The city says it will cancel 169 classes as of today because swimming instructors could not be confirmed. The traffic will affect approximately 1,140 participants.
“We will contact the registrants individually and they will be offered either a full refund or a program credit if a suitable replacement program is not found,” the city said in a statement.
According to the city, staff shortages have been caused by certification delays affecting lifeguards and swimming instructors across North America. Compulsory certification and re-certification programs have been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city said it has been working since January to hire staff at an “enhanced pace” and facilitate secure certification to deal with delays, and that efforts are expected to continue over the summer to train more staff.
But while 196 instructors have been hired to teach 1,919 courses, some gaps remain.
“Every effort has been made to minimize cancellations and, where possible, staff combine programs with low enrollment numbers and allocate staff to higher demand programs,” the city said.
“In addition, the staff will enroll participants in alternative nearby programs, if space is available. Staff often rebalance classes this way after enrollment. “
It takes over 100 hours of training to become a lifeguard and an additional 40 hours of training to become a swimming instructor.
Earlier this month, Mayor John Tory made a call calling on qualified residents to apply for a lifeguard or swimming instructor to bridge the gap.
The city says it currently has 700 lifeguards, enough to oversee all 55 swimming pools and up to 10 beaches. A full work schedule for Toronto’s public outdoor pools is scheduled to begin June 30.
