Mayor Olivia Chow goes for a dip as she announces extended dates for 10 outdoor pools

As the end of the summer approaches, the city is giving Toronto residents a chance to squeeze out a little bit more fun in the sun by keeping some city-run pools open past Labour Day.

Speaking at the Alex Duff Memorial Pool at Christie Pits Park on Friday, Mayor Olivia Chow announced that 10 of the city’s outdoor pools will remain open until Sept. 24.

In the past, city-run pools have all closed following the Labour Day weekend.

“We love our city pools. You can tell how much fun the kids have,” she said during the announcement before taking a dip herself.

“I have a fairly stressful job, fairly busy. One of the things I love to do is to go swimming at the end of the day or start my day. It gets all your tension out.”

She added that swimming was a source of comfort for her after her late husband, former federal NDP leader Jack Layton, died.

“It was difficult times. And my way for dealing with it or managing it was go swimming every morning,” she said.

She said to accommodate families, the pools will be open after school and on weekends.

“It will open after school from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. so when the kids go back to school after Labour Day, they can still have fun after school,” she said.

On weekend, pools will be open from noon to 7 p.m.

The following facilities will operate with reduced hours until Sept. 24: