Lose your bikini top? No problem, says the City of Edmonton that decided to allow women to swim bare chested if they choose..If they're swimming in city public pools, that is. Currently, the city operates 15 indoor pools and four outdoor pools..In June 2022, the City of Edmonton changed its swimwear guidelines, letting anyone go topless at any city-owned swimming pool.."All patrons are allowed to swim and lounge around at the City of Edmonton pools without a top on, regardless of their gender identity," Priya Bhasin-Singh, director of Edmonton's aquatics and community leisure centres told CBC News..Bhasin-Singh noted the policy aligns with gender identity and expression protections found in the Alberta Human Rights Act.."We believe our swimming guidelines must not discriminate on the basis of gender and not exclude anyone visiting a city facility," Bhasin-Singh said in a statement to CBC News..According to the City of Edmonton pool website, "All patrons are permitted to go topless in city-operated pools if they so wish.".The review of the pool rules started in 2019 and the City of Edmonton claims it came about because of a Human Rights issue..“This update to our swimming attire guidelines was implemented in June 2022, following a series of engagement sessions with focus groups in 2019 that included a diverse set of individuals from different age groups, cultural backgrounds, genders, gender identities and sexual orientations,” the city said in a statement to Global News..“This is a human rights issue and we have an obligation to treat all individuals equally when using city pools.".Social media has been abuzz in Alberta over the rule.."I love the Instagram uproar about women being allowed to be topless in Edmonton pools. What a bunch of clowns," one Twitter user said.."I’ve seen the tweet a few times about it being OK for everyone to be topless in Edmonton swimming pools. I assumed it was a joke. Well … it’s not. It’s right on their website. I just looked it up. Apparently, it’s not new," another user said..The rule only applies to city pools. Chests must be covered in other areas of recreation centres, according to the city.
