Three times a year during the pandemic, Catherine Lechman duly logged on to her computer to try to register her four-year-old son for swimming lessons.
He tried the pool at his home in the Montreal district of Pierrefonds, in two nearby municipalities and through a private service. In each case, the places were filled instantly.
“Since the pandemic hit, no matter where I tried, if I wanted to drive somewhere or pay a small amount of money or a larger amount, there was no availability to receive lessons,” Lechman said.
“He’ll be five years old now, and he can barely float in the water.”
Finally, Lechman was able to enroll his son in a lesson for the summer session, which began earlier this month.
Even then, there were only four places available in their age group due to the lack of lifeguards on staff.
The shortage of lifeguards and instructors is spreading across the country, forcing many municipalities to reduce pool hours and limit the number of lessons available despite repressed demand.
MIRAR | The shortage of lifeguards creates problems in some swimming pools:
Lack of lifeguards to start the summer
There is concern about the shortage of lifeguards in Canada and whether beaches and swimming pools will remain safe while people go out to cool off during the summer.
The challenge of attracting new staff
In Toronto i Ottawa, city officials had to cancel swimming classes this summer due to staff shortages. The waiting list in Prince George, BC, exceeded 700 this spring and other municipalities also struggled to meet demand.
In Prince Edward Islandthe province announced that some beaches would be unsupervised.
Advocates fear the shortage could have lasting consequences for a generation of children struggling to gain access to swimming lessons.
“This year is definitely a short-term problem, and it will be a medium-term problem and a long-term problem because even though we can spend the summer, there are still not enough younger pre-rescuers on the road to becoming in lifeguards, ”said Barbara Byers, director of public education at the Lifesaving Society of Canada.
While it’s hard to put an exact number into it, the labor shortage seen in many industries is especially acute among lifeguards, Byers said.
Many of those with experience have moved to other fields, and the necessary training makes it difficult to hire new workers quickly, he said.
“Over the last two years, there haven’t been any or many new instructors and new lifeguards in the mix.”
Byers is concerned that children, especially those from low-income families, do not have access to swimming lessons, which he considers a vital skill for life.
His organization designates the week of July 17 National Drowning Prevention Week. More than 400 Canadians die each year in preventable water-related incidents.
“If the children have not been taking the classes and the parents, for obvious reasons, have not been able to enroll them, the concern is that they will lose the habit, they will lose the drive to take the classes. “she said.
“You know, it’s been called The Hunger Games, trying to get your kids to go to lessons.”
A lifeguard is on duty at Brittany Beach on the Ottawa River in Ottawa. Municipalities across Canada are facing a shortage of lifeguards as the city’s swimming pools and beaches open during the summer. (Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press)
Higher salaries, free training
Byers said governments should be inventive on ways to address scarcity, from raising the salaries of instructors and lifeguards to making training free (it can cost up to $ 1,000 to get certified, he said).
Some municipalities have already taken these measures. Earlier this year, the West Vancouver district offered qualified candidates free lifeguard training worth about $ 1,000 to help staff at two of the district’s beaches. The new program also offered graduates excellent prospects of getting a job that pays nearly $ 28 an hour.
In Quebec, a publicly funded organization called Brigade Splash visits the province’s swimming pools, beaches and water parks to meet with staff and swimmers to spread information about how to be safe near water.
Philippe Doucet, the head of the program, has been working as a lifeguard since 2016. One aspect of his current job is to get more young people interested in becoming a lifeguard.
“Develop leadership, self-confidence, fitness,” he said. “You develop all these skills and meet new people.”
Lechman, meanwhile, said he hopes more youngsters will join the field soon.
“It’s an absolute, absolute need. It’s a skill that every person should have a right to be able to have to acquire.”