The City of Montreal is planning a major overhaul to municipal outdoor pools as a public safety measure.

The overhaul will focus on the pool fences, many of which aren’t up to code.

Last summer, a 15-year-old boy died in a city pool in Ahuntsic-Cartierville. It appears he climbed the fence after hours.

The death spurred an investigation.

“It was a question of safety. And we decided to take a leadership role, invest the money, invest the time,” said Rosannie Filato, city executive committee member for youth and sports.

The investigation looked at the condition of the fences protecting its pools.

The results were shocking: out of 74 pools, 54 did not meet the province's safety standards.

While the fences were all higher than the minimum requirement, most of the chain-links were too wide.

“So it's possible for children or young adults with smaller hands, smaller feet to be able to climb (the fence) if (the holes are) too large, if the width is too large,” said Filato.

The coroner's report into the teen's death hasn't been made public yet, but the city is going ahead and replacing all the faulty fences.

The Quebec Lifesaving Society applauds the decision.

“We are more than pleased about that because we know those standards are there to prevent drowning situations,” said Raynald Hawkins, executive director of the Quebec Lifesaving Society.

Swimming pools fall under the jurisdiction of the boroughs, but the city's central services are footing the bill, which will cost just over $1 million as a matter of public safety.

Although less than 1 per cent of drownings in the province occur at public pools and beaches, Hawkins said it’s still too many.

“For us, one drowning is one too many because we know they are preventable,” he said. “If all the owners of the public swimming facilities meet the standards, I think we're going to see our numbers going down year after year.

The fences will be rebuilt through the winter months.

“By the summer by the next season where the pools will be used, all the fences will be up to norm,” said Filato.