The four-year-old child who drowned in a residential swimming pool in Quebec City on Saturday evening illustrates once again the need for adults to be “extremely vigilant” during the summer season, estimates the Lifesaving Society of Quebec. So far this year, 28 people have died by drowning, compared to 22 at the same time last year.
“It will have to be confirmed by the investigation, but I was told that there were floating objects in the pool, so structures or balloons. It is part of our recommendations to never install or put these devices which become very attractive for young children. The child then wants to go and retrieve it, he is attracted by the water, and he falls into it. We all have to be extremely vigilant,” says the organization’s executive director, Raynald Hawkins.
He offers his sincere condolences to the family, but is especially concerned about the lack of education around swimming pools in Quebec. “When our children learn to walk, they are told very early on that they cannot cross the street without mom or dad. Well, we also have to start educating our children from a young age on access to the pool as well,” says Mr. Hawkins.
In Quebec, the police are currently investigating the event. Around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday evening, a call was made to 911 concerning a child who had fallen into a swimming pool, in the borough of La Haute-Saint-Charles, in Quebec.
When they arrived on the scene, the police began resuscitation maneuvers on the child. The latter was transported by ambulance, which was escorted by patrol vehicles, with the assistance of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), in order to ensure greater speed of transport to a hospital.
“Unfortunately, despite the efforts of all stakeholders, the death of the child was confirmed at the hospital,” said a statement from the SPVQ on Sunday. Investigators from the serious crimes unit as well as technicians from the forensic identification unit were dispatched to the scene in order to reconstruct the chronology of events and clarify the circumstances surrounding this tragedy.
Rules to know
So far in 2023, 28 people have died by drowning in Quebec, compared to 22 at the same date last year. “It’s an upward trend, that said, we have fewer events, but more victims at the same time”, notes Raynald Hawkins, who cites in particular the sinking of Akwesasne which cost the lives of eight migrants, the two firefighters who died in Saint-Urbain during the floods and the fishing trip that claimed the lives of four children and an adult, in Portneuf-sur-Mer.
The majority of these drownings were still preventable.
Raynald Hawkins, Executive Director of the Lifesaving Society
There are about 80 water-related deaths per year in Quebec on average, which is much better than 40 years ago, when there were about 200 annually. For one fatal drowning, there are approximately four other non-fatal drownings. Result: drowning affects more or less 400 people per year.
At all times, but especially during children’s parties, the company recommends “appointing a responsible adult” to supervise the pool. “Often, what we realize is that there are lots of adults and everyone thinks that someone is watching, but basically, no one is really watching. Most of the time, therefore, the children have access to the swimming pool without the knowledge of the adults,” notes Mr. Hawkins.
“As of 2025, any above-ground or in-ground pool will also have to be inaccessible at all times, by means of a physical barrier, unless the pool has been opened. We, what we tell people is not to wait until 2025 to apply this rule, ”he concludes.
Across Canada, about 55% of drownings reported by Statistics Canada take place in residential or public outdoor swimming pools, 53% of which involve children four years of age or younger. About half of drownings, in the global sense, occur when an individual is alone and unaccompanied by another person. Lifeguard training has been offered free of charge since last fall. From January to March 2023, the Lifesaving Society had also identified 40% more registrations in the first courses to become a lifeguard.
With The Canadian Press