Montreal Gazette

The pleasures and perils of having a backyard pool

- BRIANA TOMKINSON

The first time I flew over Quebec, I remember looking out the airplane window and noticing something very odd. We were flying over a suburban area (I don’t remember which, but it very well could have been Vaudreuil-Dorion) when I realized that almost every tiny house had a little blue dot behind it — a backyard pool. I spied a larger blue rectangle, the local community pool, and all but one of the houses surroundin­g it had their own little circle of blue.

It seemed odd for a few reasons. First, I had always thought of Quebec as a cold place, and it seemed impractica­l to invest in a pool that could only be used for a few months out of the year. Second, in most places in Canada, including my hometown of Vancouver, backyard pools are rare.

I later learned Quebec has more pools per capita than California. Now that I have one, I finally understand the attraction — and the drawbacks.

In my B.C. days, I only ever had two acquaintan­ces who had a backyard pool. Since moving to Quebec, my kids spend their summers on pool-hopping playdates. They practicall­y live in their bathing suits all summer long. My youngest, then four, spent so much time in the pool during the first summer in our house that she taught herself to swim.

In my childhood I dreamed of one day owning a house with a pool. But as glorious as it is to float alone and gaze up at the trees and clouds on a muggy August day, or to watch the kids make summer memories splashing around and eating Popsicles by the pool with friends, I now understand why my parents vetoed the idea. Pools do bring problems.

We have learned we have to keep skimming the pool through the fall even after it’s closed, or face a sludgy stew come spring. Likewise, we learned not to turn off your pool pump when going away for a long vacation, when we came back to a green pool after two weeks away.

We learned it’s less expensive than we thought to hire someone to open and close the pool, but heating it and stocking up on the chemicals to keep it swimmable doesn’t come cheap.

We’ve also had to deal with critters in the pool. The skimmer fills with suicidal bugs and the occasional vole. Sometimes we catch trespassin­g frogs enjoying an illicit dip.

As you might expect with a higher than usual number of pools, Quebec also has one of the highest rates of death by drowning, with most victims being young children. Our pool is fenced, and our kids are not allowed past the gate without an adult to supervise, but the risk is often a worry tickling at the back of my mind.

Still, despite the headaches, I am glad we bought a place with a pool. Just as it helps to take up cross-country skiing or another winter sport to get through the freezing months, jumping in the pool is the best way to enjoy Montreal’s hot and muggy summer weather.

And with that, I’m off to enjoy a glass of rosé poolside.

 ?? PETER McCABE ?? As great as it is to watch the kids make summer memories, pools do bring problems, Briana Tomkinson writes.
PETER McCABE As great as it is to watch the kids make summer memories, pools do bring problems, Briana Tomkinson writes.
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