By Ieva Lucs, CBC News
June 28, 2017 A private donation from two developers may be able to save the Leslieville community pool where four-time Olympic medallist Penny Oleksiak once
Ward 30 Toronto-Danforth Councillor Paula Fletcher (right) and Councillor
Mary-Margaret McMahon (Ward 32, Beaches-East York) share a hug Sunday, Feb. 12
as they address a rally held at S.H. Armstrong Community Centre in support of
the centre's swimming pool, which is at risk of being closed down.[/caption]
Angie Law's son Keagan is a member of The Sharks, the pool's swim team. Law is a
vocal participant in a
Save SH Armstrong Facebook group
and said others can learn from what the pool's community has been able to
accomplish. "Social media has been a huge tool for publicity," said Law. "Those
tools are available to community centres, they should be reaching out to the
parents." Law said when the decision was first made to close the pool there had
been no community consultation. It may have seemed like no one was taking
advantage of the programming but, according to Law, that was due to inconvenient
class times. For example, a program offered to preschoolers was scheduled for 6
p.m. "Do you know a single mother who would be willing to take their
four-year-old out in winter in the evening?" When the centre found out residents
were willing to take classes on Sundays, the number of participants climbed. The
rate of use at the pool has shot up since February and is now up to 89 per cent
— 20 percentage points higher than when it was slated to close, Fletcher told
CBC Toronto.
Locals have taken to social media to try to get publicity for its attempt to save S.H. Armstrong Community Centre. (Angie Law/Facebook)
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