McKenney: Solving first responder shortage and opening all libraries on Sunday is part of building a healthy city

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Mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney would keep beaches and pools open longer and address a chronic lifeguard shortage if elected.

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The lifeguard shortage has hit municipalities across North America, including Ottawa, which canceled some classes and reduced the time of others this summer to deal with the shortage. It is also not unusual for the city’s swimming pools and beaches to be closed before the end of the summer school holidays. This year, Mooney’s Bay, Britannia and Petrie Island beaches were open for supervised swimming from June 18 to August 28.

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“On a hot summer day, everyone should be able to cool off in our pools and beaches. But we need to make changes to do this,” said McKenney, who intends to expand the lifeguard hiring pool by supporting young people from low-income families to obtain the necessary credentials.

Earlier this summer, the city said hiring projections for this summer were on track. But in the last weeks of June, a significant number of lifeguards quit, many to seek work in other fields, according to a city memo. The shortage has continued into the fall. Last week, the city said 11 percent of registered aquatics classes would be cancelled.

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McKenney, who uses they/them pronouns, said the first part of the plan is to pay lifeguards a salary that will attract and retain them. The second is to help youth from low-income families learn about opportunities and obtain credentials.

The city already has programs for children who take swimming lessons, sometimes for free. The next step is to help the youngsters get through the final steps to become certified as lifeguards, McKenney said. “That’s where the barrier is for kids from low-income families.”

In the meantime, McKenney said they would make sure the city audits access to French-language city services, including recreation services. Registration numbers for recreation programs in French don’t tell the full story of the need for those services, they said.

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“Francophone children should always be able to go to swimming lessons in French. But what happens now is that sometimes those French lessons fill up too quickly. And, understandably, parents send their children to recreation services in English.”

McKenney would also open all the libraries on Sundays. People learn, meet and access the Internet for free in libraries, but only a third of Ottawa Public Library branches are open on Sundays, they said.

“We know there is a need to extend the schedule. We know that libraries are a place for people to learn and grow as a community center.”

McKenney did not provide costs for promises made Tuesday. Cost details will be released on Thursday.

However, McKenney said they would spend an additional $500,000 a year to support emerging and evolving community and social service needs, ranging from food security to mental crisis support.