The City of Stratford owns and operates the Stratford Lions Pool, located at 15 William Street Stratford, from June until end of August each season. Our highly qualified Instructor/Guard staff provide a full range of swimming lessons and public swim programming, in a supervised and save environment.
Our Hours of Operation do vary depending on the time of season, but during July and August, we are open from dawn to dusk.
Facility Features: Heated to 28 degrees Celsius | 25-meter, 6 lane deep pool | zero-depth beach entry into 25-meter leisure pool | spray water features | change facilities | accessible.
April 1, 2020 - Due to COVID-19 and the closure of city facilities until further notice, all spring recreation programs are cancelled. City staff will reach out directly to program participants to offer an account credit and/or refund.
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How can we direct you?
Become a Lifeguard/Instructor
Employment - Work for Us
Free Swim Schedule
Public Swim Schedule and Admission Fees
Private Rentals
Recreation Activity Guide
Register for Programs
School Bookings
Social Agency Pass Requests
Sponsor a Swim
Swim Admission Policies and Procedures
Swimming Lessons
Swim Team
Important Swim Admission Policies and Procedures
We have a few important swim policies and procedures you should know before arriving at the pool.
Swim Admittance Abilities Policy
Children under the age of 8 can participate in public swims if they meet one of the two following conditions:
- They are supervised by a responsible person 12 years of age or older. The responsible person must be in the water and remain within arms reach of their child. This responsible person may not supervise more than 2 swimmers at any time.
- The child can pass the Swimming Competency Test. The competency test is for children under the age of 8 who wish to swim without direct supervision.
Should you be short in having a responsible person to help supervise more than 2 children, consider inviting a friend to help assist, or have your children take turns in and out of the pool.
Finally, we support with pride all persons of varying abilities. Should a patron having an exceptional ability wishes to attend a swim and requries a support person (whether the support is requried on deck or in the water), we are happy to admit the support person free of charge.
Patron admittance reviews and final decisions are at the sole discretion of the Supervisor on Duty.
Swimming Competency Test Policy
The swimming competency test is for children under the age of 8 who wish to swim without direct supervision. The following requirements must be passed to the Instructor/Guard's standards:
- Two widths of the Lions Pool where the child can touch.
- Recognizable front crawl with face in.
- Treading water for 20 seconds in the middle of each width.
- A general comfort with the water.
The swimming competency test can also be administered to swimmers wishing to enter the deep end of the pool who are older than 8 years of age. All Instructor/Guards are able to administer the test. The swimming competency test is the only test available to evaluate a patron's strength, endurance and level of comfort in the water. Children who pass the test may have access to the entire pool.
The Instructor/Guard's have the authority to send the child back to the shallow end for their safety, if he/she becomes weak/tired. Only one test per particpant, per day will be administered.
Family Swim Policy
Anyone under the age of 18 years wishing to swim during a Family Swim time must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Pool Closure Policy
In the event that no swimmers arrive within the first half-hour of the evening open swim, the pool will be closed until the next scheduled swim time.
Cancelled Swim/Fouled Swim Policy
The Pool will remain open on rainy days, unless: thunder and/or lightning is evident; or, the downpour is so heavy, that the black dot on the bottom of the pool is not visible. If either of the above two points are present, the pool must be closed immediately. It may re-open after a ten-minute interval void of these two conditions, or upon the discretion of the Supervisor on duty.
In the event of the pool being fouled, the pool will be cleared immediately. The required maintenance for fouled pools will be completed.
If a public swim is cancelled due to inclement weather, no refunds will be given. If a public swim is cancelled due to a fouled pool, a free swim card pass may be issued at the Supervisor's discretion.
If swim lessons are cancelled due to inclement weather, or a fouled pool, dry land lessons will be offered.