Quebec town bans nudity in swimming pool locker-rooms

A Montreal-area suburb has decided to forbid all nudity in the lockerrooms of its municipal pools — a level of discretion that has one man wondering if it has gone too far.

Brossard advised residents in its newsletter this month it wouldn’t allow men or women to walk around naked in their respective lockerroom 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 Berard, 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.” Berard, 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’s never had an issue, even when his own children took swimming lessons at the same pools.

He said he’s not looking to create conflict and will comply, but thinks it’s an issue worthy of discussion.

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

“If the measures were reinforced, it’s because we got numerous complaints — from parents who didn’t want their kids exposed to nudity and adults who were ill at ease,” Leuenberger said.

“It might be a generational question, but we received many.”

The coverup rules come as Brossard breaks ground on a new aquatic complex, one that will do away with gender-specific change areas in favour of a universal locker-room.

The facility is expected to be ready in 2019.