News Roundup #3

St. Catharines lifeguard training program to be funded through user fees
Since the Pandemic, it's been a challenge for swimming pools in Canada and elsewhere to recruit and train lifeguards. The pipeline of kids who want to be lifeguards was disrupted during extensive pool closures, meaning that those who do want to become lifeguards are now looking at 80+ hours of training and close to $1000 in expenses.

This is the first program I've seen to proactively levy a fee on regular children's swimming lessons to reduce the cost of leadership (lifeguard) programs by 70%, making them more accessible to potential candidates from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. It's a true circle of life since many lifeguards go on to become swim instructors and deliver these much-needed programs & services.

Never Forget
This is not so much a news article, but one of several powerful TikTok videos I recently came across memorializing a child lost to fatal drowning.

Many parents and caregivers feel tremendous shame and guilt when their child drowns (fatally or otherwise), so it's not talked about enough in a way that can increase drowning prevention awareness and water safety education education. Kudos to this family for sharing their trauma for the benefit of others.

I'm a bit late to covering this story, but there are reports of a family of three (mother, father & child) electrocuted in a swimming pool at a resort in Mexico. Details are vague and confusing, but these are the types of tragic events we need to talk about in the pool industry to increase awareness and prevention!

Thanks so much for being here.

Katie Crysdale
Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.