Canada has a shortage of lifeguards

Michael Olsen first became a lifeguard when he was a teenager in Australia. Now 81 years old, and after careers in tech and in the postal service, he has gone back the poolside. Most of his co-workers at the Nepean Sportsplex in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, are high-school and university students. He is currently the oldest lifeguard in the province of Ontario—but he may be joined by other octogenarians if a nationwide trend continues. “I’ve been downsized from jobs before,” he says. “It’s nice to know that I’m in demand now.”