Become a lifeguard for free: Quebec drops training fees to tackle staff shortage
As the weather heats up, Quebec pools and beaches are dealing with another difficult year of keeping the lifeguard chair occupied.
“There’s less people available, less people interested in doing work that’s shift work, weekend work, evenings,” said Eddie Beaucage of the Pointe-Claire Aquatic Centre.
Last year, the province was short 3,000 lifeguards, meaning some beaches and pools had to limit hours of operation, according to the Lifesaving Society.
The government is now spending 4.3 million dollars to make lifeguard training free; Raynald Hawkins, executive director of the Lifesaving Society’s Quebec branch, says it’s working.
“We have 40 per cent more candidates that took the bronze medallion compared to 2022,” he said.
Many current trainees say it’s more than just a great summer job. The course provides skills that are invaluable away from the pool as well.
“You have knowledge of CPR and like treating for shock, so if someone is hyperventilating, you know how to treat them,” says Mackenzie Patrouille, a competitive swimmer who now hopes to add lifeguard to her resume.
“It’s amazing just thinking how one day you can save someone’s life’, says Danika Choptain, another lifeguard hopeful.
More information about the training can be found on the Lifesaving Society’s website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.