Alex Viliansky, owner of Felix's Swim Schools, May 2, 2025.EDUARDO LIMA
Kate Dupuis’s two kids love the swim lessons they get every week at their school in Toronto’s east end. Her 10-year-old daughter is developing into a great swimmer, and her six-year-old son recently came home bragging about plunging into the deep end.
That could all come to an end as the Toronto District School Board considers a report that recommends closing more than half of its pools to help reduce a budget deficit.
Closing school pools means many kids would not have the opportunity to learn to swim, either because their parents can’t secure a spot in city-run programs or afford private lessons, says Ms. Dupuis, a neuropsychologist and researcher.
“What we need is a government that will actually fund public education properly,” she says.
A report presented to the Toronto District School Board’s Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee on Wednesday proposes cutting more half of the 66 pools the board owns and operates, among other measures, to address a $58-million deficit for 2025-26.
The board does not receive money from Ontario’s Ministry of Education to run the pools, the report said.
“TDSB does not have funding to continue to operate pools that are not leased by the city or a third party on a cost recovery basis. At this time, this would mean the closing of thirty-five pools across the city,” the report said.
Closing those pools would save the board $12.8-million in annual operating costs, according to the report.
Keeping the pools open is especially important now because many children who did not learn to swim during the pandemic because of closures are only now enjoying that opportunity, says TDSB trustee Sara Ehrhardt.
“Children need to learn to swim, and we‘re coming out of this pandemic where kids were in their homes, they were not taking swimming lessons,” she says.
Larry Tobin, owner of Jack of Sports, which provides swim lessons at 12 TDSB pools, says there could be ways to keep them open and reduce the budget deficit.
“It would be great for them to consider entering into leasing arrangements with private companies who service these communities,” he says.
There is already a shortage of pools in Toronto, and closing school pools will mean “thousands” of children will be unable to learn to swim, says Alex Viliansky, owner of Felix’s Swim Schools. “We have to come with the collaborative effort to make these facilities community hubs, and to continue to support these facilities.”
“There will be a lot of areas without pools at all. People won’t have access,” he says.
Closing school pools would also be “devastating” to many swim clubs in Toronto, says Benjie Levy, a board member of the Toronto Swim Club.
The club supports 465 swimmers and has more than 25 professional coaches and support staff.
“We‘re the home club of Penny Oleksiak, who grew up swimming in the very TDSB pools that they’re now talking about potentially closing,” Mr. Levy says. “The loss of that pool inventory would be devastating to our club and to our swim program.”
School pools are community hubs and maintaining them isn’t just good for communities, but an equity issue as well, says Toronto Councillor Josh Matlow, who has launched a petition to save the pools.
“While there are some people in our city who have a cottage, others might have a backyard pool, most people don’t have either. And school pools are where their kids learn basic life-saving skills, they learn to swim,” he says.
Other proposed cuts in the report include eliminating the itinerant music instructors program and outdoor education, as well as increasing class sizes to “align as best as possible with ministry regulations.”
Last month, Education Minister Paul Calandra said the province would be launching financial investigations into the TDSB, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board over concerns that the boards consistently run deficits.
“Our government has provided The Toronto District School Board with a record increase in education funding this school year and given multiple opportunities for the board to address its financial situation,” press secretary Emma Testani said in a statement.
“TDSB was directed to submit a multiyear financial recovery plan to address their serious ongoing financial issues. To date, the board has not produced a trustee-approved financial recovery plan to respond to concerns that identify strategies to eliminate their deficits,” she said.
No final decision will be made on the proposed cuts until closer to the end of June.