Chilliwack pools see massive hiring for lifeguards, but still lag behind other cities

New management has brought more swimming lessons and more lifeguards to Chilliwack’s pools. But despite the increases, staffing levels are still modest compared to other Fraser Valley municipalities.

In April, Chilliwack council boosted funding for the organization that runs the pools after increased staff and opening hours at the Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre and the Cheam Leisure Centre to exceed a budget set in 2022.

Three years ago, the City of Chilliwack contracted the Greater Vancouver YMCA to run its pools. It promised the non-profit $2 million annually to pay for improved hours and service at the city’s two struggling leisure centres.

Under the previous contractor, Canadian Recreation Excellence, the pools only had a combined 18 lifeguards and their limited opening hours and lack of swimming lessons was drawing increased criticism from the public. When the contract was signed with the YMCA, the pools were open less than 40 hours a week (37.5 hours a week at the Cheam Leisure Centre, and 24 hours a week at Chilliwack Landing). At the time, the pools offered eight classes of swim lessons, running one day a week.

The city hoped switching to the YMCA would increase both the pool hours and programming options so residents could more easily access swimming lessons and pool times. (Recreation Excellence had also bid on the contract in 2022 but was unsuccessful due to its higher cost.) But the first year didn’t bring huge improvements.

As the Current reported in early 2023, pool hours remained limited in their first year under YMCA management, with the two facilities frequently closed on weekends and in the middle of the day. At that time, the pools were open around 80 hours a week, combined.

Although operating times didn’t quickly expand, the facilities’ contingent of lifeguards did. One year after the YMCA took over operations of the pools, the organization had hired an additional 57 lifeguards and begun offering dozens of swim lessons each week. Opening hours also began to increase.

In March 2024, Chilliwack had 35 lifeguards at the Cheam Leisure Centre and 30 lifeguards at the Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre, according to an April report to council by city staff. There were also 79 swimming lessons each week at Cheam, 92 a week at Chilliwack Landing. Each pool was open for 102 hours each week, more than double the operating time before the YMCA took over. (Swim lessons also increased exponentially, with Chilliwack Landing now offering 59 classes of swim lessons each week and Cheam offering 77 classes a week.)

But the 2024 staffing numbers still lag behind those of Chilliwack's western neighbours. The City of Chilliwack did not provide 2025 lifeguard numbers to The Current, instead pointing to the 2024 data used in the April report.

Abbotsford had 63 lifeguards working at its public pools in 2022, and has increased to 105 today. (The city did note that not all lifeguards are certified to teach swimming lessons.) In Mission, the number of lifeguards has remained relatively stable, increasing from 31 lifeguards in 2022 to 34 in 2025 at its one public pool. That suggests that even after the recent hires, Chilliwack still has fewer lifeguards per pool than Abbotsford and Mission.

(The Current contacted the Township of Langley and the City of Langley, but did not hear back before our deadline.)

Chilliwack’s original five-year contract with the YMCA didn’t specify how many lifeguards the organization should hire, but did require the organization to have each pool open for at least 70 hours a week. The YMCA has now exceeded that target, with each pool open more than 100 hours a week. But the organization said the increased costs have caused it to begin running a deficit, prompting the organization to ask the city for an increase in funding.

Until April, the shortfall had been subsidized by other YMCA branches in the Greater Vancouver area. Last month, the City of Chilliwack agreed to pay an additional $444,000 a year, or $37,000 a month, to cover the deficit.

Chilliwack council approved the increase on April 22, saying it wasn’t right for other Y centres to subsidize Chilliwack pool hours.

“If you look at what was, probably, the largest problem that the City of Chilliwack had … was the angry moms and dads who couldn’t get their kids into swim lessons, couldn’t get to open pool hours,” Coun. Jason Lum said.

“The Y has … created more pool hours, hired more lifeguards,” he continued. “This is something we had already contemplated and … I think it’s only fair that we come to the table here.”

Staff said that even with the budget increase, the YMCA contract has still saved taxpayers money, compared to what it would cost for the city to manage the pool itself. In 2022, the city estimated that it would cost the city $2.7 million a year to manage the facilities, compared to the $2 million pledged by the YMCA. The new agreement pushes that cost up to $2.4 million a year.