According to the city of Surrey, British Columbia, the demand for swimming lessons is expected to rise by 270 per cent this year, a situation compounded by a countrywide lack of swim safety professionals. The city has combined lifeguard and swim instructor roles in one position to address this situation.
Ravi Gill spent three years attempting to register her daughters for swimming lessons through the city of Surrey’s website but was unsuccessful. Instead, she turned to a private company, paying $3,000 out of her own pocket for her daughters’ swimming lessons.
The shortage of staff and swimming lessons availability is a result of a ripple effect caused by the pandemic. In 2019, before the start of the pandemic, Surrey had more than 50,000 people in line to register for swim lessons.
The shortage of lifeguards and swimming instructors has resulted in only three of the city’s five pools being fully operational. The South Surrey Indoor Pool is only operating Monday to Thursday due to the ongoing lifeguard shortage, and the Surrey Sport and Leisure Complex is closed for maintenance until May 2023. While the city is planning to build a new 50-m (164-ft) lap pool in Newton, to be open by 2024, Coun. Linda Annis believes the city is not making the best use of its existing facilities due to staff shortages.
According to a report by CBC, Mark Smeets, who has the required training to be working as a swimming instructor, is unable to work for the city because he needs to have lifeguard training and certification as well, which he is not willing to undertake. Similarly, there are lifeguards who are expected to get training to work in Surrey.
Education manager of the Lifesaving Society of BC & Yukon, Kimiko Hirakida, says she has seen in other British Columbia municipalities, including the Trail city and West Vancouver, the governments are helping instructors get free lifeguard training, which she thinks Surrey should do as well.
The city of Surrey responded by saying while it does not have the same policies in place, it has made swimming and lifeguard lessons as part of the Leisure Access Program, which offers heavily discounted rates for facilities and low-income individuals. Further, it has plans to place 16 young people to get lifeguard training by working in consort with the Surrey School District and the Surrey Wraparound Program.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says a new pool in Whalley could be built as part of the expansion of the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre, but she feels the city may not be ready to get the funds for new infrastructure projects, given the transition of Surrey’s police force to Surrey Police Service from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). However, Coun. Linda Annis disagrees with the mayor’s stance, saying the emphasis should be on providing basic services to residents and not on the police force’s transition. Gill echoes the same sentiment, saying the city should be focused on the problems faced by an average family in the city.
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