Charlottetown pediatricians slam proposed change to residential pool bylaw
CBC
Pediatricians in Charlottetown, P.E.I., are speaking out against a proposed bylaw amendment that could see hard top pool covers used in place of an enclosure or fence within the city.
Charlottetown's current bylaw requires a swimming pool to be completely surrounded by a fence or structure that is at least 1.8 metres high.
The proposed amendment would allow property owners to waive the fencing requirement if they have a certified pool cover, but the suggestion has left the city's pediatricians "shocked and dismayed."
"We're very concerned that the proposed bylaw amendment will increase the risk of children drowning in our community," said Dr. Peter MacPherson, one of seven doctors to speak out against the possible change.
"We have all borne witness to tragedy. We have seen unexpected and unintentional deaths resulting from injury. We have told parents that their child is dead and never coming home. And no parent, no family would ever want to have this experience.
"Where we have an opportunity to promote pool safety and prevent drownings from ever happening, that's obviously the best solution," said MacPherson.
The issue was first raised in 2020 when a property owner submitted a request to have the bylaw changed. Since then, Coun. Terry MacLeod said there has been a handful of other residents interested in installing a hard-topped cover instead of a pool fence.
"The planning staff have been working quite diligently at this. We've looked around other parts of Canada and municipalities," said MacLeod.
"The province is really, you know, they're the ones who set the standards, right? The city doesn't set standards … we have bylaws that'll fall within those standards. The province, when asked, were not interested in getting involved."
At a meeting on July 11, city council voted unanimously to send the issue to a public consultation.
"There's a lot more to it than what we first anticipated," MacLeod told CBC News on Monday, adding that it was first thought to be a simple bylaw change.
"The first stumbling block would be the standardization of, well, what kind of cover would it be? What standards are involved? You'd have such questions as who would be the installer? Who would be the building inspector? You know, they wouldn't be capable of inspecting that type of device.
"Then there's the whole legal side."
But to pediatricians who say the proposed change opens up huge risks, the legal concerns are not as pressing.
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