April 25, 2025: Public Disclosure of Inspection Results

Good Morning,

We are a back after taking a week off. I took my aunt on Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Utopia of the Seas. I share this only because there were some truly phenomenal design decisions by the team at Martin Aquatic (Orlando, FL) I've been showcasing on Instagram this week. I also spent a day at Hideaway Beach, Royal Caribbean's new adult-only area at Coco Cay (also designed by Martin Aquatic) and it's always inspiring to see pools done well. That content will be out over the next few days.

On a completely unrelated matter, I believe I got a terrible case of food poisoning this week from sushi from my local grocery store. You can bet I ran and checked the online inspection records. "How did you do that?" you might say. Well, this is a good opportunity to remind pool operators that a lot of provinces and counties have moved to online public disclosure of all swimming pool inspection results - same as food services, personal services (i.e. tattoo shops, nail salons), child care, etc.

I've been mentioning this in Certified Pool Operator (CPO) classes for at least two years since Alberta started doing this, and participants are continuously surprised to discover that yes, in fact, your customers can check up on your compliance. This is as good a reason as any to get your ownership/management on board with completing all repairs, CPO training, documentation development, etc. in a timely fashion. This information lives online for a long, long time! And - whether you believe it or not - some customers will skip your facility if it's non-compliant, and that leads to revenue lost to your competitors.

Please note that each jurisdiction is different, but at least in Alberta (as an example) health enforcement orders (immediate closures, i.e. the worst violations) are on a different part of the website, sorted geographically by zone.

Lastly, following on my last newsletter where I reshared the CEO of Life Floor's statement on tariffs, Ledge Loungers, a manufacturer of premium poolside furniture that you've seen everywhere on social media, has come out to say they are lowering prices in response to tariffs because all their products are made in the USA. Talk about a sales pivot and opportunity to grab market share.

Other pool products you may not know are made in the USA -
Taylor Water Technologies LLC
Aqua Creek
Life Floor

Here are the best industry articles that crossed my desk this week -

A Wellness Company With False Claims, Global Aims and a Toronto Island
The New York Times dives into the Therme spa project in Toronto.

Paris launches daily pool changing room inspections after men caught filming women
There's a lot to unpack here. Should it be necessary for every public swimming pool to inspect daily for hidden cameras? No. Is it a bad precaution? No. Would more training be beneficial? Yes. You can read the journalist's original post - scroll down and click "see translation" at the end of the caption if you don't read French.

MVRDV unveils design for Holy Water swimming pool in former Dutch church
This will be truly spectacular if it ends up getting built.

Here’s what happened when a taxpayer claimed a swimming pool as a medical expense
Free registration may be required to view. "In 2022, the taxpayer and his spouse purchased and installed in his backyard a TidalFit Pro EP-15 Exercise Pool, which was purchased as an exercise aid for their son who was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)...The taxpayer attempted to claim the $53,674 cost of the pool as a medical expense on his 2022 tax return, but in June 2023, the CRA denied the credit." What follows is a deep dive into the nuances of tax code and renovations for disabled Canadians.

A Las Vegas homeowner built a swimming pool with 21,000 carats worth of diamonds embedded into the surface.
I can't find anywhere other than social media to substantiate this claim, but it's wild if true.

Kingston's Culligan Water Park to close for significant renovations in fall 2025, public feedback wanted
My love language is a press statement like this one with real data behind the decision: "Enclosing Culligan Water Park will allow us to maximize a much-loved facility and offer an additional 3,500 hours of pool time each year. That means more swim lessons, expanded school programs, therapeutic and fitness options, leadership training, and more opportunities for the community to get active." (emphasis added)

Emergency SOS on Apple Watch | Rick’s Rescue | Apple
Apple has a new campaign about a bodysurfer in Australia who called for help via his Apple watch after being swept 1.6km out to sea. A corroborating account is available here.

Hockey legend’s former N.J. estate hits the market with a Flyers-shaped pool

Innisfail council approves aquatic centre modernization
$12m is being spent to upgrade the 38 year-old facility because the community cannot afford full replacement. Construction starts this summer.

Aqua Parcs re-opens this Friday with exciting new ‘Subscribe and Save’ plan to help families enjoy affordable fun all summer long
I really like the idea of this payment plan. The popularity of services like KLARNA have proven that buy now, pay later has become very popular during adverse market conditions. As a business owner, I can also tell you there is something very beneficial about having reliable revenue like reoccurring memberships on autopay. This is a model other aquatic facilities should consider implementing.

New urinal designs use physics to prevent pee splashback
Super interesting idea backed up by data in an area where I have no expertise. Hopefully this is the start of dramatic innovation like we've seen with implementation of high velocity hand dryers over the last decade.

City of St. John's Receives Year of Sport Funding for Select Free Swims
Kudos to the aquatic team in St. John's because grant writing takes a lot of time away from operational tasks. It's worth it, when rewarded, but a lot of the time it can feel like playing the lottery where you strike out nine times out of ten.

The Surprising Cause of Hawaii’s Snorkeling Deaths
This is a story I've been passionate about for years - see also my interview below.

We've added a Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) Certified Pool Operator (CPO) Fusion class to the calendar for Friday, May 30, 2025. Please be sure to read the fine print in the product description to understand how this is different from the 100% live class. Some students will not find this model suitable for their learning needs!

Adding these hybrid CPO classes is new for Lakeview, but I've been conducting 1-2 per month since 2020 for Aquatic Council. The impetus is that this is a really great option for someone who is very experienced; recertifying; retesting (if they failed the CPO test following a live class); or the live class is sold out. You can expect one CPO Fusion class to be offered approximately once per quarter on our 2025 Schedule. The next one will be late August.

Thanks for being here!

Katie Crysdale
Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.