The Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service (NSLS) officially became a part of the Lifesaving Society, Nova Scotia Branch on March 8, 1999 when the Province announced that the Society had been contracted to administer the program.

For the province of Nova Scotia, partnering with the Lifesaving Society ensures delivery of top-quality lifeguard service in the province. The NSLS is a part of the Lifesaving Society and is a contracted service of the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness. The provincial and municipal governments fund and promote the program, while the Lifesaving Society manages the day-today operations of the program.

The Lifesaving Society provides training for more than 50 lifeguards and area supervisors who are responsible for supervising approximately 20 beaches in Nova Scotia for nine weeks during the summer, beginning at the end of June. Each year, between 250,000 and 500,000 people visit Nova Scotia supervised beaches.

The NSLS has been keeping Nova Scotia's provincial beaches safe since 1973. The Beach Supervision Program was the result of a 1972 study which pointed out the need to reduce the high number of drownings and related accidents at beaches in Nova Scotia. A full-time coordinator was hired in 1975, and the Beach Supervision Program changed its name to the Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service.

For further information visit the NSLS website: http://www.nsls.ns.ca/