After two years of pandemic restrictions, Manitoba camp directors expected a tsunami of camps to aim for a quintessential summer activity (overnight camping), but the record is lower than expected, with some camps with half the capacity.
Some camps reduced the number themselves. The lack of adequate certified staff such as lifeguards and health workers reduced the number of places available for some night camps.
“We were only able to open as many places at the camp as available staff. So we first had to find staff and then make sure we could accommodate the kids during the summer,” Chris Buffington, executive director of Camp Arnes, told Interlake of Manitoba.
Buffington, who says campers are now on a waiting list, said the number of campers before the pandemic was four times greater than it is now. The camp is still looking for workers for nine job categories, including lifeguards, camp nurses and cabin chiefs, according to its website.
At least three camps said they had trouble securing lifeguards and health workers needed to invite more campers.
“I usually have three lifeguards on my beach. Now that they have one, we have a lot of shared bathrooms, you know, where we only have 20 kids at a time instead of a large group,” said Don Roe, director of Gimli Bible Camp , which is also located in Interlake.
Don Roe, director of the Gimli Bible Camp, said it takes several years to accumulate staff for a camp. He said the pandemic dealt a severe blow to the camp staff that will take years to fix. (Submitted by Don Roe)
Roe said it takes several years to accumulate staff for a camp and that the pandemic dealt a severe blow to this endowment that will take years to fix.
Roe said their field is probably at 40% capacity and they have enough cabin heads to operate, but all of these staff members give 100% all the time.
“If this happens all summer, they’ll probably get tired. But again, the kids will have fun, the most important thing is, how much attention can we give them? How much relationship building can we do?” Roe said.
Other travel plans also affect tuition
Reduced capacity due to staffing is just one of the reasons there are fewer children in Manitoba at the camps this year. In some situations there is room for campers, but the principals do not know why the children have not come.
The Manitoba Pioneer Camp near Kenora, Ontario, is nearly halfway there, though it was expected to be closer to 65 or 70 percent, said Neil Steward, the camp’s executive director.
“June is usually a big month where we see several campers sign up, and we haven’t really seen it,” he said.
Steward said that, based on the conversations he has had with parents, there were two main reasons for the drop in enrollment. The first was the apprehension for COVID-19.
“Some of them are like, you know, we prefer to wait a little longer before we put our kids up with a lot of people,” Steward said.
Steward also said many other children travel to visit other family members they haven’t seen in a long time.
Several directors said that uncertainty earlier this year about whether there would be a summer camp, or what the conditions would be, caused them to open registrations later than usual and could have affected who signed up. .
Camp Massad turned down 16 campers, at a cost of $ 40,000 to $ 45,000, because they were not vaccinated, said Daniel Sprintz, executive director of the camp, north of Winnipeg Beach.
Sprintz said that by the time the province abandoned these pandemic restrictions, it had already turned down campers and parents who had already targeted their children were waiting for a camp where everyone would be vaccinated.
MIRAR | Enrollment is increasing, but many camp programs do not have enough people applying for jobs:
Summer camps struggle with staff shortages
With pandemic restrictions eased, enrollment in summer camps is increasing, but many programs do not have enough people applying for places, forcing some camps to close for the season.
Evan Andrew, director of brand revenue at Sport Manitoba, said his three-week summer home, which is in its fourth year, now operates at 80% capacity. In previous years, it would have been full, he said.
Andrew said the camp did not increase its quota, but was forced to withdraw an early booking special due to rising costs.
“We didn’t want to try to pass them on to families, but at the same time, obviously [we’re] trying to reach balance, or as close as possible, as a non-profit organization, ”he said.
It’s not a money problem for everyone
Kim Scherger, executive director of the Manitoba Camping Association, said the drop in camping records this year is reflected in fewer camping grant applications, although aid is ready and waiting .
Children who need money for the camp can access it through the Sunshine Fund, which is administered through the Manitoba Camping Association. Scherger said this year’s demand is well below what they had seen earlier.
Kim Scherger, head of the Manitoba Camping Association, said registrations for the camps were excellent in March and April, but then stabilized. This is good, he says, because many camps would not have been able to find enough staff to do a full camp. (Submitted by Kim Scherger)
“In 2019 we sent 641 kids to camp for a week of summer camp, and that cost us about $ 225,000,” Scherger said.
It covered the cost of sending just over 100 children in 2020 and 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic limited options for camps.
While the Sunshine Fund was expecting a wave of applications this year, this has not materialized.
“By the end of June, we were about 300 kids we were sending to camp through the Sunshine Fund. And that amount was about $ 130,000 we spent through the fund,” Scherger said.
“So I guess part of my message here is also that we still have funding for this year.”
Scherger said funding is still available for accredited camps listed on the Manitoba Camping Association website.
“We would love to encourage parents to apply to access this funding,” he said.
The pandemic dealt a severe blow to Manitoba’s summer camps
After two years of pandemic restrictions, Manitoba camp directors expected a tsunami of camps to aim for a quintessential summer activity (overnight camping), but the record is lower than expected, with some camps with half the capacity.