The latest stats presented to Kamloops City Council show the demand for swimming opportunities in the city is only growing — despite a lack of available opportunities.

City council hearing that in the first 2-hours of the opening of the latest round of swimming lessons on Tuesday, around 25-hundred people applied.

“Some of this goes back to when pools were closed [during the pandemic],” Aquatics Program Supervisor Andrew Smeaton told city council on Tuesday.  “There are additional people who want to get into swimming lessons because they missed out on their swimming lessons.”

However, due to a lack of available lifeguards and general demand, the city is only able to offer around a thousand spaces every three months.

Smeaton was asked — point blank — if Kamloops needs to run more pools.

“I can see a need for another aquatic facility in the community,” noted Smeaton. “That’s recognized in the master plan… and that’s going back to 2019 when the recreation master plan was completed.”

The city says it is working to fill the available lifeguard spaces needed, with another round of certifications planned for the coming Spring Break, as well as more hiring expected to be done by the City as the summer approaches.

However, getting people involved in lifeguarding has been a challenge, according to the City.

“With so much turnover and change over the last three years, we need additional staff training and assessment,” notes Smeaton in a report to council.  “A typical hire used to be 17 years old with at least one year’s previous lifeguarding experience. We are now hiring 16 year olds who may not have any work experience at all.”

Smeaton does say they anticipate once they get enough lifeguards in the next 18-months or so, they will be able to — once-again — provide around 15-hundred lessons every three-months, which would still be well below demand.

“With a full roster of lifeguard staff, the limiting factor then becomes space in our facilities,” noted Smeaton in his staff report.  “Most families are only able to attend programming after school or on weekends, which stretches pool space to the limit during those times.”