The Sunshine Coast Regional District does not have enough lifeguards to keep its pools open for regular hours.
The district is reducing operating hours as of Aug. 3 at both the Gibsons and Sechelt pools and says it is recruiting and retention staff for the pools is challenging.
“We know how important pools are to the community and we are doing everything we can to keep them open and running safely,” says Shelley Gagnon, general manager of community services. “This is not an issue that can be solved overnight, and we want our community to know we are doing all we can to stabilize operations to provide reliable service levels with a view to being able to increase the operating hours in a manner that is sustainable.”
The reduced operating schedule is as follows:
Sechelt Pool
Sunday: 10:00am – 4:30pm
Monday: 6:00am – 1:30pm
Tuesday: 9:00am – 8:00pm
Wednesday: 6:00am – 5:00pm
Thursday: 9:00am – 8:00pm
Friday: 9:00am – 4:30pm
Saturday: 9:00am – 4:30pm
Gibsons Pool
Sunday: Closed
Monday: 12:30pm – 7:30pm
Tuesday to Friday: 6:30am – 1:00pm
Saturday: Closed
The SCRD says the reduced hours are intended to offer consistent operations and prevent last-minute closures while it works to recruit and train more staff.
The August lifeguard certification course offered by the SCRD is full and district says it is planning additional offerings to help build a pool of qualified staff.
It also notes there will be job postings in the coming weeks on the SCRD careers page.
