Though health restrictions have lifted and demand has returned, summer camp operators in BC say they’re still grappling with staffing issues driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Craig Douglas, executive director of Timberline Ranch in Maple Ridge, BC said Saturday it was harder to hire staff this year than in any of the previous 16 years he’s been with the organization.
Douglas, also the vice-president of the British Columbia Camps Association, said Timberline is not alone: many camp operators have been forced to cut programs or accept fewer campers because they can’t find enough people to work.
“The end result, unfortunately, is that fewer kids may get to go to camp this summer,” he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many camps to shut down completely in 2020, and then operate under tight restrictions last summer. This year, with health restrictions all but gone, operators were looking forward to a return to normal and, in the case of private camps, to begin recouping losses, Douglas said.
But the shutdowns cut off a key source of staff for many camps, I added. Campers aging out of summer programs will often return in the next few years to work as counsellors, and operators rely on that pipeline, he said. The COVID-19 pandemic broke that link in the chain.
Restaurants and retails stores are also struggling to find employees, he said, which means would-be camp counselors have a myriad of summer jobs to choose from.
Timberline, which is a charity, has increased salaries, shortened the work week and set up several staff activities and perks in an effort to attract workers, Douglas said. The camp normally employs about 80 people for its 24-day campers and 144 overnighters. With staff training beginning Friday, he said the organization is still missing about five key people.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2022.