Item - 2014.HL30.2

This report provides a summary of the measures being proposed by Toronto Public Health (TPH) to require all recreational water facilities including public swimming pools, public spas (hot tubs) and wading pools to post onsite notices disclosing inspection findings.

Compliance with recreational water requirements in Toronto over the past ten years has been on average 90 percent. This includes inspections where the premises is in full compliance or "satisfactory" and infractions classified as "deficiencies noted" where there are no health and safety implications. By excluding deficiencies noted from the compliance calculation and only taking "satisfactory" as a true measure of compliance, the ten year compliance rate of 90 percent would be significantly lower, approximately 39 percent.  Disclosure of inspection results on the website and the mandatory onsite posting of Inspection Notices is believed to be a significant contributing factor to increased compliance. Evidence of increased compliance with public disclosure was shown by Toronto Public Health's food safety compliance rate which increased significantly from an estimated 50 percent inspection pass rate in 2000 to over 90 percent in 2013 following the implementation of disclosure requirements.