From program changes to staff shortages,summer campsnear London, Ontario are feeling the impact ofCOVID-19.
Pierce Williams Summer Camp And Retreat Facility camp, program and marketing director Jolly Elliott says it's been two years since the summer program was implemented.
"That leads to the biggest challenge for us, the lack of a pipeline to get staff into the program," he said. "Some of the traditional routes that staff (yet) found were produced more than usual."
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Elliott says camp South of St. Thomas Located in, usually employs about 40 staff each year, most of them ex-campers.
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However, the two-year break disrupted the employment chain.
Another summer camp, Camp Keemokey, west of London, is tackling the same challenge.
Executive Director Jill Hodges states that COVID-19 has had a major impact on the continuity of a camper's growth and becoming a counselor.
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" Many kids are very much looking at the young age until they become that person they see as role models in the camp, "she says. "A pipeline for your camp and staff familiar with the culture of the camp ... its continuity definitely influenced things."
Hodges said the camp will be camp this summer. He says he was able to find enough staff, but is worried that COVID-19 could cause a sudden staff shortage.
"There is no sense of security this summer (as before)."
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Meanwhile, Elliott is Pierce Williams Summer. The camp says it is changing its program to address a possible staff shortage.
"We limited the number of campers based on the number of staff we thought we could secure, which was 30 people," he said.
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Camp has canceled school programming this year as well.
"Traditionally in the spring, many schools come to camp to make year-end trips and we run programs for them (but) as we can I didn't have any trained staff to do it, "he explained. "It's an additional financial blow."
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Summer camps across the state are struggling this summer.
Baseline Sports owner and founder Raf Choudhury says he usually employs 15-20 young adults to work in summer camps in the Toronto area.
But he says he only hired five people this season.
Choudhury realized during a pandemic that the young masses he usually hired valued his summer leisure, and decided to reduce his work or not work at all this year. He says he feels he has decided.
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Nick Georgiad, director of Camp Temagami in northeastern Ontario, says staffing is a challenge every year and he hasn't had a hard time finding people.
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However, his canoe camp requires many courses and certifications that were canceled during the pandemic. , That meant he had to start employment and training arrangements for his staff much earlier this year.
-980 Using CFPL Devon Peacock and Mike Stubbs, and The Canadian Press files
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