Lifeguards still needed to staff a third beach this summer

Although the City of North Bay anticipated having all three guarded beaches fully staffed this year, unless it receives interest from some qualified applicants in the next few weeks, it will not reach that goal.

The City says it is "continuing to actively recruit, but there remains a widespread shortage of lifeguards, which is having an impact. At this time, we anticipate that two of the City’s three supervised beaches will operate with lifeguards on duty when their season begins at the end of the month."

Last summer, due to the lifeguard shortage, only Shabogesic Beach next to King's Landing on Lake Nipissing and Olmsted Beach in Armstrong Park on Trout Lake had lifeguards on duty. Birchaven Cove, near Olmsted Beach on Trout Lake went without lifeguards for the summer. City of North Bay lifeguards generally begin their assignments a week or so before Canada Day and, staff permitting, the beaches will be guarded seven days a week from 12 p.m. until 7 p.m. until late August.

It would require 12–15 lifeguards to operate at full capacity and the City’s "efforts to hire will be ongoing throughout the summer with the goal of returning to full capacity. The Ontario government’s lowering the minimum age requirement to be a lifeguard from 16 to 15 years of age has aided in this year’s recruitment efforts."

To apply for a position as a City of North Bay lifeguard, click here.

The National Lifeguard training and certification, delivered by the Lifesaving Society, is the professional standard for lifeguarding in Canada. It certifies lifeguards across the country and is recognized by the province of Ontario for lifeguarding public swimming pools. In July 2020, the Lifesaving Society lowered its age requirement for the national lifeguard certificate from 16 to 15 years of age.

See related: Ontario proposes lowering minimum age for lifeguards to 15 to ease staff shortages

According to a news release issued Friday, the Ontario government has lowered the minimum age requirement to be a lifeguard, assistant lifeguard and aquatic instructor from 16 to 15 years of age to help communities address staffing shortages and make sure pools and recreational camp waterfronts across the province can be enjoyed safely. This change aligns the minimum age requirements with updated age requirements established by the Lifesaving Society’s certification course.

“As school rises for the summer and the weather warms up, we spend more time enjoying pools and camp waterfronts,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Lowering the age for youth to become lifeguards creates more job opportunities for youth in a rewarding position that can help keep community pools and recreational camp waterfronts safe.”

These changes come are effective immediately. As a result, communities will now have access to more lifeguards so businesses and municipalities can hire additional staff ahead of the summer season. Access to more lifeguards will also help operators maintain and expand their hours of operation for public swimming and aquatic lessons.