Three mandated COVID-19 closures of the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre (SLSFSC) have taken a toll upon the facility's staffing and have hit the aquatic centre the hardest.

SLSFSC CEO Blair Felesky has provided residents warning of the likelihood of a reduction in the centre's operational hours in the immediate future.

Through the course of the mandated closures, many of their certified lifeguards and swimming instructors have found alternate work, he explains, and some have allowed their certification to lapse.

He says the centre has been attempting to maintain its regular operational hours since the province's exemptions restrictions program came in effect on Sept. 20, but it's simply isn't possible with current staffing levels. 

"There's a very real possibility that we will be limiting some hours, probably during the afternoons."

"Our hope is that we can keep access in the mornings and particularly at the busiest times after four o'clock, but it's a matter of trying to balance the manpower hours with the demand, knowing that limiting hours is going to have ramifications. We'll try to do the best we can in limiting those ramifications."

The issue is not unique to Cochrane. There's a provincewide shortage of certified lifeguards and swimming instructors, and other centres have also resorted to reducing hours of operation.

Here the impact is most notably during weekday/daytimes in terms of lifeguard shortages and the overloading of existing certified swimming instructors. 

The town's recreational hub is being proactive in its recruitment of more certified staff by offering the full sponsorship of three uncertified individuals through the Lifeguard/Swim Instructor certification process. It includes full certification courses in Standard First Aid & CPR-C, National Lifeguard, and Water Safety Instructor and normally costs about $1,000 to complete.

While the application deadline is Nov. 21, Felesky is encouraging those interested to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

"We believe it's a wonderful opportunity to inspire people to get their certification courses. We've taken the position that we're going to assist them to do that to try and help us long-term."

Even with the generous incentive, Felesky warns it will take time to rebuild the staff.

"This period is not a matter of days or even a few weeks. We anticipate, even if our program is successful, it's going to be around the latter part of December before we get enough human resources support just to try and maintain things again."

He says the pandemic has caused other staffing issues, but because of the specialized nature of aquatics, it offers the biggest challenge.

"Because of the demographics that we're typically working with, typically being university students or younger people, in a lot of cases they don't look at this as a career job, so there's always an egress that's occurring."

He says with three closures over 20 months many have simply gone off to explore other employment opportunities.

Staffing isn't the only issue they've faced. There are inflated costs and delays in acquiring supplies.

"Everyone's tired of hearing about supply-chain issues, but it's a very relative thing for us. Even getting a simple plumbing part these days is not a matter of days, it takes weeks. There's a number of things we're dealing with right now, but we remain confident. It's going to take time and patience to get through this."

Those interested in taking advantage of their sponsored certification program can find the details here.