Wasslen: How to fix Ottawa’s lifeguard shortage — pay properly

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As a water sports enthusiast, I was disappointed to see major declines in water sports programs at Ottawa’s public facilities this past summer. I was frustrated trying to beat the sweltering heat with swimming pools open to the public for significantly fewer hours than in previous seasons. Swimming started later, ended earlier, and many of the paddling pools were unable to offer consistent hours or even serve their communities every day of the week.

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At the beginning of the autumn season, I fear that the situation will continue to deteriorate.

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I now see signs at the city of Ottawa’s pools warning patrons that the scheduled program may change at the last minute due to staff shortages. This can lead to cancellations of swimming courses and aquafit courses. Parents are now scrambling to get their children on waiting lists for vacancies in this season’s courses, and those attending Aquafit for Health and Exercise are seeing their programs being scrapped for lack of instructors.

In other cases, pools are required to convert women-only pools to general admission pools if female lifeguards were not available during those programs.

Not to mention staff shortages in leisure facilities. I haven’t been able to use the gym at my local facility in Orléans for a while.

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Simply put, there are not enough lifeguards and associated recreational staff on hand to consistently fulfill the program at public water sports facilities. Which is a shame because our public pools are a valuable asset to our families and communities. This is where kids learn to swim, attend camps and hang out. The water offers tremendous health benefits for everyone from those who swim to stay in shape to those recovering from injuries or treating chronic conditions.

Our city’s amenities and the lifeguards who keep them afloat provide recreation at relatively low cost, even to those who can’t afford a trip to a vacation home or an upscale gym. They are inclusive spaces where families and communities can connect and grow.

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The lack of lifeguards and the resulting program cuts are all the more tragic, the effects of which affect people from low-income and vulnerable milieus disproportionately.

The City of Ottawa appears to be acknowledging the staffing shortage in the aquarium hobby, pointing to high turnover since at least 2019. Beyond that, however, we’ve heard little from city officials about a solution to the shortage. Lifesaving Society Executive Director Raynald Hawkins offered his insight that students are “spoiled for choice”.

But that avoids the question of why Ottawa’s young people choose an occupation outside of lifeguarding.

count. Mathieu Fleury recently identified pay as a key issue, stating that “the salary (of a lifeguard) is less competitive than it used to be”.

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As the excellent Ottawa Lifeguards Instagram page points out, full certification requires lengthy training that costs more than $1,000. The work is physically and mentally intense. But summer lifeguard salaries in Ottawa start at just about $15.40 an hour.

Toronto responded to the lifeguard shortage by raising hourly wages for water sports workers from $17.80 to $21.19. However, Ottawa has yet to renew its collective agreement for water sports employees, which expired in 2019. A separate collective bargaining agreement managing water sports staff during the summer program has not been renewed since 2015. This effectively imposes the same pay freeze as the provincial government imposes on health workers.

The City of Ottawa has an obligation to ensure that we all have regular access to the enriching experiences of water sports programs and facilities. Ottawa needs to stop staying on its heels, act quickly to reduce its high turnover rate, and hire lifeguards for decently paid and dignified positions.

residents of Orleans Larry Wasslen is active in community initiatives, particularly in the areas of peace, ecology, labor rights, poverty alleviation and social justice. He is an active swimmer and primary taxi driver for grandchildren using swimming and paddling pools.