YMCA cancels, shortens summer camp for some kids amid ‘significant’ staffing shortages

Summer camp has been cancelled for nearly 600 Hamilton kids amid unprecedented seasonal staffing shortages.

The YMCA of Hamilton-Burlington-Brantford (HBB) has reduced capacity at its summer camps by about 31 per cent, meaning some kids already registered will lose their spot.

We've had to make some really tough choices," spokesperson Kyla Kumar told The Spectator.

The organization reduced capacity at two day camps - Tansley Woods Community Centre in Burlington and Camp Chippewa at Christie Lake Conservation Area in Dundas - and closed its Allan A. Greenleaf Elementary School location in Waterdown.

The YMCA has also had to shorten sessions at Camp Wanakita, an overnight camp located on Koshlong Lake near Haliburton. Now, campers will arrive on Monday and leave on Friday, instead of a the traditional Sunday to Saturday week.

You spend part of the day getting up there and just getting settled in and then your last day ... you're gone from the camp by lunch," said Roberto Quinlan, whose 13-year-old is signed up for two weeks. This shortened time frame means there's actually only a handful of days that are full, full days at summer camp."

Quinlan, who was a counsellor at Wanakita in the late 1980s, said having pickup and drop-off on weekdays is tougher logistically" for their family.

Summer camp has all kinds of benefits for kids, including fostering emotional intelligence, leadership skills and friendships. But, for many, it's also a form of child care.

Kumar said about 22 per cent of day campers are subsidized through the city or YMCA financial assistance. Five per cent of campers affected by capacity reductions and cancellations were receiving a subsidy.

One parent said in a Facebook group that their child's five-week camp session was cancelled.

Does anyone have any leads into some day camps that still have spots open?" she asked.

A second parent whose kid's Waterdown camp was cancelled asked similar advice: Looking for a new one. Any ideas?"

Kumar said staff made the difficult decision" at the end of May and notified families earlier this month.

We really wanted to give families as much time as possible to make ... alternate plans," she said. At the end of the day, it's really about safety and quality."

Despite starting recruitment at the end of December, the YMCA has faced significant" challenges. In a typical year, the YMCA hires about 145 seasonal staff for camps in the Hamilton-Burlington area. As of Tuesday, they had 104.

When we started the actual process for families to register, we actually had staffing in place," she said.

Kumar said 25 individuals turned down offers. Another 19 individuals accepted a position at YMCA camps and later resigned - 15 of them in one day - forcing the organization to scramble to find replacements.

Staff said the desire for greater flexibility" was one of the reasons given by students who resigned last minute.

Kumar said typically a high percentage" of counsellors are previous campers at either Wanakita or another overnight camp. Many make the transition through the camp's leader-in-training program, which was paused two consecutive years amid the pandemic.

Typically, we would begin building our employment pool by reaching to past employees from the previous season," she said. Given the pandemic and two years of limited camp operations, those numbers were significantly lower."

In 2020, summer camps were shuttered in response to COVID-19. A very limited number of sites and spaces" operated in 2021.

Ongoing recruitment efforts include paid advertising, social media and targeted outreach to local partners, such as school boards.

Kumar said they have encouraged families to join wait lists, just in case.

In the event we're able to successfully staff up, we can reach out in the event we can accommodate more campers," she said.

Kate McCullough is an education reporter at The Spectator. kmccullough@thespec.com