It's been 10 years since Edmonton's "summer of the pool incidents" that led to Barb Strange authoring what we all refer to around here as the "pool report." We still get fairly frequent requests to send the report whenever there is a breastfeeding/swimming pool incident - and not just from Canada - lots come from the US and I recently sent the report to someone in France.

The report is also hosted on the Alberta Breastfeeding Committee's website. I don't know how often it is downloaded:

http://www.breastfeedingalberta.ca/advocacy.htm
Breastfeeding Action Committee of Edmonton

- Breastfeeding at Municipal Pools in Canada, 2002 pdf file
- Breastfeeding in Municipal Pools in Canada: Appendices pdf file


One of the recommendations in the report was for proper training for lifeguards and staff so they would know how to handle "an incident." I'm sure that although both our city pools and the local YMCA agree to provide training to their staff, nothing has actually happened.

And so, ten years later, the number of reports of women being harassed for breastfeeding in pools in my own city appear to be increasing - we have two to deal with currently. Last year our sister city down south, Calgary, was in the news when a mother was kicked out of a pool and asked to nurse her child in a dressing room.

We're preparing something. Not sure what. We'd like it to be celebratory, but we also want to move our institutions towards implementing some of the things they agreed to 10 years ago. A report card, perhaps.

I'm posting today to ask three questions:

- are you aware of any staff training documentation around breastfeeding in use at your local swimming pools?

- are you aware of any staff training documentation in place in any of your public institutions?

- have you personally been involved in a breastfeeding/pool incident, and have you used the pool report? 

Thanks,

Jodine Chase
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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