The city is working to fast-track instructor training throughout the summer and planning additional courses for the remainder of the year, the statement said. “Every effort was made to minimize cancellations and, where possible, staff are combining programs with low registration numbers and allocating staff to higher-demand programs,” municipal officials said in a statement. The cancellations affected approximately 1,140 participants, the city said. On Tuesday the city cancelled 169 swim courses, saying it could not find swim instructors to teach. While daily supervision is being provided at most Toronto beaches based on staff availability, Ward’s Island and Hanlan’s Point beaches will only be supervised on weekends, while Gibraltar Point will not be supervised until later in the season, he said. The city has confirmed 88 per cent of the 300 wading pool attendants it needs and 67 per cent of the 160 waterfront lifeguards required to supervise its beaches, he said. Fifty-five outdoor pools in Toronto are set open for weekend and evening swimming on June 25, and open on a full schedule starting June 30. Toronto’s director of community recreation, Howie Dayton, said the city needs about 1,100 lifeguards to supervise indoor and outdoor pool facilities but currently only has 750 confirmed. “I suspect there will be some pools that will not open this summer because of staff shortages,” she said. The labour shortage is similar to those seen in the retail sector and at airports, said Barbara Byers, a senior research officer at the Lifesaving Society, a water safety organization. Health measures meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 put lifeguard certification and recertification programs on hold, and many lifeguards moved on to new opportunities during the pandemic, they said. Municipalities across Canada are grappling with lifeguard shortages this summer in part due to the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials and industry groups said as city pools and beaches were poised to open for the season.
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