Calgary opens up thousands of additional spots for summer swimming lessons

As demand for swimming lessons in Calgary continues to rise, the city is opening up thousands of additional spots for the summer season.

More than 2,800 additional summer swimming lesson spots will be available at Southland Leisure Centre, Village Square Leisure Centre and Glenmore Aquatic Centre.

Registration for the additional spots will open at 6 a.m. on Thursday, through the City of Calgary’s website.

The city is trying to offer more swim programming, with a goal of reaching pre-pandemic service levels by 2025.

“We recognize the pandemic created a significant backlog of swimming lessons and we’ve seen unprecedented demand in the past couple years,” said Michelle Tait with the city’s recreation & social programs.

“We’re finally starting to catch up.”

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The city recognizes the need to meet the demand for swimming lessons, as it’s not just a fun activity but a critical, life-saving skill.

“Given that drowning remains one of the leading causes of accidental death, we anticipate that these supplementary lessons will significantly contribute to Calgarians acquiring this essential life-saving skill as summer approaches,” Tait said in a news release Tuesday morning.

The city said the majority of water-related fatalities occur during the summer months.

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