Edmonton’s Queen E pool delayed?
Edmonton’s Queen Elizabeth pool construction has run into a few snags over misunderstandings about the new changerooms. It’s rather stupid actually.
Some Edmonton residents are up in arms because they have the impression that the changerooms will be unisex or co-ed. I’m sure they have visions of child predators, orgies and both sexes being naked in the same room together. Umm, no. This isn’t Rome 2,000 years ago, you twits.
Though I haven’t seen the plans, I understand that what is planned is actually a family-style change area where you change in private cubicles. Anyone ever been to a family changeroom? You’ll understand that you’re not getting undressed in front of everyone.
It’s a common changeroom (family-style), not unisex or co-ed. Get it straight.
When my children were smaller, I definitely preferred this arrangement. I didn’t want to send my daughter alone at 6 years old into the women’s changeroom, and I can understand women not wanting to send their young sons into the men’s changeroom alone.
I’ve heard some good points raised about why this arrangement is safer and preferable. With more and more people in wheel chairs and with disabilities, opposite sex care staff can enter the change area and go into a private change stall with the person they’re helping. It also allows lifeguards of both sexes to be able to monitor and clean changerooms more easily.
It’s also safer for children because they can stay with their parents when getting changed. I wouldn’t want to send my son into the men’s changeroom alone when he was younger, and the same goes for my daughter.
My wife and I used family changerooms at a variety of pools when our children were younger and never had any issues. My wife’s been a lifeguard for about 20 years and has worked at variety of pools in Western Canada. She’s in favour of this idea and says that there will be fewer problems and it will be safer for everyone. I’ll favour her opinion more than the uneducated ones I’ve read.
So now Edmonton’s Queen E pool might be held up because the Queen E pool society wants to withhold $300,000 it’s raised. I would suggest they educate themselves before they make decisions like that.< >< >< ><–>
Here Here! Well said.
Here’s another perspective, from someone who was and is an lifeguard at an Edmonton pool: The Unisex Change Room Debate – the view of a Lifeguard. He raises some very good points about why it might not be such a good idea, from the point of view of a staff member.
While family-style change rooms are definitely convenient for a lot of people, I don’t think it’s necessarily ideal to eliminate the men’s and women’s changing room. That said, I haven’t seen the plans, so it’s tough to say whether it will work or not.