A number of Bradford parents are frustrated and disappointed after they were unable to sign up their children for summer camps. They say spots were filled before registration even opened, sparking concerns about the registration system.
Lori, who has asked that her last name be withheld, contacted BradfordToday after a long back and forth with Bradford Leisure Centre staff about the situation. She says she was attempting to register her two children for camp, and while waiting in the virtual que, she could see the number of spots going down before being allowed to access the site.
“So, the fact that spots were filling up before we were granted access is very concerning,” she said. “It all sold out within seconds. Literally seconds. (The staff) are very hush hush about this. It seems to be some sort of internal issue here.”
Lori says the only reason she feels this could happen is if town staff had access and were enrolling people they knew ahead of time.
“If early access was in fact granted for some as it appears to be the case, even one minute early, that provides a huge disadvantage for the rest of the community.”
Sean, who also asked BradfordToday not to share his last name, said he encountered the same issue.
“I had multiple windows open to get ready to click with three minutes to go and I could just see the spots dwindling, and I couldn't access it," he said. "Obviously someone had backdoor access to it.”
While Sean was fortunate enough to get his child enrolled, he says the situation is upsetting because it put a lot of families out.
“In my opinion with the amount of taxes we pay it’s unacceptable,” he said. “Also, if I were to do something like this in my profession, I would be in trouble. I would like to have an answer about what the repercussions are.”
After bringing their concerns to BWG Leisure Centre staff, Lori said she did receive an email from the administrative coordinator assuring her they are taking the matter seriously.
The email also stated that the employee's actions are being reviewed in context with the town’s employee code of conduct and that further education and guidance is also being provided to all staff members to ensure that this never happens again.
BradfordToday reached out to BWG Leisure Centre staff for additional comment, but the request went unanswered.
The town, however, did respond, confirming the incident and said it apologizes to residents who were impacted.
“Our investigation revealed there was in fact an error by a staff member, where a registration was processed before 9 a.m.," said Victoria Simoes, the town's community relations officer. “To account for this unplanned registration, the first in line on our waitlist was accommodated for.”
While pleased to receive a response, Lori says it's not the answer she was hoping for.
"They won't tell me if there's any disciplinary action," she said. "So people cheat the system and keep their spots? It's just disappointing. They tried to be professional in their response, but I left not satisfied. I've lost trust with the internal running of this."
The other concern prompting parents to speak out is the lack of camps and spaces for kids locally, in general.
“We need more awareness that there are not enough camps,” said Lori. “We have a growing population and either people can’t find one or they can’t afford it. There’s a lot of stressed out parents here.”
“Out of 18 spots, there were 57 people on the wait list,” added Sean. "It’s absolute chaos.”
It’s become a hot topic echoed by many on social media. One community Facebook page has garnered more than 70 comments from people airing their grievances.
One person commented, “There aren’t enough spaces for the amount of kids who need care. It’s like The Hunger Games trying to register multiple kids for multiple weeks.”
Another responded saying “Agreed. It’s a legit battle of the fittest who gets a spot.”
Officials with the town say they are working to resolve the issue.
“We also recognize that our summer camps are very competitive programs to register for," said Simoes. "We are diligently working through the waitlist as we recruit and secure additional staff to run our summer programs."
There are just over 1,400 kids currently registered for a summer camp program in Bradford. The town has eight different camps; two at Lions Park, three at the Bradford and District Community Centre and three at the Leisure Centre.
