Society.
The government announced the change following recommendations by several coroners who note that 85 per cent of drowning deaths in the province were unsupervised children and toddlers who gained access to a pool.
“If we want to see no deaths in the backyard pools, particularly with the toddlers, we should control the accessibility,” said Hawkins.
Owners of these pools will have until July 1, 2023 to comply with the bylaw – necessary, perhaps, because the demand for pools and pool supplies is through the roof.
“Right now we are completely booked for the 2021 season, we are not taking any orders anymore,” said Club Piscine owner Matthew Lemire.
With all the demand for pools, there’s a shortage of landscapers and fence parts -- and if you can find them, the cost has never been higher.
“Especially in the last two years, there’s been a big increase in metal, in glass cost too, so it’s upped the cost a lot more than it used to before,” said Anthony Piambelli of Prime Services landscaping company.
Installing a new fence will cost between $4,000 and $12,000 said Piambelli.
Many clients may not be happy to have that expense, he said, adding that he reminds clients that it’s about the safety of all users.
“It’s not about who lives at your home, it’s when you have guests over or a neighbour’s kid or whatnot come in and jump over and falls in. It takes one minute and there goes someone’s life,” he said.
Lemire agrees that safety is paramount.
“At the end of the day, we’re talking about security. If you look at the new pools built today, we are putting a big emphasis on security. It is for the better,” he said. “In the long run, it is for the better.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Shooting outside of Drake's Bridle Path mansion, 1 person seriously injured: source
Toronto police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion early Tuesday morning, a source tells CP24.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
How to overcome 'savings guilt' when you're living paycheque to paycheque
As the higher cost of living continues to squeeze household budgets, many Canadians find they have even less left over at the end of every month to squirrel away for the future.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.