Locker room nudity nixed

MONTREAL — A Montreal-area town has decided to forbid all nudity in the locker rooms of its municipal pools — a level of discretion that has one man wondering if it doesn’t go too far.

Brossard advised residents in its newsletter this month it wouldn’t allow men or women to walk around naked in their respective locker rooms and showers.

For now, the penalty is a simple warning. The city says it had to act after being inundated with complaints about nudity in what it considers a public space.

Longtime resident Roland Bérard, 67, says he finds the new rule “regressive.”

“I don’t agree with having to cover up in the men’s locker room when I’m changing and when I’m taking a shower,” he said. “I agree to be discreet.”

Bérard, who swims in the mornings when it is adults who are mostly present, said he doesn’t see a problem changing or showering while naked.

The 30-year Brossard resident said he has never had an issue, even when his own children took swimming lessons at the same pools.

Eric Leuenberger, aquatic activities director for the City of Brossard, said the move comes amid widespread discontent among a range of pool users.