Recent drownings renew calls for newcomer swimming classes, more education

According to the society, based on per capita numbers, Manitoba is the child drowning capital of Canada.

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“One of the biggest things we hear time and time again (from newcomer parents) is that they didn’t realize how much of a problem it is here in Canada,” Love said. “Also, some of them are very surprised to learn that there are adult swim lessons at pools around the province.”

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "One of the biggest things we hear time and time again (from newcomer parents) is that they didn't realize how much of a problem it is here in Canada," Love said. "Also, some of them are very surprised to learn that there are adult swim lessons at pools around the province."

A 2016 report by the Lifesaving Society of Canada showed new Canadians age 11 to 14 are five times more likely to not know how to swim compared with their Canadian-born counterparts.

Currently, Newcomers Employment and Education Development Services is the only organization that offers a multi-week, in water course to help newcomers learn to swim.

The 10-week course was developed and launched in January 2017 after a particularly devastating summer for newcomer deaths.

READ MORE: Friends identify 2 children who drowned at Grand Beach

In August 2016, David Medina, 12, and Jhonalyn Javier, 11, drowned at Grand Beach. Both children had recently moved to Manitoba from the Philippines.

Just weeks later, Jean-Baptiste Ajua, a 22-yaer-old man originally from Rwanda, drowned at Birds Hill Beach.

What do you do if someone is drowning?

According to the Lifesaving Society people should never jump in try to save someone who is in distress unless they have specifically taken a water rescue course.

“Someone who is drowning, they are very, very panicked,” Love said. “They are not thinking rationally. Their basic instincts take over and they are going to grab anything that they perceive as floating and that can be another person.”

The first thing people should do is try to talk to them, and calm them down.

“Call to them to try to flip on their back, try to get them to float in place so they can catch their breath, and then they might be able to save themselves,” he said.

If that doesn’t work, the next step is to throw them something that floats.

“Anything that will float. That could be a life-jacket, that could be a cooler or something you’ve brought with you to the beach,” he said.

The third point the society recommends, and the most dangerous, is trying to physically get something out to them.

“Physically getting something out to them, not your arm, ’cause they could pull you in,” Love said. “It could be a rope, a tree branch, a paddle, a life-jacket. I’m holding onto one end, they are holding onto the other, and it gives them assistance and I can pull them back to shore or let go if they are pulling me in with them.”