Ontario is considering lowering the minimum age for lifeguards to 15 years old, due to widespread staff shortages last summer.
According to the Health Protection and Promotion Act, all lifeguards, assistant lifeguards, aquatic instructors and coaches must be at least 16 years old. However, the Lifesaving Society adopted 15 years as the minimum age prerequisite for certification as a swim
instructor, lifesaving instructor, or national lifeguard in July 2020.
This change was made in an effort to alleviate staffing shortages and encourage more youth to apply to participate in training and gain employment.
“The proposed change also supports greater access to lifeguard-supervised public pools and swimming lessons across the province,” the government said in a posting on its regulatory registry for public consultation on Apr. 13.
Corporate Communications Manager of Lifesaving Society Ontario Stephanie Bakalar says the organization supports this move by the province as any 15-year-old who completes the training for the certification means they are qualified to work.
“Anyone who earns their National Lifeguard certification undergoes rigorous training with strict standards and must demonstrate a combination of knowledge, judgment, fitness and skill. When someone earns our National Lifeguard or Instructor certifications, the Lifesaving Society believes they are ready to work in that role,” Bakalar said to Now Toronto in an email statement on Monday.
She adds that lifeguards and instructors must show physical, cognitive and emotional maturity and their programs reflect this.
The organization believes the province is making the right call to lower the minimum age as lifeguard quantity took a blow over the last few years, even prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result of overwhelming pool closures, the Lifesaving Society was unable to run their certification courses and lifeguards could not be certified. To attract and retain staff, Bakalar says the organization turned to creative solutions, such as covering costs for training and certifications, and encouraging retired swimmers to retrain as lifeguards.
According to the Canadian Press, last summer Toronto “had only secured two-thirds of the lifeguards it needed. It also had to cancel 169 swim courses because it could not find enough instructors. Other municipalities and provinces also reported shortages.”
Fortunately, Bakalar says the organization is currently seeing an increase in the number of certifications and predicts more staff in pools over the next few years.
“The 15 year olds who successfully earn their National Lifeguard or Swim and Lifesaving Instructor awards are capable and ready to work, shifting the working age for lifeguards and instructors in Ontario to 15 from 16 should help ease the shortage that is happening in some areas of the province,” Bakalar said.
The Ontario public pools proposal is available for public comment until Apr. 28.
