Quinte West pool enclosure bylaw defeated

By Jaykob Storey

BELLEVILLE – Quinte West council has voted against a proposed bylaw to require that swimming pools be enclosed.

It it had passed, the bylaw would have required homeowners to build a fence around in-ground swimming pools. A similar bylaw was discussed and ultimately defeated in February 2011, and the proposal fared no better in 2015. In the end the vote at Monday’s meeting came out 8-2 against the bylaw. Councillors Karen Sharpe and Bob Wannamaker were the sole members in favour of the motion, while the rest of the council agreed that it was either unnecessary or would be ineffective in its current form.

Sharpe was the councillor who moved that the bylaw be carried forward, and Councillor Duncan Armstrong seconded the motion. Councillor Allan DeWitt was the first to oppose the proposition, saying that while he feels that “trying to put something in place to prevent even one child’s drowning is very important,” it should be a provincial matter. He called the bylaw in its current form “too fragmented.”

DeWitt’s statements were echoed by Deputy Mayor Jim Alyea, who said that while every possible measure should be taken to avoid drowning, he felt that the current approach was being done  in a “piecemeal fashion.”

The discussion then turned to issues such as the depth of a pool that constitutes a danger to children  – 0.6 metres, according to the bylaw as it was proposed – and whether large inflatable pools or hot tubs should be included in the bylaw. Brian Jardine, director of Quinte West’s planning and development services, said that there are many variables and challenges in a bylaw like this, and that the council would need to address these. It could use existing bylaws in neighbouring communities as a model, he said.

Mayor Jim Harrison asked if there have been any drownings in in-ground pools in Quinte West since the last time such a bylaw was discussed.

“No,” replied Jardine.

Harrison then said that in his view, “the most effective step that could be taken is to educate caregivers about the potential dangers of, in this case, young children around swimming pools.”

After a brief discussion, the matter was closed and the council agreed to continue with status quo for the time being.

You can watch the proceedings of the meeting here.