Workers walk off the job at some of Toronto's indoor pools over the heat wave

After the City of Toronto faced criticism for intermittently shut down some of its outdoor pools in the interest of staff during the last heat wave, some of said staff are now refusing to work on their own accord because of this week's high temperatures — except that, in this case, the team members in question were stationed at indoor pools.

CUPE Local 79, the union that represents tens of thousands of employees of the municipality, is saying that given the humidity in the pool areas of Birchmount Community Centre and Main Square Community Centre on Tuesday, the City was required to dispatch more staff, in line with workplace health and safety rules, but didn't.

In addition, the organization claims that the City "failed to act and provide appropriate cooling spaces" amid mechanical issues with the dehumidification systems at both locations.

So, the pool attendants, lifeguards and others left their posts, and both pools were temporarily shuttered for the day.

As a City spokesperson explained to blogTO during the pool closure incident last month, "the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires employers to have policies in place to support staff during elevated humidity levels. Once the humidex reaches 45, we need to have a medical professional on site to support staff health and wellness."

Other measures include ensuring there is adequate shade at lifeguard stations and encouraging 'regular cooling opportunities' — which, again, are usually mostly concerns for those working at outdoor locations.

In this case, the humidex values inside the indoor aquatic facilities were allegedly measured to be between 40 C and 45 C. Many joked online in response to the previous round of pool closures that a 'cooling opportunity' for a staffer in this case would, most logically and simply, be a quick dip in whatever pool they're working at.