Summer is one of the busiest seasons for municipal recreation programs, outdoor amenities, and community events. From day camps and youth programs to beaches, splash parks, and wading pools, municipalities play an important role in providing safe opportunities for residents – particularly children and youth – to stay active, engaged, and connected.
While these services deliver significant benefits to the community, they also introduce a variety of risks that require thoughtful planning and oversight. The RMA Insurance team has prepared the following guidance to help municipalities identify common exposures and implement practical risk management measures that support safe and successful recreational experiences throughout the summer season.
Community Youth Summer Programs
With schools closed for the summer months, community programs often expand to provide recreational, educational, and physical activity opportunities for children and youth. These programs can offer valuable support to families while contributing to healthy and active communities.
Proper planning, supervision, and staff training are essential to creating a positive experience while reducing risk.
Ensuring Safety
Organizations should establish Safe Operating Procedures (SOPs) that address environmental conditions, including weather and heat-related exposure.
Key considerations include:
- Developing and maintaining SOPs for weather-related conditions and outdoor programming.
- Ensuring staff are aware of these procedures through meetings, internal communications, and training sessions.
- Providing staff with access to water, sun protection, and appropriate safety equipment.
- Following established working-alone procedures where applicable, including regular check-ins.
- Maintaining well-defined, practiced procedures for emergencies, severe weather, and incident reporting.
Effective Operational Practices
What helps youth programs operate safely and successfully? Strong planning and clear supervision are essential.
Municipalities should consider:
- Mapping out program timelines and critical dates well in advance, including registration dates, field trips, staff training, and facility bookings.
- Using registration, camp, or program management software to centralize participant information, emergency contacts, and critical health records where appropriate.
- Defining clear program goals at the start, and conducting staff debriefs to continuously refine program curriculum and policies.
- Maintaining appropriate staff-to-participant ratios based on participant age and activity levels.
- Recruiting qualified staff with relevant experience and an interest in youth development.
- Providing training on behaviour management, SafeSport/abuse prevention principles, and daily supervision practices.
Liability and Compliance Protection
Municipalities should ensure programs operate in accordance with applicable policies and regulatory requirements.
Key considerations are:
- Maintaining a strict medication management system, where required.
- Ensuring staff hold current CPR, First Aid, and relevant activity-specific certifications.
- Having well-defined, practiced procedures for emergencies and health incident response and reporting.
- Obtaining vulnerable sector checks for employees and volunteers, where appropriate.
- Confirming with administration and RMA Insurance to ensure all liability insurance covers the programs you are looking for and operations are noted.
Open Bodies of Water
Many municipalities are responsible for natural water features such as lakes, rivers, ponds, and designated swimming areas. These spaces offer valuable recreational opportunities but can present unique and changing hazards.
Unlike controlled aquatic facilities, natural water bodies introduce environmental variables that require ongoing monitoring and public awareness.
Ensuring Safety
What risks should municipalities monitor around natural water bodies?
- Active supervision remains one of the most effective safety controls whenever organized youth activities are taking place. Ensure distractions such as mobile phones are avoided.
- Operators should regularly check local health alerts and water conditions should be monitored regularly for hazards such as blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), changing currents, and poor visibility.
- Physical inspections should be conducted to identify underwater obstacles, unstable shorelines, and other hazards.
- Swimming areas should be clearly separated from boating or motorized watercraft activity whenever possible.
Effective Operational Practices
Municipalities can support safer use of natural water areas by:
- Posting clear signage that identifies hazards, local conditions, emergency contacts, and swimming advisories.
- Increasing inspection frequency during peak summer periods when usage is highest.
- Maintaining written inspection records and retaining documentation throughout the operating season.
Liability and Compliance Protection
Municipalities should:
- Ensure insurance coverage reflects the facilities, operations, and activities for which they are responsible.
- Monitor fire restrictions and bans where nearby campsites or recreational areas may be affected.
- Understand obligations under the Occupiers’ Liability Act and applicable municipal, provincial, or lease requirements governing waterway use.
Splash Parks and Wading Pools
Splash parks and wading pools share many of the same public safety considerations as other water-based recreation amenities. However, because these facilities depend on mechanical systems, water infrastructure, and specialized surfaces, they require more frequent inspections and maintenance.
Many of these sites also experience their highest usage during evenings and weekends when municipal staff may not be present.
Ensuring Safety
Municipalities should focus on creating a safe and accessible environment through:
- Visible signage displaying emergency contacts, facility information, and site rules.
- Fencing or barriers where needed to separate users from adjacent roadways and traffic.
- Adequate site lighting and visibility.
Effective Operational Practices
Routine maintenance and inspections are critical to ongoing operation.
Municipalities should consider:
- Providing washroom access and appropriate seating areas, such as benches and picnic tables.
- Maintaining adequate garbage collection and waste management.
- Testing water quality at least daily, if possible, and consider non-recirculating (flow-through) potable water systems, which eliminate the need for chemical treatment.
- Using brushed concrete or resilient synthetic surfaces with a certified non-slip finish.
- Inspecting surfaces weekly for cracks, mold, moss, or other slip hazards.
Liability and Compliance Protection
To reduce exposure and maintain compliance, municipalities should:
- Confirm with administration and RMA Insurance that all liability insurance coverage aligns with facility operations and public use.
- Ensure all drain covers and grates are securely installed and fastened (maximum openings of 12 mm) to avoid entrapment.
- Perform routine mechanical audits to unclog nozzles and verify water pressure.
- Test water system on a routine basis and check with local water authority to ensure compliance.
- Recognize that public-use water facilities often require an elevated duty of care due to higher public exposure.
Property Checks and Inspections
Regular inspections are essential to maintaining safe facility operations.
Municipalities should:
- Complete documented opening, operational, and closing inspections throughout the season. Daily checks should include blowing out the lines to ensure no pipe cracking.
- Many organizations have small to medium sized facilities that are not in use every day of the year. Make sure to evaluate these sites more frequently in severe heat and weather-related situations.
- Monitor drainage systems to prevent standing water and slip hazards. Maintain a slope of 2% to 5% to help with standing water prevention.
- Inspect infrastructure regularly to identify wear, damage, or maintenance needs before issues escalate.
Additional Resources and Information
Effective operations and communications rely on clear documentation, coordination, and proactive oversight. Municipalities should maintain a clear SOP for these tasks.
Additional resources include:
2026 Summer Day Camps & School Break Camps | YMCA of Northern Alberta
Canadian Weather | Environment Canada
Extreme heat events: How to protect yourself from the health effects of extreme heat | Canada.ca
By taking a proactive approach to risk management, municipalities can help ensure residents enjoy safe and positive recreational experiences throughout the summer season.
For more information, please contact your Risk Advisor or the Risk Team at risk@rmainsurance.com.