Extended Swimming Pool Hours During Heat Wave

When the outdoor temperature is 24 degrees at 6:30 a.m., you know it's officially a scorcher.

The City of Toronto extends hours at some of its swimming pools during "extreme heat alerts," which is bureaucrat-speak for "heat waves," so I thought that I'd tell you about the closest pools that likely will be open until 11:45 pm today and for the next few days. You can call to double check on any given day.

(Must add this proviso: if you can get in. What the city's press release doesn't mention are the incredibly long line ups. Dating from the era when public beaches started being flagged unsafe for swimming, the city's pools have been jam-packed.)

Anyway, the closest city-run pools are Alex Duff Memorial, at 779 Crawford Avenue -- the big pool that towers over the northwest corner of Christie Pits -- and Alexandra Park Pool, at 275 Bathurst St. at the corner of Dundas.

Stay cool!

Vanessa