Prince Albert lifeguards haven't dropped off over the course of the pandemic, though more will likely be needed for the new aquatic centre when it opens. (Submitted Photo/City of Prince Albert)

By Rob Mahon

No Lifeguard Shortage

No lifeguard shortage in PA as new aquatic centre takes shape

Mar 22, 2023 | 5:00 PM

The framework of the new aquatic centre and arena is starting to go up, and the project seems closer to completion than ever. That means the staff needed to look after it will soon need to be lined up.

The good news for residents of Prince Albert is, at a time where other communities are facing a shortage of lifeguards, no such shortage seems to exist here.

“We have a really good number of lifeguards here for the size of our community,” said Lauren Haubrich, recreation coordinator for aquatics. “We’ve been fortunate through the pandemic that with our huge waterpark, we were able to provide a lot more opportunities for employment than some of our counterparts.”

As COVID restrictions began to back off, lifeguards seemed to return rapidly enough in Prince Albert to avoid a slowdown there. According to a report from Global News, lifeguard numbers across the provincial border in Manitoba took a sharp turn down once the pandemic began to level off.

“We didn’t have a huge delay in our return to programming or a return to lifeguard training,” said Haubrich. “We’ve been pretty good. We don’t have the same issues or some of the exact same issues as some other communities.”

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Now comes the time where the city is looking ahead to the opening of the new aquatic centre. The new building is expected to bring in a higher number of swimmers and open up new spaces, which will require more instructors and lifeguards to compensate.

“We’ll have an increase in our programming so we’ll definitely see an increase in the staff available that we’ll need during the day,” Haubrich said.

Between now and then, summer programing will kick off at outdoor pools and parks across Prince Albert. The aquatic centre isn’t expected to be completed for the summer season, though according to the latest update, February saw the start of forming walls of the lap pool.

“We’re just gearing up for our summer registration,” said Haubrich. “Registration opens next month for that. We’re always kind of looking a step ahead and we watch the number of people registered in those programs to make sure we have the right number of corresponding advance courses.”

Haubrich added that if anyone wanted to join the ranks of the city’s lifeguards, they could contact the Frank J. Dunn Pool and they’ll point them in the right direction.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP