After a heatwave that lasted nearly all week, outdoor pools and splashpads that are often found in Montreal parks are now able to open both in the city and all across the province of Québec. By July 1, Montreal aims to have all of its municipal pools open.
Initally, the City of Montreal issued a release on May 27 which detailed the opening of splashpads, several days before a wider announcement was made by the Minister of Health Danielle McCann and the Minister of Municipal Affairs Andrée Laforest on May 30.
Ultimately, it is up to municipalities and/or whatever organizations are responsible for pools, wading pools, splashpads and so forth to decide when reopening can occur. As playgrounds remain closed in parks, it's clear that hygiene is important and and social distancing rules must be respected when people use public areas or pools.
As for the concerns around public outdoor pools and falling ill? A strategic medical advisor of public health, Richard Masse, explained that chlorinated water would not be conducive to the spread of COVID-19, according to a report by CTV News.
The weather for the next two weeks is currently forecasted to barely break the 25°C mark, so pools and splashpads will likely not be in high demand, but the announcement comes just in time as the summer equinox approaches on June 20th. Here's a map of where to find splashpads in Montreal:
Most popular on Time Out
- Touk, a Cambodian street food pop-up, is cooking up a storm in Old Montreal
- This Canadian grocery store is experimenting with UV light to disinfect groceries at checkout
- A new drive-in movie theatre pop-up is opening in Vaudreuil-Dorion, and admission is $10
- Marijuana could prevent catching COVID-19, according to one Canadian university's studies