Swimming Canada Hires Haley Bennett-Osborne to Head HPC Quebec
Swimming Canada this week hired Haley Bennett-Osborne to head the High Performance Centre in Quebec when it reopens later this year.
Bennett-Osborne is a native of Parksville, British Columbia. She has spent the last two years as the head coach of Red Deer Catalina Swim Club. Among her pupils is Paralympic gold medalist Nicholas Bennett, her brother.
Bennett-Osborne began coaching in 2016 at Ravensong Aquatic Club in B.C., eventually becoming the head coach. She was named the Coach of the Year – Paralympic Program by Swimming Canada in 2024.
“I’m excited to step into this role at a time when the program is ready for renewed stability and growth,” Bennett-Osborne said in a Swimming Canada press release. “All the pieces that are needed for success are there — the Montreal Olympic pool, the integrated support team at the Institut National du Sport du Québec, the resources, and of course we have great athletes. What’s needed now is consistency, and I’m ready to provide that. I believe one of my strengths is really getting to know my athletes and building trust. After so much change over the past few years, I think that’s exactly what the centre needs.”
Bennett-Osborne’s role begins in the fall. The center in Montreal was closed when a fire damaged the Olympic Park Sports Centre last March, requiring a relocation of last year’s Olympic Trials to Toronto. The Quebec center is the hub of Swimming Canada’s success in paraswimming, which will at that point be coming off the World Championships in Singapore.
“It is great to have Haley on board with Swimming Canada,” High Performance Director and National Coach John Atkinson said. “Her experience and success as a coach will be a great addition to Swimming Canada as we continue to move our centre and national programs forward.”
“On one of his most important days ever as an athlete, she was still open to input, and that’s the type of person she will be in this role. She cares deeply about her athletes and the people around them. That matches the culture we want to instill,” said Ryan Allen, Swimming Canada’s National Coach Lead, Paralympic Program. “She’s very excited to prove this is a place that is a high performance environment that athletes around the country can come to thrive in. She’s motivated by high performance, has a strong track record and the supports in place are excellent.”