Swim program waitlists in Burnaby have shrunk after a lifeguard hiring blitz, according to city staff.
The city hired 185 lifeguards over the past year, and now has about 10 per cent more lifeguards than it did last year.
“It’s been a very aggressive recruitment plan which has allowed us to provide a lot more programs and services to our community,” said Carol Chard, manager of recreation services, at a council meeting July 22.
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced the training available for lifeguards and swim instructors, which resulted in a Canada-wide shortage and “pent-up demand for swim lessons and other aquatic programs,” according to a March 2023 staff report.
The city now has about 411 lifeguards on staff, 36 more than last year’s count of 375 lifeguards in the 2023 report. The Burnaby NOW asked the city to clarify reasons for the attrition in lifeguard staffing but did not receive a response by publication deadline.
Chard said the new hires have made a “significant difference” in shortening the long waitlists that plagued the city after the pandemic.
The last waitlist report showed a range of 6,000 to 7,000 registrants waiting for swim lessons – now the number is less than 2,000.
And because some people register on the waitlist multiple times, Chard said the number now could be closer to 500.
Chard said the workforce has stabilized since COVID.
“It’s sufficient for today,” she said. “The labour force is constantly changing and we’re constantly in a recruitment process.”
Burnaby is investing “significant capital” in new pools and aquatic facilities, which will double the number of lifeguards needed by 2026 to more than 750 staff, according to the 2023 report.
