Making Waves: How Funding Helped the Hants Aquatic Centre Reconnect, Rebuild, and Grow

The Hants Aquatic Centre is a community hub in the West Hants Regional Municipality. It’s a place where the Nova Scotia town’s residents can connect with one another and strike up new friendships – all while learning how to swim and enjoying aquatic programming.  

It hadn’t quite been the same, though, since the COVID-19 pandemic – which resulted in a national lifeguard shortage, impacting the community. The shortage meant that the pool only operated five days a week, which offered limited options for swimming lessons and programs. Sometimes, due to shortages, visitors would even be turned away because of daily closures, and reduced capacity swims.  

But in the summer of 2024, the facility was able to expand its programming options, and fully reconnect visitors with each other once again. It was also able to boost youth employability within the community – providing young people with summer jobs, and allowing for unique mentorship opportunities to inspire the next generation of youth lifeguards and instructors.   

These opportunities were made possible thanks to funding from the CPRA’s National Swimming Recovery Program (NSSRP), which was funded in part by the Government of Canada. 

“We were able to rebuild relationships with our community,” says Neiley Levy, Windsor Community Centre & Hants Aquatic Centre Coordinator for the West Hants Regional Municipality. “COVID, and the national aquatic staffing shortage, really broke down a lot of those relationships we had. This summer our schedule was more consistent, and we started to see people come back that we haven’t seen in a very long time.” 

Levy says the program covered the costs for four youth to complete their lifeguarding and swim instructor certifications. One of these participants, she says, was able to earn all five required courses before the summer season to become a fully certified lifeguard and swimming instructor. She adds that this was impressive, as these courses are a huge time commitment and place a lot of responsibly on the participants.   

This important funding program, she says, meant that the municipality could hire more aquatics staff which allowed the facility to extend its weekday hours, operate on Saturdays, and offer more swimming lessons and early bird lane swims. 

Levy adds that the facility was also able to bring back pool rentals for birthday parties and events. 

“We didn’t have to reduce our capacities for swims, which was amazing, and nobody was turned away this summer,” she says, adding that the extra staff and programming also helped increase water safety and education in the community.  

“We were able to offer more swimming lessons, and teach children vital skills for water safety and swimming,” she says. “We increased staff to supervise activities, like public swims, and ensure they were covered safely.” 

The most amazing part of the program, Levy says, was that these youth also mentored three young volunteers at the pool who showed an interest in joining the aquatics staff. These volunteers shadowed the lifeguards, and joined in on swimming lessons to gain a better understanding of the job – fostering their interest in working at the pool themselves.  

“We wanted to keep them engaged with our staff, so that way, we don’t lose them. Maybe one day they’ll also be on the pool deck, providing the same programs that they fell in love with,” Levy says.  

In addition to this mentorship opportunity, the program’s participants also gained a wide variety of job skills that they can use both in aquatics, and other fields. For example, Levy says the youth communicated regularly with the public – which allowed them to “come out of their shell” and gain more confidence. 

The job also equipped participants with a sense of accountability, she adds. 

“In lifeguarding and teaching, your team relies on you to know your skills and know your duties, and do those tasks at hand,” Levy says, adding that the lifeguards gained very important skills teaching swimmers from all walks of life – including seniors, adults, babies, and children with varying learning and physical abilities. “They really got a chance to work with everyone, which was awesome.” 

Levy also says that the job opportunity instilled a great sense of responsibility among the new staff – whose job is to supervise swimmers, ensure they’re being safe, and be ready to act quickly to prevent harm to somebody’s life.  

“They learned a lot of these big skills, and I think it does move forward into their lives as young adults,” she says.  

The program, she adds, will continue to have ripple effects within the community. Thanks to the additional staffing, the municipality has plans to further expand its programming and open the pool seven days a week during the summer of 2025.  

“This funding was so special,” Levy says. “Our pool is so important, because it’s a hub for the community. It gives folks a place to go in the summer and cool off, meet new friends, and learn skills that are so important.”