While some municipalities are experiencing a shortage of crossing guards due to the pandemic, Halton Hills boasts a full complement of 40.
“We are still hiring. With everything going on right now, a full roster can mean nothing if someone gets sick and we have posts to fill. Better to be safe than sorry,” said Roumen Kotev, traffic coordinator (road safety) with the Town.
Like most jobs, the pandemic has forced changes.
Prior to COVID-19's arrival, whistles were optional. Now, each guard has a push-button whistle on their wrist. They also have new layered jackets meant for all temperatures, reflective wristbands and hand-held stop signs with flashing lights.
With cooler temperatures around the corner, those new jackets will certainly come in handy.
“It’s like being a postman – you gotta deliver,” Charlie Fendley, a crossing guard in Georgetown south said about showing up rain, snow or shine. “Inclement weather is the worst. That’s when you see lots more cars.”
Kotev agrees. Winter is tough. Often you will see crossing guards standing outside freezing in a blizzard alone. But the Town has yellow salt boxes at each location, and he said his team “throws salt and sand on the sidewalks and road like it's their own driveway."
Georgetown resident Erin Baskin walks her young children to school and certainly appreciates the job they do.
She likes that the crossing guards get dressed up for Halloween and often have treats for the kids.
“We are lucky to have them,” she said. “If you interact with children and let them know everything is cool, they love it."
Rick Bonner, 68, was inspired to follow his older brother’s footsteps and became a crossing guard after retiring from a financial institution in 2014.
“His station was right outside his apartment building in Toronto. At 80, he got leukemia and it took him quickly,” Bonner said about his brother.
For his part, he said this job keeps him off the couch and gives him something to do. His wife is not yet retired.
“The interaction with people is the best. The kids are the best. They are so polite,” Bonner said about his post near Silver Creek Public School at Eaton and Standish Streets.
“I’ve got kids that I started crossing in 2014 that drive by me in SUVs now. It's unbelievable. They are in university and they remember me. I have a shopping bag full of cards given to me by children over the years.”
He said the cards express thanks for keeping them safe.
“I cherish these cards,” he said. “It’s a fun job because I meet a lot of people. I know all of the neighbourhood dogs by name."
He noted that you have to be very alert as a crossing guard as things can happen in a split second.
“All of a sudden, a child can come running across the street into traffic," he said. "A few parents will cross where there is no crosswalk. I’ve had to talk to parents about this. It happened with one little girl who told me, ‘But my mom does it.’ And I said, 'But she's not here right now, and we have to follow the rules to keep you safe."
Kotev credits his team of crossing guards for staying calm in any situation and focused on safety.
“Ultimately we are taking care of people’s most prized possessions – their children,” he said.
