Fitness leader Rachel Hoffman chose to work at the Big Marble Go Centre after graduation from Lethbridge College. She said she enjoys working with her clients and seeing their progression (Tiffany Goodwein/CHATNewsToday)

By Tiffany Goodwein

City ready for summer despite some staffing challenges

Jun 1, 2022 | 5:12 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB- With a stop watch in hand, Rachel Hoffman helps ensure fitness goals are being met. It’s all part of her job here at the city as a fitness leader.

“You can’t really have a bad day because you get to make someone else’s day better, and get to see the changes day to day especially I find with older adults,” she said.

Rachel joined the city’s fitness department after graduating from Lethbridge College and she helps the gym at the Big Marble Go Centre run smoothly year-round.

“So basically we run the fitness floor, and then we do personal training one on one as well as group training so each day is a little bit different,” she said.

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But as the weather warms up, and the kids are out school, the need for seasonal staff increases in order to help run day camps, lifeguard, and maintain city property.

The City of Medicine Hat said so far they have faired better than their municipal counterparts when it comes to hiring seasonal positions, but operations may still be at risk this summer season.

“I think the risk comes if people decide to quit or switch jobs we would see a decrease in the staffing and the ability to recruit and replace those staff might become a challenge. So it may modify hours if we had to, and we saw that but right now we are looking quite good” said Scott Richter, interim recreation manager.

Richter said earlier this year the city did experience some challenges with staff recruitment, challenges he said could be tied to COVID-19.

“I think out of COVID-19 we saw a lot of people changing careers and re-evaluating what they want to do and where they want to do it. The other piece with aquatics because of the disruption with COVID-19 it actually eliminated the courses we continually teach and the progression courses so there is a tiny gap in terms of where they left off to where they would be certified,” he said.

Aside from lifeguarding, Richter said many of the seasonal positions available this summer don’t require much in the way of education.

Right now, the city is predominantly looking for program attendants for day camps and cleaning personnel. Richter said roles like these can be great stepping stones to other future careers.

“The learning opportunities are fantastic. You’ll have a ton of experience and exposure in areas within the city” he said.

“People that want to become teachers, day camps are great options for them. People that want to be lifeguards and want to develop that skill better. There’s a great opportunity for that,” Richter added.

Job openings with the City of Medicine Hat can be found here.