Understanding Aquatics Pt 2: The Start
April 16, 2026
In the first article in this series I provided you with a glossary of terms you may come across when dealing with or working in the aquatics sector.
This week's article is aimed squarely at those members of the aquatics world who have been unwillingly or unwittingly press-ganged into some form of service at the local aquatic facility. For those in the audience who, like me, have been sniffing chlorine fumes for longer than we care to count, and constantly wear "eau du piscine" as our cologne/perfume then I do encourage you to read on and see if my perspective lines up with your own. Maybe you will smile wryly or laugh in solidarity with my anecdotes. Know, however, that this week I may not be speaking for your benefit or education.
On the other hand, if you are the recreation director who came from a hockey background, and was sold on taking the job by the twin outdoor ice rinks, the curling rink, and the arena you would oversee, before being given the little note of, "and by the way, there is the outdoor pool for the summers," then read on. Or maybe you are the pool board member who stepped up because no one else did, and you really want to make sure your children have a safe place to swim. Or perhaps you are a recreation or maintenance staff member who was hired for parks work, and then your boss told you the old pool guy retired, so it was on your plate now.
If you have been dropped, figuratively, into the deep end of the aquatics world, then likely you are a bit overwhelmed and potentially confused. Where do you start in getting your bearings and moving forwards? Let's step back and lay down some ground rules to help your understanding. If you have little to no aquatic background and are now responsible for managing a swimming pool, some basic knowledge to help you on your way.
1) Find out what the legalities are for operating your facility. Does your province/territory have public health, swimming pool, or other statutes or regulations that govern how you can operate? If such rules exist, what is required of you/your facility? Do you require an operating permit? If you do, what do you have to do to get and keep that permit?
2) Related to the first point, does your insurance company require you to put in place certain practices, procedures, regulations or rules in order to obtain or keep your coverage in good standing? If not your insurance company, then perhaps any professional organizations your facility/organization belongs to requires certain precautions to be in place.
3) Find out if your facility runs learn to swim lessons and, if so, what program does it run? There are two national learn to swim programs in Canada that run in locations coast to coast, those being the Lifesaving Society's Swim for Life program and YMCA Canada's YMCA Swim program. In addition, there are numerous smaller regional programs and boutique programs run across the country. Although the end goal is the same (teaching people to swim), each of these programs has its own unique elements that you will need to understand. The YMCA program is run exclusively at YMCA or YMCA-YWCA facilities, so if you a not working for a Y then it is Swim for Life or a boutique program you are working with.
4) Find out what other types of events or programs are traditionally on your facility schedule. Do you run aquatics sports programs, lifesaving or lifeguard training, fitness classes, SCUBA, etc. These programs will have additional requirements for equipment, instruction, scheduling, etc. For example aquatic fitness classes run in your facility will generally require an instructor, and may require specialized equipment. Depending on the type of fitness class the instructor may need specific certifications/licences to run the class.
5) What policies and procedures are already in place for your facility/organization? Is the procedures manual in the pool office up to date, or has it been gathering dust for over a decade with no revisions? How are these policies and procedures communicated to both employees and patrons? Who is responsible for orientation and training of new staff in these procedures?
Once you have your lists together you can then work through the task of understanding what certifications/licences your staff or contractors require in order to run all of your programs (and to lifeguard the pool). This is an incredibly important exercise as it will affect your insurance coverage and your legal liability in the case of an accident. As we progress into future parts of this series we will dive deeper into each of the topics mentioned, and others.
As always, please join the discussion online or send us an e-mail with your thoughts. We look forward to providing more guidance about the aquatics sector in future entries in the series.
Christopher Love
President
Wavecrest Aquatics Inc.
