By Mark Squibb/August 5, 2022
When parents heard that swimming lessons, both four-week and eight-week sets, had been officially cancelled in Mount Pearl due to the ongoing strike by City workers, it seems their concern was whether they would have to re-register for lessons once the strike ends.
Councillor Isabelle Fry brought forward that concern during last week’s public meeting.
“I had a resident ask about the swimming cancellations and one of the difficulties they had when trying to register their kids for swimming is trying to get a spot, so they were wondering, when it’s rescheduled, will it be rescheduled for the same participants?” asked Fry. “Or will it be all from scratch again?”
The question went to Recreation and Community Safety Director Jason Collins.
“Unfortunately, we’ll be starting from scratch again,” said Collins. “Where this was part way through some lessons for some, and for some it hadn’t started, it was only a short four-week set, so we would do a full restart, and everyone would register again.”
Fry said that decision was “too bad,” while Mayor Dave Aker said that in the past the City has always worked with people to get them slotted in.
“In most cases, residents would get a spot and very few times, as you just indicated, a resident would not get a swimming spot,” said Collins. “It may not be their preferred (spot), but there’s always room for a spot for a participant.”
Aker said the City’s commitment is that no child will go without swimming lessons.
Councillor Jim Locke said he had heard the same concerns from residents, and he wondered if the schedule could just ‘spring forward’ once lessons resume so that folks can hold onto their spot.
“Their question was, can we just move the registration, rather than try and vie to get another spot, because their concern was that they may not get another spot,” said Locke, who added the City is ‘generally able’ to accommodate residents.
“So, we can’t just simply move the registration forward, but we’re confident that all of our children will be able to receive a spot for swimming lessons when they do resume, is that a safe assumption, Mr. Collins?” asked Locke.
“It is, but just a complicating factor for summer lessons is that summer lessons are reduced number wise,” said Collins. “Typically, there’s less registered. So, right now we’ve cancelled the July set, and the July and August set, the one that’s eight weeks. If, for instance, the next set of lessons starts in September, peoples’ schedules are totally changed so it might work for twenty precent of the people, but when it comes to school and fall and everything else, for many people it wouldn’t work, so it’s best, we feel, to just start from scratch and people would register again.”
Locke allowed that going back to open registration, with the confidence that residents should be able to secure a spot, made sense given how much people’s schedules will change in the fall.
Councillor Bill Antle noted that folks who have registered and paid online will automatically receive their refunds, while those who registered or paid in person will be contacted regarding their refund.
A decision regarding cancellation of fitness programs, such as aqua fit, deep-water fitness, Sculpt, and yoga, will be made in the coming weeks.
