Free Swim

• Clientele
  We are pleased to welcome elementary and secondary schools to our facilities for reward activities, field trips, or any other open-swim activities.
  If you are looking for guided activities, we recommend that you check out our other pages in the School Reservations section.
• Schedule and Rates
  • Our available time slots for school reservations are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between mid-September and June 23 of each year.
  • Services are available between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., but the duration can be adjusted according to the school’s needs.
  • Upon request, we can consider requests outside these time slots; however, approval is subject to the services provided to military personnel.

  Rates

  Rates depend on the following factors:

  • Choice of activity and accessible pools;

  • Number of participating children;

  • Children’s skill level;
• How it works & transportation

  Reservations

  • To submit a request, the school uses the reservation request form: https://www.sbmfc.ca/valcartier/reservation-scolaire/formulaire-de-reservation

  Shuttle Service

  • If your group has fewer than 24 passengers (including teachers and accompanying parents), we can provide a shuttle service.
  • The rate for the shuttle service is based on the number of kilometers traveled to pick up your group and the bus driver’s travel time.

  
   
• Ratio and Safety

  To ensure the safety of groups during school field trips, we comply with the requirements outlined in the Guide to the Safe Supervision of Children’s Groups.

  Add the guide: encadrement_aquatique.pdf

  Ratio

  To ensure the safety of children, the following ratios must be observed:

  Âge	Ratio accompagnateurs/enfants
  Moins de 6 ans	1 : 6
  6 ans et +	1 : 15

  • If a group is homogeneous and cannot be divided and supervised by different supervisors, we will apply the highest ratio.
  • For example, if a group of 12 people includes 2 children aged 5, we will apply the 1:6 ratio.

  
  
   
• Test de nage et port d'une VFI

  Before the field trip, each school must obtain parental consent regarding the following:

  • I request that my child wear a life jacket at all times during pool activities
  • I authorize my child to take the swimming test

  The swim test is designed to assess the following skills:

  • Conducted by our lifeguards, the child must meet these requirements to pass the swim test and wear a wristband authorizing them to swim without a PFD.
  • Regardless of parental permission, if the child does not complete the swim test, wearing a PFD will be mandatory.

  Swim Test Skills:

  • Safe Entry into the Water
  • The child chooses a safe way to enter the water that does not endanger their own safety or that of other participants (for example, jumping into the water, sliding in, or using the ladder).

  Swim in place – 30 seconds:

  • The head must remain above water for the entire duration;
  • The swimmer must not touch the wall or the bottom at any time during the entire duration or during the transition to swimming.

  Endurance Swimming - 25 meters:

  • The swimmer may swim on their stomach or on their back;
  • The swimmer must be able to breathe and maintain control of their movements;
  • The swimmer must remain in a horizontal (or nearly horizontal) position;
  • The swimmer must complete the distance without assistance and without touching the wall or the bottom of the pool.
• Surveillants - Sauveteurs

  To ensure children’s safety, we will comply with Appendix IV of the Swimming Area Safety Code.

  Main Pool - 25m

  Number of Children Number of Lifeguards

  Number of children	Number of lifeguard
  0-100	2
  101-200	3

  Recreational pool with slide

  Number of children	Number of lifeguard
  0-50	1

  Please note:

  • For a school field trip involving open swimming, the minimum number of qualified lifeguards is 2;

  • If your teachers are certified as “National Lifeguard – Pool Option” by the Lifesaving Society, we may reduce the ratio; however, the teacher must be on duty solely for supervision and may not be counted in the adult-to-child ratio. A university-level lifeguarding course is not valid for open-swim activities.

  • The number of lifeguards may be increased depending on the children’s ages, the type of participants, or the nature of the activity.

  
  
  
   
• Outings Guide
  • Before your outing, please review the guide that will be sent to you to ensure that you comply with the specific requirements for your outing.
  • You can also download this guide here: (available soon)