Quebec residential pool owners must comply with strengthened safety regulations

Mama bear takes dip in backyard pool as cubs watch Four bear cubs waited patiently for their mother to take a bath in a family swimming pool in Arcadia, Calif.

QUEBEC CITY — Residential pool owners in Quebec whose safety measures were grandfathered in will now have to comply with tightened regulations.

Quebec City announced Thursday that it has strengthened its residential pool safety rules.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing explained that all pools, regardless of when they were installed, will have to comply with the regulation, a decision made in response to a recommendation made by several coroners in recent years.

Pools built before Nov. 1, 2010 were grandfathered and did not have to be protected. Owners of these pools will have until July 1, 2023 to comply with the bylaw.

The regulation requires, among other things, that the pool be enclosed unless the walls of the pool are at least 1.2 metres high in the case of an above-ground pool, and at least 1.4 metres high in the case of an in-ground pool. Any access door to the pool must be equipped with a safety device that automatically closes and locks and any adjacent deck must be equipped with an enclosure and door to protect access.

In addition, the bylaw has been enhanced to increase the safety of the landscaping around residential pools to reduce the risk of diving accidents.

Effective July 1, for new installations, chain link fences with a mesh size greater than 30 mm will be required to be slatted. In addition, no structure or fixed equipment that can be used to climb over the wall of a pool or enclosure shall be installed within one metre of the pool or enclosure.

Finally, a standard has been established for the installation of pools with diving boards to prevent spinal injuries related to diving accidents.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 20, 2021.