Our City, Our Podcast

Announcer: 00:02

We know our services and programs impact you, so let's talk about them. Together, we'll learn from the people behind the scenes and get to know our city a little better. From the city of Winnipeg, this is our city, our podcast.

Natalie: 00:14

This podcast is recorded in Treaty 1 territory, the home and traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, Ininew, and Dakota peoples, and the national homeland of the Red River Metis. We acknowledge that our drinking water comes from Shoal Lake forty first nation in Treaty 3 territory.

Tamara: 00:29

Hi. I'm Natalie. And I'm Tamara.

Natalie: 00:31

So we have this ongoing conversation at the podcast, about how everything really just comes down to water.

Tamara: 00:37

And today is really no exception, I think.

Natalie: 00:40

Yeah. You know, we're talking about recreation. How water? Well, you know, in the winter, we're skating. In the summer

Tamara: 00:46

We got spray pads. We're We're having fun. And we're talking to Jennifer Sarna. She's the city manager of recreation and really oversees all those fun things with water. Let's dive in.

Tamara: 01:01

Hi, Jennifer. It's summer, and we know that's your busy season. So thank you so much for taking the time to pop on here. Your formal title is Manager of Recreation Services. But really what that means is that you oversee the places and programming that brings people fun.

Tamara: 01:17

Tell us about your role here at the city.

Jenn: 01:18

Well, good morning, and I'm really happy to be here. And thank you for giving us the time to share all the wonderful things that we do. It's a lot of hard work. My responsibilities primarily are to manage recreation services for citizens of Winnipeg.

Jenn: 01:32

And that comes in many different forms. You will notice in things like the Leisure Guide, there's registered programming and a lot of different variety of offerings in that particular publication, which comes out several times a year. But we also manage free programming in another document that we refer to as Priceless Fund Guide. And that's available online as well as in print form. I'm also responsible for the for the Fee Assistance Programme, and that is an important aspect to ensure that people have access to the good services and fun opportunities that we do provide.

Jenn: 02:02

And we are also managing and working closely with other departments, like Planning, Property and Development, and Asset Management, and Municipal Accommodations, overall in operating the city owned and city operated recreation and leisure facilities, our indoor pools, and also our outdoor aquatic facilities and our indoor arenas. So it's quite a large and varied portfolio, but it really boils down to ensuring that we have quality programming, access to those services no matter who you are in Winnipeg, and looking for ways to encourage participation so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of recreation.

Natalie: 02:43

Now, Jennifer, we want to learn a little more about you. You know, in a career, for some, sometimes there's that moment where there was clarity and they knew, hey, this is what I want from my life. And do you have that type of moment that you knew you wanted to work in recreation?

Jenn: 03:01

I did, but it was not a quick moment, in the sense that I started very young, volunteering in a local community center where I grew up, just out of Winnipeg. And then I decided to sign up to assist for their summer camps and programming when I was out of school. And I always thought of that as a summer job, babysitting, things like that. It didn't really strike me at that time that this was a career choice. And as I grew older and started going to the University of Manitoba, I again didn't enter into recreation management at that time.

Jenn: 03:36

I was actually environmental science at the time. But I think what drove me back to recreation was the joy and benefit of working with people. I would say I'm a bit of a people person in that regard. And I'd like to ensure that people have a welcoming kind of experience and be part of something fun and on the leisure side of life, right, rather than just work, work, work. So I had volunteered, like I said earlier, in my young career, and then started working for the city of Winnipeg as a young person.

Jenn: 04:12

It actually assisted me in the summers to pay the tuition for the University of Manitoba. And then I transferred into Recreation Management and graduated back in, I think it was 1997. That's the year.

Natalie: 04:27

Sorry. What were you doing in the summer there as a student?

Jenn: 04:29

I was running summer camps. So I was at various locations. So those are the summer camp programs that we offer today. They have a different title. We used to call them theme weeks back in the day.

Jenn: 04:40

But now our summer programming, whether it's a week or so throughout the summer, that's where I started. And so I think I did that for about five or six years. Again, was a fabulous summer job. It was great. I still have friends to this day from those experiences.

Jenn: 04:55

My journey took me a little bit further outside of the City of Winnipeg when I did graduate, becoming the first Recreation Director in the arm of West St. Paul. And then I moved out to the City of Portage La Prairie, and had a lot of success there. Built the brand new Multiplex out in Portage. And then I had the opportunity to come back to the City of Winnipeg with all those experiences and enthusiasm for recreation and municipal services.

Jenn: 05:20

So I was able to apply all of those experiences. And we're very privileged, I think, right now as Winnipeggers to see the growth in recreation services, the investments in our facilities. And I'm very happy to be here and doing what I love.

Tamara: 05:35

The growth, I'm sure in your time, you've seen a lot of changes in our recreation offerings. One example I can think of is, you know, when I was younger, there were the wading pools, there were the swimming pools, spray pads would have just been so much fun to have. But those are now things that are coming more and more into the community. What are some of the ways that you've seen our offerings really evolve to meet the needs of the community?

Jenn: 06:00

I think it starts with a lot of the public engagement that was conducted in developing the Winnipeg Recreation Strategy. That helped guide some of the investments, as you'd mentioned, the investment now in spray pads. So the conversions of wading pools to spray pads is an important piece of that Winnipeg Recreation Strategy to also define service levels. What is it that Winnipeggers can come to expect and enjoy in their leisure time in the city? Moving towards spray pads, just wanted to mention, too, how important that is, because we'll be completing our thirtieth spray pad this summer.

Jenn: 06:33

And with that comes a little bit of change in service. So closures of wading pools that have outlived their useful life cycle have now been replaced with spray pads. And the benefit of the spray pad is that it is operating in a longer season, it's operating longer during the day, there are no real capacity restrictions, so it's a lot of free play encouraging that interaction, And it's a lot of fun. So it offers great accessibility as well when you have that zero grade entry and no curbs and things like that to get into what you would experience in a waiting pool. So we're responding to community and the changes that we're seeing, whether it's different types of sport and leisure activities, like the introduction of pickleball that seems to be of interest, a great interest but also in how we work in adapting programs and ensuring those accessibility barriers are removed for new Canadians or newcomers.

Jenn: 07:32

Looking at our aging population as well. We have a very active older active adult population. And they want to be involved. And they have great interests, and not just in volunteering, but in physical participation in different fitness or sport activities like pickleball.

Natalie: 07:51

Now, on that theme of adaptation, you've talked a lot about what people might experience, but there's also another piece maybe behind the scenes, a quick little story that folks might not know about. And it's how you adapted when we recruited lifeguards coming out of the pandemic. There was a real problem, if you can tell us more.

Jenn: 08:11

Yeah, absolutely. I know it was a challenge for so many businesses and so many aspects of regular business in life, right? The pandemic was really hard on people personally and professionally and economically. For us, we were no different. Again, people often misunderstand recreation is just fun and games, but we are a business also.

Jenn: 08:35

And for us to be able to continue to provide those good services, we needed to adapt. During the pandemic, there was no access to water. Therefore, there was no lifeguard training happening. And that really left us over the two years in a great deficit of qualified employees. And so, for us to fill the gaps, we really needed to be creative.

Jenn: 08:55

And one of the ways that we recovered was to offer free lifeguarding training. We had quite a rigorous recruitment process and an ambitious fourteen week program to train eligible candidates. But it was very successful. We ran that program twice and was able to recover that portion of our business quite quickly. And so we are fully staffed to this day.

Jenn: 09:20

And I'd like to think it was just the latter part of 2023 where we had fully recovered from the pandemic. And the demands that you see for things like swimming lessons is in part still to, you know, that gap that we're trying to catch up on. But overall, I think that was another creative way for us to be adapting and try to get back to where the good programs and services benefit citizens.

Tamara: 09:45

There are a lot of professional athletes from Winnipeg which have really been lucky to get their start in our own recreation programs that you're offering. That's wonderful. But at the end of the day, that's not really the goal of what the programs we offer are. So what should someone expect when they do sign up for our programming through our leisure guide or our facilities?

Jenn: 10:05

I think it's really important for us to be clear in our service delivery mandate. And just to share with you here, that is to provide experiences where people can try things for the first time or learn to experience a new skill. And it's not just when I say, for example, developing your physical literacy so how to balance or jump or things like that. That's not necessarily just for preschoolers, right? That's for anyone looking to attain a new skill that would support leisure activity.

Jenn: 10:35

So, our mandate in service delivery is that entry level or that learn to concept. Try it out if you like it. Then you might go and seek further pursuit in a professional sport organization. Maybe not professional, but you can aspire to that. But you can work more closely with the nonprofit organization supporting that particular activity, whether it's diving or figure skating and that type of nature.

Jenn: 11:01

So you'll see in the Leisure Guide a lot of leisure activities, right? And that's the kind of the category in entry level that we want to provide. Ultimately, we want to encourage people to stay active throughout their life. And the benefits of being active, whether it's physical, mental, the overall components of contributing back to community, whether you're engaged by helping out and sharing a skill you've learned and then passing that down through coaching or volunteering. That whole concept of engagement really benefits, I think, the community well-being overall.

Tamara: 11:35

You say try it out. What are some of the things that we can try out through the city that maybe people don't realize?

Jenn: 11:43

Yeah, well, again, encourage people to look through the leisure guide, but it could be the pickleball that we spoke about earlier. It doesn't involve the pickle, there's no pickle involved, but the concept of that sport is an adaptation that might be a comfort level for you to be physically active. It's not as high intensity as tennis, or I guess it could be if you want it to be. But it's a little more faster than badminton, right? So, the concept is there.

Jenn: 12:09

Whether it's learning a language or maybe some cooking skills, maybe it's an area of interest that you just didn't know existed. It could be a new fitness activity like a yoga class. We're also getting into some of the family programming, so it doesn't necessarily have to be done alone, but recognizing family units might want time to spend together, maybe getting everybody off of their phones and into meaningful relations through activity. So the leisure guide, if anything, it's kind of just like anything when you're browsing around and looking to see. There might be something that sparks your interest, or it might be providing something you're looking for already that you've heard about.

Jenn: 12:46

And that's what we would encourage, that when we issue those leisure guides to take a look and see how you can see yourself or your family being engaged in activity and all the benefits it comes with.

Natalie: 12:56

I know I've taken a cooking class, also a meditation class, but we're yet to do the the gym bay drumming.

Jenn: 13:03

There is.

Tamara: 13:04

Yeah. Where'd you learn how to cook?

Natalie: 13:06

Indian food. Nice. And and it was it was at Tommy Prince. I had this great big kitchen. I didn't even know it was back there, so it was very cool.

Natalie: 13:14

You know, you've brought this very recognizable leisure guide with you here today. And to get more into the actual, you know, actions of getting yourself into that class, you know, we know parents have registration dates circled on the calendar, kind of the moment it is announced. It's a very popular, but it can also be a bit of a stressful process for some. So tell us, first off, pull the curtain back a little bit. What are the factors that go into putting what are the factors that go into putting the very popular, you know, swimming and skating schedules together?

Jenn: 13:51

Some of the information that we get and some of the ideas come from community. And there is the opportunity. A lot of the Leisure Guide programs are offered not through staffing or employees, but through contracts. So that means individuals with a certain skill set will approach the city and say, Hey, we've got this neat idea. These are my skill sets.

Jenn: 14:11

I'd like to talk about how we can offer that up in community through the Leisure Guide. Other considerations, too, is time and space. So, Leisure Guide programming has to have a location somewhere in a pool, in a facility Not always in city operated facilities. It could be operated out of a community center, outside of the facilities that we operate directly. It could be offered in a school setting as well, or any other community space for that matter.

Jenn: 14:37

So, finding the right location and then filling time in accordingly with other programs and services. As I mentioned, some of our priceless fun programming, or public swim or public skate. So, finding the space in balance with other programs and services that we are mandated to operate. And wanting to make sure recognizing there's demand as well, but we also receive feedback through customer engagement. There's opportunity for us to take those comments and build or modify.

Jenn: 15:10

But looking at the lists of those that are waiting to get into services is another area for us to help consider what we offer in the next round. And yeah, trying to be flexible. That seems to be a very common concern for people to fit everything in, right? And we want the schedules to be as flexible as we can be. And not everything's ten weeks.

Jenn: 15:31

There's some other variations, some are drop in even, but the idea of as much flexibility as possible so people can fit that in.

Tamara: 15:41

Swimming, skating, those are things that kind of go with being a kid, I think, in Winnipeg. And those lessons, it seems like those are the really, really popular ones. How popular are they?

Jenn: 15:54

Our swimming lessons are very popular and I'm glad to hear that because it's such an important life skill. I really wish we could offer more. We're offering as much as we can and it's not a reason of shortage of space or staff. It's really offering what we can, as I mentioned, balancing all the other programming needs that we have. And over 40,000 people register for swimming lessons successfully every year.

Jenn: 16:21

And that's important. I know it's frustrating. I know parents with multiple kids and other schedule commitments, it's difficult to always make it work. But there are waitlists that we encourage people to sign up and register for. We encourage people to check leisure online also, because we do check the waitlists and see if we can make modifications and provide other opportunities where some might present themselves.

Jenn: 16:46

And ultimately, it's just such an important it is a course that we offer and such an important activity for kids to experience. We've had a lot of success as well with the Winnipeg School Division, the largest division in the city, in what's called Swimming Counts. It's a program that provides at least two or three times in the water and some instruction to improve on their swimming skill from where they're coming at. But the success of that program and as I said, even if you're getting in one or two classes, if fortunate to get through and register, the benefits of that time in the water and through that instruction is with you for life. And so you might not complete the full set or series, but the comfort, awareness of water, the importance of being safe in and around water those messages start at the very young age of the swimming lesson spectrum and all the way to the end.

Jenn: 17:40

So I just encourage people to either sign up on the waitlist and do what they can to register in person, check leisure online, and we're committed to continuing to offer as much as we can.

Tamara: 17:54

So is all hope lost if you get waitlisted? Or do you have any kind of tips or tricks if you are signing up?

Jenn: 18:00

No, it's not lost. It's important, actually, so that we can see where the demands are. It helps in a way it's an informal kind of assessment of where the peak and prime program levels are seeing the demand. But in terms of, our ability to meet the demand on the waitlist, well, first it's difficult for us to fully understand the extent of the waitlist because multiple people might be registered under the waitlist in many different classes. But it definitely assists us in guiding some of the changes that we are able to make in adding new classes.

Jenn: 18:37

And then Leisure Online, making sure that you check Leisure Online because we will add classes where we can.

Natalie: 18:43

Oh, that's really valuable, especially for maybe some of the frustrated moms or dads out there who know that they need to keep trying. You know, maybe keeping with this insider scoop that you've got here, I had mentioned just a moment ago there the finding that we had a community kitchen. I I didn't know. Are there any other to you, maybe gems or or really special pools or facilities? Any locations that are are special to you and you wanna talk about?

Jenn: 19:14

I would like to think that 7 Oaks Pool is a really fabulous location. In 2019, with council support and provincial and federal funding, we were able to build the very first indoor splash pad for the City Of Winnipeg. And what a great addition. There's a party room just off to the side. We also use it for lifeguard leadership training.

Jenn: 19:38

But that's adjacent to this new, fully accessible indoor splash pad that has slides and water fountain features and zero grade entry. And it's just a wonderful location for, like I said, family outings and birthday parties, but also schools really benefit by accessing this space. There's a little bit of a teach pool in there, too. And when we renovated the splash area or introduced that concept to Winnipeg, we also upgraded the change facilities to the universal change rooms, which are great spaces for anybody with disabilities of any kind, but also families in terms of a family change room, Or there might be cultural differences and things of that nature. So there's a variety of change options in that space.

Jenn: 20:24

And it really introduces the concept of what a universal change room is. We've built that also at the Pan Am pool recently with upgrades there. So, yeah, if I was to highlight a pool that I'm most proud of at this point, because we have a lot of exciting projects underway, too, just the introduction of something new and novel for the city of Winnipeg, and the success we're seeing with people loving it and attending. We have rentals well into the future for that location. So I think we did something really well in that location.

Tamara: 20:57

And residents are loving that pool. I know lots of families who just really enjoy that indoor splash pad. So on top of building the programming and the facilities, you're also helping support staff delivering those programs. Recreation staff are some of the city's youngest in our workforce. And you kind of have that unique perspective where you were there one time.

Tamara: 21:22

So how are you helping them along the way in making sure that they have the support they need to deliver programs and all the fun?

Jenn: 21:29

We have great staff. And that's because we hand selected them to represent the city and the services we want to offer. But they have great personalities, they have a commitment to community, they're caring, passionate about the services that we offer. And that comes with a lot of investment of training and ongoing support as well. So we have regular in services and training and retraining, leadership development and some of the program standards.

Jenn: 22:04

And truly what we're trying to instill in our staff, whether it's on the recreation dry side or the wet side, the expectation is to support and nurture youth through their experience in recreation, to be respectful of others and to be welcoming and inclusive of others in those activities. There's no tolerance for things of discrimination and things of that nature. So the training that we provide also encouraging them to develop and support young leaders for tomorrow.

Natalie: 22:39

And on that, you know, maybe a reminder here, you are part of the Community Services Department. Community, the keyword there. What kind of impact have you seen recreation have on people in this city?

Jenn: 22:53

Well, there's lots of great stories. I hear them almost every day of success stories or impact stories, as you asked for. And I don't really want to single out one or the other, but I would encourage and I think if I was to give any message today is to be part of those stories. Be active. Get in your community.

Jenn: 23:15

Come to our facilities. Register for a Leisure Guide program and create your own success stories because there is nothing but good that comes out of participating in recreational leisure or bringing a friend or family member along to join you. There's just so many benefits. I think, you know, whether it's casual groups, like if we're offering an Aquafit class and then all of a sudden, you know, the Aquafit class has grown to a group of friends, right? They've come to know each other, support each other.

Jenn: 23:44

Now they're attending two or three times a week to the same Aquafit class. And now they're bringing potluck, right, the lobby or in the parking lot, or they're going to coffee at the local coffee shop. These are just examples of the outcomes of being engaged and participating. So you're feeling good about what you've contributed and invested in your own body, but also the social aspects and mental health aspects in making friends and being heard and seen and being part of a group.

Natalie: 24:14

Oh, I have also a favorite pool in Sherbrooke, maybe because it's a little like swimming in history, but also I tell everyone I know that I think, and this is just me, it's the warmest water of an indoor pool in the city. But if someone wants to do some more exploration, do you have any suggestions for them there?

Jenn: 24:36

Yeah. No, I think, like you mentioned, every facility is slightly different. Elmerton's and Seven Oaks are somewhat similar in terms of sister design. But whether it's warm water, the change amenities that are available, or the time of public swim or lap swim, things like that, look a little bit different from each of the facilities. Even parking or access might suit your needs differently.

Jenn: 25:05

But for trying things, we do have a fit together pass. And when we talked earlier about recreating and participating in leisure alone or together, the Fit Together Pass actually encourages you to bring 10 friends or family, either as a nonprofit organization or work a business or just your neighborhood. You can bring 10 people together and get a great rate. And that will really give you a sense where do you want to go and what you enjoy most. Or if you have a schedule at work that allows you time to get to a class that's offered on one side of the city and then you're at home on the weekend and you've got another class you'd like to attend to, this Fit Together Pass would really give you that flexibility to try things out.

Tamara: 25:50

Jennifer, thank you so much for joining us today. I think a lot of people are going to now go try to take a tour of all the different facilities. And the weather is so hot and nice to check out those spray pads. One last question before you head out though, and it's one that we ask everybody. What is something that you wish everybody knew about Winnipeg?

Tamara: 26:13

Doesn't have to be work related. It can be. But yeah, you have a unique perspective, I think, on things in this city.

Jenn: 26:20

Well, appreciate the question. And there are a lot of great things. I think Winnipegers stay in Winnipeg because they know what's special and unique and why we love living where we do. For recreation services, we're really proud as we're investing time and energy and where funding allows investing in new infrastructure for decades to come as well and generations to follow. So that's very exciting for us right now, whether it's investing in the spray pads that we mentioned earlier for that leisure kind of access and play, or some of the larger regional centres that we're engaged in and working to implement right away, like South Winnipeg as an example.

Jenn: 27:05

So those are all really exciting. And we talked a lot about access and the importance of being active and trying it out, right? Whether it's leisure guide activity programs or some of our free play programs. We work closely with parks and open spaces and another department. That's important too, because whether it's indoor or outdoor, there are a lot of great ways to stay active and participate.

Jenn: 27:28

So I think we've got a lot of beautiful green spaces, a lot of great outdoor recreation amenities and indoor opportunities because we are a winter city. But yeah, for us too, another way to, I guess, promote access and interest in what we offer. I know it's a little bit past this timeframe, but every June, the first Saturday of that month, we participate in National Health and Fitness Day. And we open up the doors and it's free to attend our facilities. And so that's another way to engage.

Jenn: 28:02

And I don't know if many people know about that, but they can put it on your calendar for next June. But it is the first Saturday of every June.

Natalie: 28:09

Great. Wonderful. Thank you so much. Coming up on the next episode of Our City, Our Podcast, Tamara, tee us up for this one.

Tamara: 28:17

Okay. I'm gonna take a big swing here, Natalie.

Natalie: 28:19

Oh, let's keep playing.

Tamara: 28:20

We are going to the golf courses if you haven't figured that out. We're talking to the people in charge of the City Links, and that is coming up next month.

Natalie: 28:28

Great. Don't golf. Ready to learn.

Tamara: 28:30

Me too. This is gonna be we're gonna this is gonna be educational for us, Natalie.

Tamara: 28:35

In the meantime, though, if you have any, questions or comments or, people you'd like us to talk to, why not email us city podcastwinnipeg. Ca. We'd love to hear from you. Thanks for listening.