Minister ‘surprised and heartbroken’ by number of kids’ drowning deaths in province

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This article was published 17/07/2018 (2109 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sustainable Development Minister Rochelle Squires says she was “heartbroken” to learn Manitoba’s rate of drowning deaths for young children is more than three times the national average and hopes new initiatives will help lower that figure.

Her comments came Wednesday – in the middle of National Drowning Prevention Week — following an announcement the province’s life-jacket loaner program was being expanded to Spruce Woods Provincial Park.

The Lifesaving Society released its 2018 drowning reports Monday. The Canada-wide study concluded one child under the age of four died by drowning for every 100,000 Canadians in 2015 (the latest numbers available). That same category is 3.5 in Manitoba’s provincial drowning report.

“I was surprised and heartbroken. I just think back to three days ago, when I was sitting on the beach with my grandson. I was heartbroken imagining it being my family and my heart is with all those families who are dealing with such a tragic loss,” Squires said during an event at Birds Hill Provincial Park.

“Our message is these drowning are preventable, so let’s take the precautions necessary. Children must always be within arm’s length.”

The province’s life-jacket loaner program – which operates at a number of provincial parks, including Birds Hill, Gyles Lake and Bakers Narrows – allows those who show up at the beach without a life jacket to borrow one for the day from a kiosk.

The new Spruce Woods kiosk at the park located some 70 kilometres southeast of Brandon was built and stocked through donations from the Friends of Spruce Woods Park.

“If you come to the beach and don’t have a life jacket, you’re certainly welcome to borrow one of ours. Wear it for the day, put them on your children, return them at the end of the day, and then go home safely,” Squires said.

“We’re raising awareness that drowning occurs sometimes in a matter of seconds and that drowning is preventable.”

National Drowning Prevention Week, which runs July 15-21, is sponsored by the Lifesaving Society of Canada. Its annual safety campaign focuses on spreading two key messages: always wear a life jacket while in or near water, and keep children close by when in the water.

Squires said some drowning deaths in Manitoba occur when people who don’t plan to go in water fall in. She highlighted the need to increase awareness campaigns and help spread life-saving knowledge among new Canadians, who tend to be overrepresented in drowning deaths.

Each year the province contributes $5,000 to water-safety presentations to students and new Canadians.

“I, personally, grew up around the water. I’ve always been a beach-goer,” Squires said. “My family and my community, it’s a part of our culture to have knowledge about the safety precautions around water. Our newcomer families aren’t coming to Canada with that same foundation of knowledge.”

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe