‘It’s like you can’t win’: 11K on city-run swim lesson wait lists By: Joyanne Pursaga Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Tuesday, Mar. 28, 2023

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This article was published 28/03/2023 (894 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A lifeguard shortage that forced the city to offer far fewer swimming lessons this spring has left many Winnipeggers waiting for even a chance to dive into a program.

Wait lists for City of Winnipeg swim classes had 11,604 entries, as of March 24, while 967 different learn-to-swim activities had people on standby.

While one resident can sign on to multiple wait lists and the city doesn’t keep previous seasonal numbers to compare to, the civic government acknowledges the files are getting longer.

“In general, wait list numbers have increased as we’ve worked through staffing shortages since the pandemic,” city spokesman Adam Campbell wrote in an emailed statement.

The growing demand for even potential, future swimming lessons comes as no surprise for Barbara Mitchell, who hasn’t been able to secure city-run classes for her two children since the pre-COVID-19 days.

Wait lists for City of Winnipeg swim classes had 11,604 entries, as of March 24, while 967 different learn-to-swim activities had people on standby.

“I’m 37th on the wait list for one request… I’m not getting into swimming lessons for my kids is essentially the moral of the story,” said Mitchell, who noted she is also on the wait list for other time slots.

The courses she wanted filled up within two minutes of the 8 a.m. start to Leisure Guide registration March 21, indicating the selection is falling short of the demand, said Mitchell.

“I also find it difficult when you have more than one child, either you have to have several electronic devices and another person helping you or you’re just picking (one) child and they’re getting swim lessons, if you’re lucky enough to get in,” she said, noting she fears securing a class is impossible for those who can’t afford such electronics.

Kaitlin Bialek was also unable to sign up for swimming lessons for her two children, despite the fact both she and her husband went to great lengths.

“I’m on right at 7:58 (a.m.), (going) refresh, refresh, refresh. It was 8:05 before spots were even showing up for me. And they popped up and already they were all full. I also tried to call 311 at the same time, but I got the recording… their phones were (ringing) off the hook,” said Bialek.

“It’s like you can’t win. You try to call them, you try to go online… With three different devices going, you couldn’t get anything.”

This spring, Bialek opted not to even try the wait lists, since doing so didn’t secure her any spots when she wasn’t able to sign up her children for the winter session.

“It’s frustrating. We want to put our kids into swimming lessons… we want them to be safe around water.”

The City of Winnipeg has been struggling to attract lifeguards due to an ongoing labour shortage, which it notes as a key obstacle to offering more courses.

“We continue to actively recruit, and every effort is being made to fill vacancies as quickly as possible. It’s anticipated that it will still take some time to return to full staffing levels and the restoration of services.”–Adam Campbell, city spokesman

The number of city-run swimming courses has dropped in recent years, with 2,118 completed in spring 2019, and 1,057 offered this spring. There were 1,500 in fall 2022 and 1,340 in winter 2023.

Campbell said there are now about 255 city lifeguards, and the city hopes to reach a complement of at least 300 prior to its summer swim programs.

The city announced a six-course certification program in November that let successful applicants train for free to teach swimming lessons.

Those courses would normally cost a combined $1,500 per participant, but the city used a Canada-Manitoba job grant to pay the tab instead, in hopes of attracting more interest.

Campbell said 67 people are now wrapping up that training.

City council also added $150,000 to its 2023 budget to further support lifeguard recruitment and training.

“We continue to actively recruit, and every effort is being made to fill vacancies as quickly as possible. It’s anticipated that it will still take some time to return to full staffing levels and the restoration of services,” said Campbell.

“As previously communicated, as we continue to work through these staffing challenges, hours of service may continue to be impacted at our facilities, the number of programs may be reduced, and program/facility capacities may be reduced.”

Mitchell said she hopes the city tries new incentives to attract more lifeguards and create more swimming slots, including reaching out to see if lessons could be offered during the day through partnerships with schools.

Bialek said she’d like the city to find more ways to incentivize lifeguards, as well, even if it winds up costing Winnipeggers a little more.

“Maybe I’m one of the few people that will say this, but raise our taxes a little bit so that we can afford to pay these people better so that they want to do the job,” she said.

Coun. Cindy Gilroy said she’s confident the city is doing what it can to address a labour shortage that extends far beyond Winnipeg.

“You need so many people working at the pool to keep it safe for everybody. I think they’re trying to be as innovative as they can,” Gilroy said Tuesday.

The Daniel McIntyre councillor said the problem is especially concerning in the inner city and “higher-need” areas.

“Maybe I’m one of the few people that will say this, but raise our taxes a little bit so that we can afford to pay these people better so that they want to do the job.”–Kaitlin Bialek

“We want to make sure that swimming lessons are available throughout the city and not just in suburban communities,” said Gilroy. “Making sure that we have people that represent their community as lifeguards is critical.”

She’s calling for a targeted outreach to attract residents of the inner city to become lifeguards within their own neighbourhoods, such as by offering more free training to those who would commit to do so.

Gilroy said pools are especially important for lower-income Winnipeggers, who may lack air conditioning and other options to cool off during hot summer days.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga