Almost two dozen pools in the Toronto area are slated to close, and some skating rinks will see hours reduced as the city pushes ahead with its cost-cutting measures.
A report suggested Thursday that the city plans to pull the plug on at least seven school swimming pools including Bedford Park, Hillcrest Community Centre and Runnymeade Collegiate.
And this is a move that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford fully supports as he looks to pare down a massive $774 million budget shortfall.
"I think the province and the school boards should be funding those pools, not the city of Toronto," he said.
The report also suggested that the city might convert some wading pools to splash pads saving even more money as the splash pads do not require monitoring by city staff. Among those on the list include MacGregor Playground, Wellesley Park, and Kempton Howard Park.
"Some of these are old and they are past the point of no return," said Coun. Denzel Minnan-Wong. "It doesn't make sense to keep these expensive pools that nobody swims in."
Another 10 hockey arenas across the city will also see their off-peak hours reduced in the cost-savings bid.
At least one councillor sees this exercise as a wake-up call to residents to take a more active part in the fiscal challenge.
"I hope now that the communities know what is being considered for closure, they will work with us to find creative ideas to make sure that they're well funded and continue on to serve our kids in our community," said Coun. Josh Matlow.
The school board told CTV News late Thursday afternoon that it not been told which facilities were being eyed.
With reporting by CTV's Scott Lightfoot
