What happened to all the lifeguards?
An official with an Ontario attraction says it is struggling to find lifeguards as the weather starts to heat up.
"It’s not only an Ontario problem, it’s happening right across Canada, and in the United States," said Steve Mayer, the general manager of Wet 'n' Wild Toronto.
"Most parks from what I’ve seen are down 30 per cent in applications from lifeguards."
Mayer said people are interested in applying but a couple of things are influencing theme parks.
"COVID really impacted our industry. A lot of kids weren’t able to get in pools so their licences expired, and, in the meantime, found other jobs."
Mayer said getting young people trained as lifeguards is important but he added that process certainly takes time.
"It takes 20 to 30 hours of training to become an attendant or an assistant lifeguard. And then again, it can be years for full lifeguards."
Despite the shortage in North America, Mayer said Wet 'n' Wild Toronto does, in fact, have enough lifeguards at the facility in Brampton, so this shortage will just mean those young people will be working more hours.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.