Pool owners in Petrolia will have to make sure their entrances are locked, but they won’t have to have fencing all the way around it.
Since 2009, the town has required all pools to have four sided fences – even if one of the sides mirrored the wall of a house. The council of the day wanted to make sure someone inside wouldn’t open a door and go into a pool when there was no one watching.
In April, Petrolia resident Wade Deighton told council he didn’t think a four-sided fence was necessary if a homeowner used the side of their house as one side. He suggested other safety features on the home’s door could be used, eliminating the extra fencing.
Some councillors agreed saying most drownings happen because people aren’t watching while everyone is in the enclosed area.
Councillor Grant Purdy suggested the house could be used as a wall as long as there was an alarm on the door. But Mayor John McCharles felt that would only work if someone was at home.
So, town staff looked for a solution. The bylaw will now read; “all entranceways forming part of a pool enclosure are locked at all times except when the swimming pool is in use and being supervised by an adult.”
“I feel that’s a lot fairer of a system,” says Councillor Ross O’Hara.
However some still voiced concern. Councillor Mary Pat Gleeson noted just last week a child in Windsor fell into a pool and authorities had said a locked gate could have prevented it. “I don’t want anyone to experience hardship.”