If a young girl removes her top and wades into the pool at Exhibition Park, she’ll no longer be ordered to put the shirt back on.
That’s what happened last Saturday to eight-year-old Marlee, whose family decided to make a spontaneous stop at the pool
Guelph has a longstanding policy stating that any girl aged four or older must wear a shirt while using public pools.
Her parents found that an insufficient explanation, calling the policy “completely sexist” in an interview with CTV News.
They claimed it sexualized and embarrassed their young daughter.
City officials said the rules were in place to “provide a safe and enjoyable recreational experience” for all people using the pool and likely would not be modified.
That changed Wednesday, when city officials announced a review of their swimming attire policy.
Until that review is complete, a city-issued press release said, the requirement for girls to wear swimming tops will not be enforced.
“We apologize that the event caused the little girl to feel singled out or embarrassed; that was not the intent of the employee,” the release read.
City residents, provincial recreation officials, the Red Cross and the Life Saving Society will be consulted as part of the review, the release said.
A timeline for the review was not provided.
