The union that represents the City of Toronto’s inside workers is blaming the City after a popular indoor pool was forced to close on Tuesday because of extreme heat that it says posed “unsafe” work conditions for staff.CUPE Local 79 said staff at Birchmount Community Centre exercised their right to refuse to work after humidex levels soared on Tuesday due to a mechanical issue at the pool.Toronto is currently under a heat warning, with temperatures and humidity levels expected to remain dangerously high until Wednesday night. The union says a similar stoppage took place within the last week at the Main Square Community Centre indoor pool and lays the blame solely on the City for failing to “provide appropriate cooling spaces” for employees.“At both Main Square and Birchmount pools, indoor humidex readings have been recorded between 40°C and 45°C this week — a threshold requiring increased staffing levels, and the presence of medics when [humidity] reaches over 45°C under health and safety policies,” CUPE said in a release. “In the case where temperatures exceeded 45°C , medics were not present. The extreme heat conditions stem from malfunctioning Dectron units, which regulate humidity in indoor pool environments.”“Despite repeated complaints from frontline staff, City management failed to act and provide appropriate cooling spaces. As a result, workers are exercising their right to refuse unsafe work under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act. In response, the City has temporarily closed Birchmount Pool today until 5:30 p.m.”The City’s website states that the pool at Birchmount Community Centre “is presently closed due to a mechanical issue.”CityNews has reached out to the City about the issue and is awaiting a response.Last month some outdoor pools were intermittently closed during a searing heat wave, prompting public complaints and vows from Mayor Olivia Chow that it wouldn’t happen again. City pools forced to intermittently close Sunday due to heat and humidity levelsMeanwhile, CUPE Local 79 President Nas Yadollahi says the latest indoor closures are “yet another example of how Toronto’s crumbling infrastructure and poor management is putting both frontline workers and the public at risk.”“Our members are being asked to work in dangerous conditions, and when they raise legitimate concerns, those concerns are dismissed or ignored.”More to come