The city is facing an interesting challenge when it comes to crossing guards — a lack of both guards and, at some crossings, pedestrian traffic.
A special meeting of the Orillia Police Services Board was held Thursday to address the situation.
Nancy Wilding, a health and safety officer for the city who is responsible for crossing guards, spoke about the urgent need for more.
Two crossing guards resigned last week. Before that, there were a couple of retirements. Another two have indicated they will be retiring after Thanksgiving.
“It left us quite short for crossing guards,” she said.
The first job listing was posted July 11. One person has applied.
Wilding said there is a need for at least four more crossing guards.
Many of the city’s crossing guards are retired and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with schools closed, “they got out of the habit of being crossing guards and didn’t feel like they wanted to come back because they were off for so long,” Wilding said.
Several of them have said their crossings aren’t busy, which they find “very discouraging,” she added.
The crossing guards were surveyed about what areas saw the fewest pedestrians, and Wilding came up with four crossings: Brant and Laclie streets, Forest Avenue South and the Highway 12 bypass, West Street North at Orchard Park Public School, and George Street and Westmount Drive.
At Brant and Laclie streets, “almost no one uses it,” said Wilding, who can attest to that as she has worked as a crossing guard at that intersection.
The crossing at Forest Avenue and the Highway 12 bypass is not as busy as it used to be, she said.
West Street at Orchard Park Public School was a busy crossing when Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute was still operational nearby, but now, “zero students often use it,” Wilding said.
The intersection at George Street and Westmount Drive was a busy crossing before the entrance and exit areas were changed at nearby Harriett Todd Public School.
Wilding asked the board Thursday to support a review of the four crossings in question by requesting city staff undertake a traffic study. It would include vehicle and pedestrian counts, and the results would be weighed against criteria in the Ontario Traffic Council’s manual for crossing guards to determine if the crossings are warranted.
Crossings were last reviewed in 2016, but no changes were made.
“People got used to them being there, and there was some resistance to moving them,” Wilding said, but added some of the crossings see fewer pedestrians than they did in 2016.
As for addressing recruitment challenges, Coun. Rob Kloostra, a member of the police services board, suggested the city look at the possibility of providing incentives — a one- or two-month membership to the Orillia Recreation Centre, for example.
If that were to happen, said board member Margaret Speranza, the same should be offered to existing crossing guards in an effort to be fair.
Wilding noted crossing guards are provided with six hours of paid training, personal protective equipment, a winter parka, a rain suit, a stop sign, and a vest, and they’re paid for statutory holidays.
“Generally, they’re happy with the benefits we offer if they’re happy with two hours a day,” she said.
Two-hour shifts, equating to 10 hours per week, can be a deterrent to some who might be considering applying, she said.
There are 14 locations in the city where crossing guards are usually stationed. With only 11 crossing guards confirmed for the first day of school on Sept. 7, “it’s a critical issue,” said Mayor Steve Clarke, chair of the board, who added there is a need for substitute crossing guards, too.
Many crossing guards do the job because they want to be involved in the community and interact with students and other pedestrians, he said. So, when they see only a couple of people — sometimes no one — crossing, “that really takes away their main motivation for the job.”
The board approved a motion to temporarily prioritize crossings based on pedestrian traffic and assign existing crossing guards to the most active locations. It also voted in favour of asking city staff to conduct a traffic study at the four crossings mentioned above.
The matter is expected to come before city council at its Sept. 20 meeting.
