City officials emphasize water safety after high number of rescues

Awater rescue near an Ottawa River beach on Sunday is raising concerns among city officials about water safety.

A17-year-old girl was taken to hospital in critical condition after nine minutes under water near Britannia Beach on Sunday, according to firefighters who were working to find her.

"Just the pit of my stomach hurts. I really feel bad about it," said Bay Coun. Theresa Kavanagh.

Const. Caroline Gallant, who works with the Ottawa police marine, dive and trails unit, saidthe river floorat Britannia Beach is unpredictableand can be hazardous to swimmers whoare unfamiliar with it or not particularly strong in the water.

"You could be walking along and you're in maybe threeor fourfeet of water, and all of a sudden it dips down and you could be in 15 feet of water," Gallant said.

"So if you're not expecting that, it can be pretty shocking."

Ottawa police say they "haven't experienced a lot of drownings" so far this year, but they have responded to several other water-related emergencies.

"We've seen a lot of water rescues. We work with our firefighter and paramedic partners to respond to any water rescues,"Gallant said.

Two more tragic water-related incidents happened this past weekend in western Quebec.

On Sunday afternoon, policesaida 60-year-old woman who had been swimming was found unconscious in a lake in La Pche and was later pronounced dead athospital.

On Sunday evening, searchers recovered a man's body in the Baskatong Reservoir north of Maniwaki, Que., near where he disappeared while boating the previous day.

Ottawa paramedics warn that water emergencies can happen quickly just about anywhere.

"In a pool, they can happen in a lake, on a river. All come with a different hazard," said Marc-Antoine Deschamps, a spokesperson with the Ottawa ParamedicService.

It's important that people do not swim alone, and if they're on a boat, paddleboard or any kind of watercraft,they should be wearing a life jacket, he said.

"Often people that drown while [boating]are thrown off or fall off the boat. They don't have time to reach under the seat and pick up the life jacket that is there," Deschamps said.

In a media release last week, Ontario Provincial Police said they hadinvestigated eight boating or paddling deaths throughout the province so far this year. Six of those deaths involved a person not properly wearing a personal floatation device.

More swim lessons, more pools

Kavanagh, whose ward includesBritannia Beach,said the City of Ottawa could use more public poolsto encourage children to learn how to swim starting at a young age.

"I think in terms of getting kids into swim lessons, kids learning how to swim young, we don't have enough pools. We tend to put in splash pads instead of the little wading pools," Kavanagh said.

"We need those things."

The City of Ottawa has nine outdoor public pools across the city and dozens of splash pads and wading pools.

In terms of swimming lesson enrolment, the citywrote in a statement that there were 45,800 registrations in 2022 for swimming lessons and certification programs.

"To date, there have been 50,650 registrations in 2023. Registration has not yet begun for the fall session, which will increase registrations by the end of 2023," wrote Tracey McGarry, the director ofcomplexes, aquaticsand specialty services.

"My gut feeling tells me that everybody needs experience in water before they come to a beach," Kavanagh said.