GIMLI, MAN. – “Things happen quickly.” That is the warning from Lynne Stefanchuk, executive director of Lifesaving Society of Manitoba. She says it can be a matter of minutes before you find yourself in trouble when in and around waterways. “We stress so often that just with a little bit of preparation before you go out to be in or near the water, that it can just make such a massive difference in keeping you safe,” Stefanchuk said. It’s National Drowning Prevention Week, and during this year’s campaign, families are encouraged to “Prepare to be Water Smart” before heading to any waterway, whether it be a pool or a lake. “If you’re going to be in a boat, wear your life jacket. Don’t just have it with you because that’s not going to help you. You don’t have time to put it on once something happens,” she said. “We’re always encouraging people, where they have resources when they can, to get their kids into swimming lessons. Knowing how to swim is such a huge line of defence in keeping yourself safe in the water.” “Keep your eye on the very little ones. Keep your little ones within arm’s reach so they can always reach out to you if they get in trouble,” she said. The Lifesaving Society says over 400 Canadians die in preventable water-related incidents annually. This past weekend, an 18-year-old Winnipeg man drowned while swimming at a gravel pit in southeastern Manitoba. Police say he disappeared beneath the surface while attempting to swim across the pit with friends. Two boys aged 10 and 13 also went missing after they were reportedly swept into the rapids at Sturgeon Falls in Manitoba’s Whiteshell Provincial Park, about 140 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. “The 10-year-old had slipped on the rocks and had entered the water, and instinctively, the 13-year-old went in to try and retrieve him,” Staff Sgt. Cory Meyers from the Manitoba RCMP said to reporters earlier this week. “Both ended up getting caught in the current, getting washed down the falls.” In Ontario, a 17-year-old boy died after his canoe capsized north of Bancroft, about 250 kilometres north of Toronto, and a 63-year-old man from Markham, Ont., drowned after falling into Lake Muskoka. “Drowning is so preventable,” said Eric Labaupa, a member of the Manitoba Coalition for Safer Waters. “We don’t want to lay any blame in this situation and stuff, but hopefully, we can also learn a lesson … and what we can do to prevent similar things from happening.” Labaupa says staying safe starts with making smart decisions before getting in or near the water. “In addition to life jackets, being sober in and around water is another big one, but situational awareness (is key),” he said. “We have beautiful waterways in this country, and of course, by all means, everyone take part, but have everyone prepared, especially our young persons and our non-swimmers to be aware and respect the water, because it doesn’t take much water at all to drown in.”
