Evening swims at Cole Harbour Place temporarily cancelled after lifeguard assaulted

For the second time in recent weeks, one of Nova Scotia's largest recreational facilities has imposed restrictions because of problems with patrons.

Cole Harbour Place announced this week that its pool will be closed on evenings for the next few days because of an incident Monday night.

RCMP were called to the recreation complex for what was described as an assault in progress. In a statement, the Mounties said an employee was being assaulted by a patron who was still on scene. An 18-year-old woman was arrested as she tried to leave and is facing an assault charge. She has been released on conditions until her first court appearance.

Jen Heddon, general manager of Cole Harbour Place, said the employee, a lifeguard, was not seriously injured.

She said the evening closures will extend until early next week to give staff time to implement changes.

"Just so that we have some time to get additional staffing in place, some additional safety measures for the building for our staff, to make sure that we have time to debrief with staff and ensure that everybody feels safe moving forward, while they are at work," Heddon said.

In May, the saunas at Cole Harbour Place were closed permanently for what was described at the time as ongoing safety and behavioural issues.

"It seems recently that not everybody has the same regard for rules and respect and there's just more incidents that are occurring, unfortunately," Heddon said.