Yes, the colourful badges you earned when completing swimming lessons as a child will soon be a distant memory.
In a news release on Tuesday (Sept. 6), Coquitlam said it'll officially transition to the Lifesaving Society of B.C.'s Swim for Life programs for lessons starting in January 2023.
The switch follows the Canadian Red Cross' decision to end its Swim Kids and lifeguard programs in December after teaching more than 40 million people in the pool for over the last 75 years.
At the time of the announcement, the organization encouraged local partners to opt for the Lifesaving Society water safety system as it aims to bring more attention to the growing demand for humanitarian efforts in light of recent crises.
"We are enormously proud of what we have accomplished in providing water safety training and we are truly grateful to entire generations of staff and volunteers who dedicated themselves to creating a program of the highest standard," said Canadian Red Cross CEO Conrad Sauvé on Jan. 12, 2022.
"We continue to believe in the importance of water safety training, but no longer saw that we offered unique expertise in that area. We also believe the relative humanitarian need for water safety training has been surpassed by demands in other areas in which we are well positioned to make a difference."
Coquitlam community recreation manager Michael Fox said the change will not impact swimming lessons through the fall at either the City Centre Aquatic Complex or Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
Swimming lesson participants can only be registered for one set of lessons at a time, he added.
Registration for winter 2023 lessons is scheduled to open Nov. 9.
For more information, you can visit the City of Coquitlam's website.
You can also email [email protected] or call 604-927-4386 if you have questions about the transition.
The Swim Kids to Swim for Life conversion chart is as follows:
