After years of trying to make a splash with the Toronto District School Board, it appears the long debate over the fate of the city's school pools is over. And the swimmers finally have reason to take a bow - if not a dive.

The province has confirmed it will come through with funding to save all the city's swimming facilities, which have been threatened with closure over the past few seasons.

Premier Dalton McGuinty claims the debate over the pools has gone on far too long, with demonstrators staging frequent protests trying to keep them from being drained. The latest came last Thursday at Nathan Phillips Square.

The Liberals maintain the pools are valuable resources for the public, with many groups operating programs in the 79 on campus locations, because Toronto itself only has 30 city run watering holes for a population of 2.5 million.

Thirty-nine of the school pools were set to close in June.