Nanaimo has a new team of ambassadors patrolling municipal parks to encourage people to follow physical distancing protocols during the pandemic.
A successful pilot launched on Easter weekend led the city to expand its program from four to nine ambassadors. Their aim is to educate park users, said Charlotte Davis, Nanaimo’s manager of recreation facilities and custodial services.
“Overwhelmingly, people have received this positively and have been very polite toward our ambassadors.”
Ambassadors went first to Westwood Lake and Maffeo Sutton parks for the trial, but will now be at other municipal parks daily, including evenings and weekends.
They patrol in pairs, wear yellow vests and talk to people, recommending a two-metre distance for walkers, five metres for joggers and runners, and 10 metres for cyclists, Davis said.
Aside from talking to people, the ambassadors disinfect high-touch points, pick up litter and will even tackle invasive plants if there is time. “The parks, honestly, they look fantastic because of the litter picking that we are able to do,” Davis said.
Ambassadors are drawn from the ranks of permanent part-time recreation staff, who normally work at municipal recreation facilities that are currently closed because of the pandemic. They could choose to be laid off or be redeployed in another position.
Many are lifeguards and cashiers and skilled at interacting with the public in a friendly manner, Davis said. The ambassadors will continue to receive their regular salaries, and the city is aiming to give them hours similar to what they would normally work, she said. Most work between 16 and 28 hours per week.
“We are able to keep people employed and it is actually work that needs to get done.”
Nanaimo’s bylaw enforcement officers do not have the ability to detain anyone or issue a fine or penalty if they contravene a public health order, the city says on its website.
Any enforcement would be done under the direction of the public health officer or local medical health officer, it said.
