Pool users in one Montreal-area town feeling ‘humiliated’ by sharp increase in rates | 24CA News
During the new summer time months, many run to the closest pool to chill down — however some individuals who use the Hampstead pool can now not do this.
Prices to entry the services have gone up so excessive, some are accusing the city of pricing them out to exclude them.
Arlene Havrot-Landry is considered one of them. She and her household have made many recollections on the Hampstead pool over time.
Her son even turned a lifeguard on the pool through the pandemic. They prefer it a lot, they commute from the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood.
“It’s been community, a gathering place. It’s a safe place, it’s a place where you can learn to swim and have endless fun,” Havrot-Landry mentioned.
But the enjoyable died when the worth of day passes to entry the pool out of the blue skyrocketed.
“What I felt was the sting of humiliation, because I knew this was not about needing to raise rates to create more money for the pool,” Havrot-Landry mentioned.
Day passes at the moment are $15 for every resident of Hampstead, little one or grownup, and $25 for non-residents.
Last 12 months, it value grownup residents $6 to get in and $4 for youngsters. Non-residents paid $8 per grownup and $5 per little one.
“Oh wow, that’s a lot. That’s a lot more,” mentioned Alyssa Obdosantos, who was strolling her canine within the park subsequent to the pool.
Robert Miller, a Hampstead resident, mentioned he was stunned by the rise of his annual membership. “I paid it anyways because I like to swim outdoors in the summer,” Miller mentioned.
Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi says the rise was a long-overdue value adjustment and was made after receiving suggestions from Hampstead residents.
He says the pool’s recognition resulted in points comparable to disputes over entry and hygiene considerations.
In a press release to Global News, Levi wrote partly: “Hampstead is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where individuals, regardless of their residency status, can actively contribute to the betterment of our community.”
Havrot-Landry says she understands costs must be adjusted however the mayor’s phrases nonetheless don’t make her really feel welcome.
“If you want to consider Hampstead as a welcoming community … you have to treat its visitors with the same respect. Lower the rates,” Havrot-Landry says.
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