TORONTO - Premier Dalton McGuinty says the debate over pools at Toronto schools has gone on long enough.
"When it comes to the pools, I want to make something perfectly clear: we're there, we are there with the capital dollars," McGuinty said Tuesday.
"This debate has gone on for long enough, and I think it's time for us to make a specific commitment (and) we're prepared to do that when it comes to the capital dollars."
McGuinty said the private sector, the City of Toronto and local school boards all have a role to play in keeping the pools open.
He defended the funding for Toronto school pools, even though no other school boards in Ontario have swimming pools.
"These pools are serving a broader community use," he said.
Toronto has 79 pools at schools, but has only 30 city-run indoor pools for its 2.5 million residents, so many public swim programs operate in schools.
