Ahmed Allahwala is a professor of city studies at the University of º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøScarborough. Naomi Adiv is a professor of urban politics at the University of º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøMississauga.Ìý
The Ontario Education Act requires school boards to adopt balanced budgets, a fate they share with the province’s municipalities. Faced with a deficit of $58 million, the º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøDistrict School Board (TDSB) recently to identifyÌýareas to reduce spending.ÌýSlated for cuts are, among others, music instruction, computers for students, outdoor education, and maintainingÌýthe TDSB’s remainingÌý66 swimming pools.Ìý
This laundry list presents Torontonians with a fraughtÌýchoice because Ontario is a rich province. There are enough resources hereÌýtoÌýproperly fund public educationÌýand the infrastructures that sustain it. We live in one of the wealthiest nations on Earth. Our youth and communities shouldÌýhave access to music and computers and outdoor education, as well as life-saving instruction in swimming.Ìý
The TDSB’s extensive network of swimming poolsÌýwasÌýbuilt in the mid-20thÌýcenturyÌýuntil the 1970s. This was a time when school boards were funded at the local level through property taxes, which gave them the decision-making power and financial resources toÌýembrace a holistic view of public education, and to build according to that vision.Ìý
This changed in the late 1990s when the provincial government under Mike Harris centralized education funding on the pretext of enhancing accountability and efficiency. As a result, functions not considered “core” to a school’s educational purpose, including swimming pools, suddenly became unfunded.Ìý
This isn’tÌýthe first time the TDSB has had to put its pools on the chopping block of provincially induced austerity. In 2008, under a similar threat, community mobilization prevented the wholesale closure of the city’s school pools. Currently, 27 of the TDSB’s pools are leased to the city, two are leased privately. The remaining 37 are in jeopardy.Ìý
Ìýrelative to its population, despite a steadily growing demand.ÌýTheÌýclosure of these publicly accessible pools will lead to growing pressures on where the wait-listsÌýforÌýlessons are already notably long andÌýwill exacerbateÌýinequities in access to aquatics programming. Ìýrecommends the construction of 18 new indoor poolsÌýto keep up with demand.ÌýHowever, the required funding is all but certain.
This points toÌýa future where a small number of children learn to swim in expensive private facilities, and a growing number miss outÌýentirely, while those who are able battle over the inadequate number ofÌýspots available in the city’s swimmingÌýlessons. Others may have access to a condo, hotelÌýor suburban backyard pool, but Ìýthat this is where children who do not know how to swim — particularly kids of newcomer familiesÌý— suffer accidents and drown.Ìý
Furthermore, school pools are more than just places where kids learn to swim, although that alone would be reason enough to care for them. Along with the basic function of swimming, pools are whereÌýfamilies get to know one another, and community groups and recreational sports leagues engageÌýin social practices that sustain community life in our cities. As academics, we call this “social infrastructure”; as city-dwellers, we see these spaces as fundamental.Ìý
One of the defining features of infrastructure is that we take it for granted until it breaks. º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøand other cities across the province need a robust network of sustainably funded low-barrier-to-accessÌýaquatic facilities. When assets like pools are disinvested, there isn’tÌýmuch hope of bringing them back. Maintenance may seem expensive, but it’sÌýfar less costly than trying to revive dead infrastructure years down the line.
The TDSB’s pools may not be flashy; we enter themÌýthrough side or back doors, tucked away in basements, somewhat hiddenÌýfrom public view. Yet, they are true community assets that have been on life support for too long. They offer access to the vital skill of swimming, as well as the social connections that enrich urban life. Let’sÌýnot allow them to be a casualty of the constraints of Ontario’s education funding regime. Instead, let’s choose a vision for public education that supports rich, healthy lives for all our studentsÌýand communities.Ìý
Ahmed Allahwala is a professor of city studies at the University of º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøScarborough. Naomi Adiv is a professor of urban politics at the University of º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøMississauga.Ìý
Opinion articles are based on the author’s interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation