Photo of: Chantal Klein speaks out over concern for children exposed to a naked individual in the change room at the Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre.
Photo by: Danielle Dufour
Chantal Klein registered her daughter for daily swimming lessons that started on August 4th at the Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre. She took her three children and dropped her 12-year-old daughter off earlier to get ready for her class. As her and her boys were outside the change room doors, Klein said another mother came running out of the change room yelling “there’s a naked man in the showers.”
Without hesitation, Klein went into the change room to look for the man and confront him. He was already dressed and quickly walked out.
This happened again on August 5th, and Klein’s daughter went into the change room and came running out and said, “He’s naked in the shower again.”
Klein went in to confront the individual and had a one-on-one exchange before he left the facility.
“I talked to the front staff at the Sandra Schmirler, they were actually very rude about it, and they said there’s nothing they can do,” said Klein.
Klein told the staff her 12-year-old daughter had seen a grown man’s penis and was traumatized by the incident.
Her daughter, Brielle, said she was just trying to go to use the bathroom before her swim lesson.
“It was like a graphic scene,” said Brielle. “First time he covered himself but the second time he just showed everything down there. It was pretty traumatic.”
Brielle has been going to the change room by herself now that she is 12 years old.
This incident has never happened to her before and she said, “I’m just speechless because I’ve never seen a man in there unless if it’s like a little kid with their parent.”
She no longer feels safe returning to the change room at the Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre.
“I just definitely don’t want to see a man, a grown man, just being there, watching young women like me,” said Brielle. “I’d feel safer with my own gender. It’s just not okay for grown men or like grown women being in different change rooms. It’s just pretty graphic for younger children.”
Klein no longer feels safe bringing her children to change in the facilities at the centre.
“They don’t care about the children and I’m here for the children,” ‘said Klein. “Everyone’s too afraid to go back into the woman’s change room because this gentleman is in there.”
In 2024 the City of Regina formalized an Inclusive Washroom and Change Room Policy that supports the rights of all visitors to use the washroom and change room facilities that make them feel safest and/or best correspond with their gender identity.
Photo of the entrance to the change rooms
Phot by: Danielle Dufour
Klein is concerned that any “man” could come into the woman’s change room and potentially create an unsafe environment for children, like her daughter.
“I hope Saskatchewan can be the first province to pull back on these insane policies,” said Klein. “Our kids need to be safe.”
After hearing about the incident on social media, Harold Lutzer, a long-time resident of the city for 75 years, came to the leisure centre to show support for the families affected by this.
“I was just appalled to learn that there was a man that was totally undressed in the woman’s washroom and that the staff didn’t do anything,” said Lutzer.
Lutzer is a father to six children, has 20 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren and said, “This is a hurting man, so we can’t condemn him, but this type of thing has to stop in our city. I’m going to my counselor and I’m going to the mayor to expose this.”
He is also aware of the City of Regina Inclusive Washroom and Change Room Policy and said, “I think it’s totally ridiculous, there are only 2 genders, male and female. That was the way for 6000 years. It’s just in recent years this all came up.”
Lutzer wants the city to change this policy and said, “Stop this. None of this foolishness needs to be going on and nobody has to be offended at this. Just think of the poor girl that was in that washroom.”
In a statement from the City of Regina on August 7th:
“The City takes concerns regarding conduct and behaviour in its facilities seriously and is currently investigating the concerns that have been brought forward. Residents are encouraged to report concerns to staff immediately so they can be assessed and investigated at the time of the incident.”
The Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre was named and dedicated after the late Sandra Schmirler who was a legendary Canadian Curler from Saskatchewan.