RANKIN INLET - Hundreds of children in Rankin Inlet will have their favourite summertime activity taken away if negotiations between the hamlet and Nunavut's Department of Health don't go well this week.

The hamlet was given a list of nine items to be corrected before the pool could open, following an inspection by environmental health officer (EHO) Craig Van Lankveld.

It would cost the hamlet at least $500,000 to address all nine.

The pool operates six days a week from the closure to the reopening of school, with more than 200 kids passing through every day.

In addition to learn-to-swim and competitive programs, the pool plays a large role in the summer day-camp program and provides recreational swimming for residents of the adult and kids group homes.

Rec coordinator David Clark said he's never received a complaint from a parent or concerned citizen about the pool during his five years on the job.

He said Van Lankveld closed the pool near the end of the 2010 season over water clarity issues.

"Once we addressed that, he came back with a bunch of other stuff for us to deal with," said Clark

"These nine issues would be quite expensive to correct and I don't know where the hamlet can find the money to look after all that.

"He's (Van Lankveld) told me privately his bosses don't want the pool to open in Rankin and I think they should explain that to the community. The impression I got from my talks with him is he's been told to do whatever it takes to make sure our pool doesn't open."

Clark said there's no possibility of building a new bathhouse within 30 meters of the pool.

He said levelling the pool deck, which is off by two or three inches, would also be extremely expensive.

"For a lot of our kids, especially aged five to 12, the pool is the most popular summer activity they have. If we're forced to close we'll do everything we can to provide something else for the kids, but that will be difficult because the pool is so popular with so many different age groups.

"It's frustrating trying to do a job to the best of your ability when someone's putting barriers in front of you too big to climb."

Clark said he knows there's issues with the pool, but the hamlet could get a few more years out of it if the inspector would work with him instead of giving ultimatums.

He said he agrees with many of the points raised, but others aren't reasonable.

"The biggest ones are the bathhouse within 30 metres of the pool, levelling the pool, a drinking fountain and installing separate showers. The kids use the dressing rooms as their change rooms, and we have a supervised shower in the pool area they must use before getting into the water or leaving the pool area."

Nunavut chief medical officer of health Geraldine Osborne said she's willing to work with the hamlet to get the pool open.

But, she said, issues dealing with health concerns are non-negotiable.

"We hope to meet with the hamlet this week and I'm very confident we can reach a solution to get the pool open and have it safe for our swimmers," said Osborne.

"The conditions that relate to preventing the transmission of infectious diseases and safety are very important, but they're fairly easy to remedy and, I'm sure, within the capabilities of the hamlet to address.

"I think there was a miscommunication between our EHO and the recreation officer and we're looking forward to discussing this with the hamlet. Based on conversation with the acting SAO (Arnie Brown), I think we'll reach a solution."

Osborne said she's concerned with the pool's lack of proper chlorination and a black disk at the bottom of the pool to test for water clarity and safety.

She said regulations concerning safety issues are in place for good reason.

"Issues concerning transmission of communicable diseases and the safety of swimmers are non-negotiable.

"The other issues about bathing houses and water fountains are all negotiable and can be done at a later time.

"I can't comment on the levelling issue because I haven't seen the pool deck."

Osborne said she hopes Clark's contention that Van Lankveld insinuated he was directed to do what it takes to keep the pool closed is a misquote on Clark's behalf.

She said the pool is not safe to open right now, but she wants to work with the hamlet to resolve the issues.

"I doubt very much our EHO would say that. Obviously our aim isn't to close the pool, but to make it safe so it can be opened.

"Physical activity is very important to children and we want to work with the hamlet to make the pool safe for our swimmers to use."

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.