Item - 2019.EC6.1

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1.  Received the report (June 5, 2019) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation for information.

This report responds to City Council’s direction for the General Manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation (PFR) to report to the Economic and Community Development Committee (ECDC) on the Division's efforts to maximize the number of lifeguards and swim instructors hired and the customer service plan around unforeseen program cancellations and program relocation.

Parks, Forestry and Recreation employs over 9,000 part-time recreation workers annually with over 3,000, employed in the Aquatics Business Unit, who hold aquatic-specific certifications and offers a variety of aquatic programs and services including, learn-to-swim, drop-in lane and leisure swims, aqua-fitness and leadership certification programs that lead to employment opportunities.

While PFR recruits qualified individuals through its on-line recruitment platform, several additional methods are used to promote employment opportunities and reach out to interested applicants, particularly individuals who face barriers in applying for jobs with the City. PFR experiences natural attrition and hires approximately 1,800 new recreation workers each year. Recreation workers are part of the City's unionized workforce and as such, the hiring and scheduling process is guided by the Collective Agreement with Local 79.

In an average year, there are a minor number of programs that may be combined with other programs or cancelled, primarily due to facility closures and insufficient registration, or because of staff illness/last minute scheduling changes where a qualified/certified replacement staff cannot be located. In these cases, when a program is consolidated or cancelled, customer notification includes providing alternate program times and locations and assistance is offered in transferring registrations to other classes, with as much notice as is possible.