H2O has have been serving communities in the area for 28 years by providing Lifeguards and Recreation staff for facilities that would otherwise be unsupervised. This includes condos, hotels, and residential apartments with pools and fitness facilities.

In August 2022, H2O launched its non-profit endeavor called Pool School. Pool School was created to address the current lifeguard shortage faced by Ottawa, and get youth involved in lifesaving careers, thus, benefiting all aquatic entities within the city of Ottawa.

COVID-19 had a massive impact on the training offered to those who want to become lifeguards and in Summer 2022, many facilities could not open because of the staffing shortage. Unsupervised bodies of water pose a major risk to communities everywhere and incidents of drownings have, unfortunately, increased since 2020. Pool School’s goal is to address this major safety issue while also giving youth the opportunity to gain leadership and professional experience. Our motto is “Every Canadian has the fundamental right to water safety.” 

A major barrier to youth entering this industry is 1) courses are expensive and being that youth can only start training at 13, they usually have no income and are relying on their parents. 2) Once fully trained and hired, the wages for staff are not proportional to the cost incurred to be trained.  H2O is removing these barriers by offering FREE lifesaving courses, first aid courses and swimming lessons to youth and New Canadians in Ottawa. 

Check out our Courses page for current offerings!