According to a bylaw passed 13 years ago in Windsor, Ontario, the city’s pool owners must open their pools by June 1. Failure to follow through can incur a charge of $200 plus tax.
According to a report by CTV News, the bylaw is enforced when a compliant is received. Following a complaint, an order could be sent to the concerned pool owner to take care of the pool opening, with a $200 administrative fee plus tax, which covers the time and effort caused to the city officials.
According to another report by iHeartRadio, the manager of inspections for the city said, “If they [the pool owners] keep their cover on in the summer, if they don’t open the pool, they’d have to maintain that cover free of any debris or standing water. If they do open their pool, the same thing would apply. Any water in the pool would need to be cleaned, circulated, and clean of any debris.”
The CTV News report also says the reasoning behind the bylaw is to prevent the breeding of mosquitos and the spread of the West Nile virus in the city.
A local pool company owner interviewed in the same article said he started receiving a huge number of calls for pool openings by the local pool owners as soon as weather warmed up. He further advised those left behind in scheduling pool openings to avoid getting charged by the city officials. He said in the report, “You can pour a little chlorine on top of the pool cover and swoosh it around just to make sure that you don’t breed mosquitos.” He added that city officials may go light on a pool owner if they could provide a proof of scheduled opening for their pools. Alternatively, pool owners could buy pool opening kits, which are simple and easy to use, according to the pool company owner.
