A Brief History of the Aquatic Mobility Program

The Aquatic Mobility Program at Buckler Aquatic Pool, 500 Coronation Road, in Scarborough, established itself as a registered non-profit organization and adopted its current name after many years of development. The regular exercise in a warm-water program has a long history of serving members of the community who suffer from chronic arthritic pain and those recovering their strength after major surgery.

The Aquatic Mobility Program’s roots date back to the Arthritis Pool Program at Scarborough General Hospital for patients who suffered debilitating chronic joint pain. The Rehabilitation Program was developed and run in association with the Ontario Arthritis Society.

The Hospital’s objective was to provide simple water-based workouts for patients with rheumatoid arthritis to relieve chronic pain. The program, led by physical and occupational therapists, was held in a unique heated pool and helped reduce suffering and improve daily mobility for thousands of participants in the Toronto area.

Sue Grout, a physical therapist at the hospital, and Jacquie Duff, an aqua fitness trainer, were involved in developing the program. In 1984, they started training instructors. Yasmin Visram, now part of the Aquatic Mobility Program, was a participant and then an organizer of this original effort. She subsequently held a number of organizational roles with the program continuously for over 40 years.

I have been doing warm water exercises for many years now, ever since I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. The exercises helped me so much that I decided to become an instructor. I love this program, and I love watching participants getting better and gaining strength after attending the classes, some even in a short period of time.
– Yasmin Visram

The Aqua Program was moved to Centenary Hospital when both hospitals became part of the Scarborough Health Network. Pool Programs were prematurely and permanently shut down during the 2003 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak in Toronto. At the time, SARS was a public health crisis, and Toronto experienced the largest contagious outbreak of the disease outside of Asia.

After the danger had passed, Sue Grout and Vivian Boyd searched for a warm-water pool and found a suitable location at the Canadian Legion’s Home for Veterans in Scarborough. A number of instructors who had trained at the Centenary Hospital Program volunteered to run the program there. The Aqua Program was later renamed the Tony Stacey Pool Program after the residences became part of The Tony Stacey Centre for Veterans’ Care.

The Aqua Program was popular, running 5 days a week and continuing successfully for 17 years until the worldwide COVID Pandemic again led to its premature shutdown.

In 2022, after a two-year shutdown and as city life returned to normal, an instructor, Jeanne Samonas, rented the warm-water facilities at the Buckler Aquatics pool in Scarborough and reactivated the Aqua Program. Sadly, due to an unexpected and serious ailment, Jeannie had to leave the work she started.

In May of 2024, the Program’s Instructors, seeing a need to continue Jeanne’s work, collectively took on the challenge of running the much-needed warm-water aquatic program. The Instructors and members of the community officially incorporated a Non-Profit Organization with the Federal Government of Canada to take on the task. The new Non-Profit Organization is now known as the Aquatic Mobility Program.

Endorsed by the Ontario Arthritis Society as a therapy, our new organization supports the unique needs of Arthritic and Post-Surgery Individuals in the eastern area of Toronto with a hard-to-find warm-water exercise program. We continue and build on the dedication and work of past therapists and pool instructors who have sought to bring relief from chronic pain to members of our community.

Aquatic Mobility Program volunteer instructors have many years of individual and collective practical experience. All our instructors have earned both Canadian Red Cross First Aid and CPR Certifications with Defibrillator Endorsements, and are trained and certified by WaterART Fitness International, located in Toronto. WaterART Fitness Training & Certification Programs are based on the most current documented research to be the cutting edge of water and fitness training. Their standards and education are important for improving the quality of our instruction. Aquatic Mobility Program Instructors are required to keep their certifications current and are regularly retrained and tested.

Certified Aquatic Mobility Program Volunteer Instructors. Years of Practical Experience in 2026
— Gemma D’Souza. 4 years
— Winifred Martin. 9 years
— Shauna van Hoof. 10 years
— Tina Zappulla. 20 years
— Yasmin Visram. 20 years

The Program is currently training two additional instructors.

The Aquatic Mobility Program is located at the warm-water pool at Buckler Aquatics, 500 Coronation Drive, Scarborough. The facility is located on Morningside Drive and Lawrence Avenue East in Scarborough, Ontario. The pool is conveniently located for clients from Toronto, Pickering, Whitby, and Ajax, and it is on a TTC Bus Route.

Buckler Aquatics provides a Lifeguard who has completed the National Lifeguard Program, as well as a reception area, change rooms, showers, and parking facilities for all members who take the Program.