A Windsor standing committee has voted 3 to 1 in favour of waiving fees for Diving Canada to set up a diving club at the Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre.
Diving Canada asked to have its facility access fees (pool rental fees) waived, which amounts to up to $25,000 per year for a three-year period.
But Ward 6 Councillor Jo-Anne Gignac says the city is just fulfilling its original obligations.
"This was part of the original discussion around the building of the International Aquatic Centre and the agreement with Fina and so I think it is very important for our community to get this into place and it provides a lot of opportunities for the youth in our community," says Gignac.
Gignac says administration will review waiving the fee annually and look at what the club is bringing into the facility.
Ward 3 Councillor Rino Bortolin voted against it as he wanted the issue to be deferred to council. He also has concerns about the process that is being used.
"I'm looking at this issue more from a perspective, not for who is asking, but more how we are applying the waiver of fees policy, the individual request I think in the end I would support," says Bortolin.
Bortolin says he would like city council to discuss the issue of waiving fees in order to come up with a consistent policy that would be used for all organizations.
He says some organizations such as the Downtown Windsor Farmer's Market, the Erie Street Bike Races and Windsor International Film Festival have all requested fees be waived, and those organizations have been turned down.
The standing committee heard the Windsor Diving Club needs 120 students to be sustainable.
The club was officially launched in April 2016 and has 40 regular participants.
The issue still has to go before Windsor City Council for final approval.