Lifeguard shortage leaves Vancouver beach unstaffed part time as union calls on park board to rethink strategy
For two weekends in a row the lifeguard perch at Spanish Banks West has sat vacant.
And now, as Metro Vancouver approaches what could be a record-setting heatwave, the union that represents 100 or so lifeguards is expressing concern over an ongoing staffing shortage.
“On a day like today where there’s normally hundreds and hundreds of people out, you would normally add more guards to those spaces, not be stretching things thin,” CUPE 1004 President Andrew Ledger told CTV News on Sunday.
According to the city's park board, every morning an availability call goes out to auxiliary guards to supplement the full-time contracted staff.
But many days, it appears not enough of them are available.
Peter Fox, manager of recreation services for the Vancouver Park Board attributes the shortage to one other industries like restaurants are facing.
“People are making a choice about whether they want to come back to work in the industry,” Fox said.
He also noted some lifeguards may still be anxious about working during the pandemic, even with robust COVID-19 training and safety plans in place, while others have not returned to Vancouver.
Fox is hopeful that with schools and universities finishing their spring term, there will be more lifeguards returning and uptake on jobs that have been posted.
“It’s my hope we don’t find ourselves in this position the rest of summer,” Fox said, adding that while Spanish Banks West was unstaffed last Friday and Saturday, the park board was able to staff it Sunday.
Sunset Beach was also impacted by the shortage on Saturday, June 12.
In the meantime, the union that represents lifeguards wants the park board to consider closing an outdoor pool for a day, instead of leaving beaches unstaffed, because they are uncontrolled environments.
“Our guards are feeling the priorities of where they’re being dispatched to are leaving the public at risk,” Ledger said.
Though Fox said the park board also has a commitment to those who have purchased tickets and booked slots to enjoy one of Vancouver’s pools.
He added that the park board advises on its social media channels when a normally-guarded beach won’t have lifeguards onsite.
And for those unsure about their swimming abilities or the local conditions?
“Have a chat with the (lifeguards) about what’s safe and what isn’t,” Ledger said. “They’re the experts.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.