Latest news with #NasYadollahi
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
2 Toronto pools close as staff refuse to work, citing excessive heat, humidity
Staff at two of Toronto's indoor pools refused to work on Tuesday, citing unsafe working conditions due to excessive humidity, forcing the pools to temporarily close, the union representing the city's inside workers says. CUPE Local 79's president said the humidity at pools at Birchmount Community Centre and Main Square in Toronto's east end made it feel as hot as 40-45 C on Tuesday. That level of humidity requires extra staffing that the city didn't provide, union president Nas Yadollahi told reporters outside one of the pools Tuesday. She said temporary closures caused by unsafe conditions have been a pattern this summer, which is one of the hottest Toronto has experienced. "Over the past two weeks, a number of pools have had to shut down due to mechanical issues, staffing issues and other concerns that have compromised the health and safety of our workers," she said. Toronto is currently under a heat warning that is expected to last into Wednesday evening. It is the fifth heat warning the city has been issued this year. The excessive humidity at the indoor pools was caused by malfunctioning Dectron units, which regulate humidity inside the facilities, Yadollahi said. She said the city needs to make such mechanical issues a priority and pre-emptively fix them so pools can continue to operate safely. "It's important that these services continue to operate in a predictable way for members of the public, so that they can rely on these services, especially when there's a heat wave," she said. The union is demanding the city fix the Dectrons, adequately staff pools during extreme heat, and ensure a medic is on site when humidex values exceed 45, said Yadollahi. Staff will not return to work until those demands are met, she said. City, union collaborating on fixes In an emailed statement to CBC Toronto, a City of Toronto spokesperson said the city is now collaborating with the union "to resolve the identified issues as quickly as possible as the health and safety of staff and the public is our top priority." The city is working on the Dectrons at Main Square and Birchmount in an effort to reopen both pools as early as Wednesday. The city has measures in place to address heat stress, the statement read. Those measures include having paramedics check on staff at "hotter priority locations, as identified," providing cool spaces for staff with fans and air conditioning, and increasing staffing levels by 30 per cent to allow workers more breaks. "Where work conditions are deemed unsafe by management, facilities will be temporarily closed," the city statement read. The union is "pleased with the responses we've been getting," said Yadollahi. But she said previous staff complaints about unsafe conditions have been dismissed or ignored.
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Staff at 2 Toronto pools refuse to work, citing unsafe conditions due to excessive humidity
Staff at two of Toronto's indoor pools refused to work on Tuesday, citing unsafe working conditions due to excessive humidity, forcing the pools to temporarily close, the union representing the city's inside workers says. CUPE Local 79's president said the humidity at pools at Birchmount Community Centre and Main Square in Toronto's east end made it feel as hot as 40-45 C on Tuesday. That level of humidity requires extra staffing that the city didn't provide, union president Nas Yadollahi told reporters outside one of the pools Tuesday. She said temporary closures caused by unsafe conditions have been a pattern this summer, which is one of the hottest Toronto has experienced. "Over the past two weeks, a number of pools have had to shut down due to mechanical issues, staffing issues and other concerns that have compromised the health and safety of our workers," she said. Toronto is currently under a heat warning that is expected to last into Wednesday evening. It is the fifth heat warning the city has been issued this year. The excessive humidity at the indoor pools was caused by malfunctioning Dectron units, which regulate humidity inside the facilities, Yadollahi said. She said the city needs to make such mechanical issues a priority and pre-emptively fix them so pools can continue to operate safely. "It's important that these services continue to operate in a predictable way for members of the public, so that they can rely on these services, especially when there's a heat wave," she said. The union is demanding the city fix the Dectrons, adequately staff pools during extreme heat, and ensure a medic is on site when humidex values exceed 45, said Yadollahi. Staff will not return to work until those demands are met, she said. City, union collaborating on fixes In an emailed statement to CBC Toronto, a City of Toronto spokesperson said the city is now collaborating with the union "to resolve the identified issues as quickly as possible as the health and safety of staff and the public is our top priority." The city is working on the Dectrons at Main Square and Birchmount in an effort to reopen both pools as early as Wednesday. The city has measures in place to address heat stress, the statement read. Those measures include having paramedics check on staff at "hotter priority locations, as identified," providing cool spaces for staff with fans and air conditioning, and increasing staffing levels by 30 per cent to allow workers more breaks. "Where work conditions are deemed unsafe by management, facilities will be temporarily closed," the city statement read. The union is "pleased with the responses we've been getting," said Yadollahi. But she said previous staff complaints about unsafe conditions have been dismissed or ignored.
CBC
30-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Staff at 2 Toronto pools refuse to work, citing unsafe conditions due to excessive humidity
Staff at two of Toronto's indoor pools refused to work on Tuesday, citing unsafe working conditions due to excessive humidity, forcing the pools to temporarily close, the union representing the city's inside workers says. CUPE Local 79's president said the humidity at pools at Birchmount Community Centre and Main Square in Toronto's east end made it feel as hot as 40-45 C on Tuesday. That level of humidity requires extra staffing that the city didn't provide, union president Nas Yadollahi told reporters outside one of the pools Tuesday. She said temporary closures caused by unsafe conditions have been a pattern this summer, which is one of the hottest Toronto has experienced. "Over the past two weeks, a number of pools have had to shut down due to mechanical issues, staffing issues and other concerns that have compromised the health and safety of our workers," she said. Toronto is currently under a heat warning that is expected to last into Wednesday evening. It is the fifth heat warning the city has been issued this year. The excessive humidity at the indoor pools was caused by malfunctioning Dectron units, which regulate humidity inside the facilities, Yadollahi said. She said the city needs to make such mechanical issues a priority and pre-emptively fix them so pools can continue to operate safely. "It's important that these services continue to operate in a predictable way for members of the public, so that they can rely on these services, especially when there's a heat wave," she said. The union is demanding the city fix the Dectrons, adequately staff pools during extreme heat, and ensure a medic is on site when humidex values exceed 45, said Yadollahi. Staff will not return to work until those demands are met, she said. City, union collaborating on fixes In an emailed statement to CBC Toronto, a City of Toronto spokesperson said the city is now collaborating with the union "to resolve the identified issues as quickly as possible as the health and safety of staff and the public is our top priority." The city is working on the Dectrons at Main Square and Birchmount in an effort to reopen both pools as early as Wednesday. The city has measures in place to address heat stress, the statement read. Those measures include having paramedics check on staff at "hotter priority locations, as identified," providing cool spaces for staff with fans and air conditioning, and increasing staffing levels by 30 per cent to allow workers more breaks. "Where work conditions are deemed unsafe by management, facilities will be temporarily closed," the city statement read. The union is "pleased with the responses we've been getting," said Yadollahi. But she said previous staff complaints about unsafe conditions have been dismissed or ignored.
CTV News
29-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
City staff refuse to work at 2 Toronto indoor pools, citing unsafe conditions due to humidity
CUPE Local 79 President Nas Yadollahi provided an update after city workers 'refused unsafe work' at two indoor pools due to the ongoing heat wave in Toronto. Staff at two indoor pools in Toronto refused to work on Tuesday, citing unsafe conditions due to the heat and humidity. CUPE Local 79, the union representing the City of Toronto's inside workers, said this is the second work refusal in a week by aquatics staff. The union said at both pools at Main Square in Toronto's east end and Birchmount in Scarborough, indoor humidex readings were recorded between 40 and 45 C. That temperature requires increased staffing levels and the presence of medics under health and safety policies, according to CUPE. 'Over the past two weeks, a number of pools have had to shut down due to mechanical issues, staffing issues and other concerns that have compromised the health and safety of our workers,' CUPE Local 79 president Nas Yadollahi said at a news conference on Tuesday. 'We are glad to know that the mayor has devoted, and council has approved, quite a significant amount of money to the state of good repair of these buildings. The state of good repair is only as useful as when it is done preemptively. It's important that these services continue to operate in a predictable way for members of the public, so that they can rely on these services, especially when there's a heat wave, accordingly.' Yadollahi said the extreme heat conditions stem from malfunctioning Dectron units, which regulate humidity for indoor pools. 'If the Dectron is not working, there's going to be heat that's going to accumulate on the pool deck, making it very difficult for workers to be able to work without getting sick.' According to CUPE, city management 'failed to act and provide appropriate cooling spaces,' despite complaints from frontline staff. The union said workers exercised their right to refuse unsafe work under Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act and walked off the job, which they said resulted in the city temporarily closing Birchmount Pool until 5:30 p.m. The city's website lists 'mechanical issues' as the reason both Birchmount and Main Square pools were closed. Yadollahi added that staff will not return to work until their 'demands' are met, which include a working Dectron, adequate staffing levels, and a medic on site when humidex values reach 45 C. 'The health and safety of staff and the public is our top priority,' the city said in a statement to CTV News Toronto. 'The City of Toronto is working to address issues with the dehumidification systems at Main Square Indoor Pool and Birchmount Indoor Pool to reopen both facilities as soon as possible – likely tomorrow." 'The City of Toronto has protocols in place to address heat stress... where work conditions are deemed unsafe by management, facilities will be temporarily closed.'
