Dress code error in brochure at swim pool sparks controversy in St. Clair West

City clarifies that there are no wardrobe requirements for women-only swim times, even as some residents suggest dress code could increase access.

Thestar.com
July 13, 2017
By Alex Mckeen

A mistake in a Toronto Leisure Swim brochure sparked controversy this week in the St. Clair West neighbourhood, as residents believed an archaic dress code rule was in effect at the women’s only swim time at Joseph J. Piccininni pool.

“Full-sized swim suit and T-shirt must be worn,” reads a note under the pool’s women-only leisure swim time listing in the Etobicoke York District leisure brochure.

Signs are now posted in the facility at St. Clair Ave. W. and Lansdowne Ave., saying that this information is incorrect, and brochures there have been edited by hand.

The note became the subject of controversy in the community, when Viola Dessanti, confused about the dress code restriction, asked her neighbours about it on Facebook.

“I am interested in going swimming and I genuinely wanted to know whether I had to wear a T-shirt or not,” she said in an interview.

She said she didn’t expect the flurry of confusion and debate that followed. Dessanti’s post had more than 100 comments and responses as of Thursday afternoon as neighbours debated the appropriateness of the dress code.

Some community members, like Dessanti, were simply confused by the phrasing of the restriction. Others said that the rule seemed out-of-date, and unenforceable.

Matthew Cutler, public relations manager for the city’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation department, said that the error likely arose because a staff member referenced an old version of the brochure in creation of the new one.

The dress code rule was a relic of a community-run program for Muslim swimmers that was at least 10 years old, he said.

“At some point in the editing process we missed this content, which has obviously caused a great deal of confusion in the local community,” Cutler said.

He added that there are no dress code rules in any of the women-only swim programs in the city, of which there are 10.

An unexpected result of the controversy is that some members of the St. Clair West community began to see the dress code as a good idea, one that could encourage some people who wouldn’t otherwise use the pools to try swimming.

Dessanti is among those who think that the city should consider bringing a similar swimming time slot back.

“I think it’s wonderful that we have a space in Toronto that accommodates or even recognizes that option,” referring to the dress code that she believed to be in effect.

She added that she would be happy to wear a T-shirt while swimming during that time, if there was the possibility that it could make others more comfortable to use the facilities too.

Janine Mosley, a former lifeguard who describes herself as a “water-loving parent” and is active in the neighbourhood, said that she has observed first-hand how some women are motivated to learn to swim when a safer space is made available to them through women-only swim times.

“I think it’s such an important thing to give all people access to learn the skills that they need to be safe,” she said, pointing out that Toronto is a city with ample open water that could pose a major risk to residents even if they do know how to swim.

Cutler said that the city is aware of the positive impact women-only swim times can have on communities.

“The intention is to create a space that is more welcoming, that feels safer,” he said. “I certainly haven’t seen any research or evidence that setting rules about what people have to wear at the event would make people feel any more or less safe.”

Cutler said that if the city was brought a suggestion to implement dress codes as a way of improving its women-only swim time program, the department would consider the idea.