July 21-27 has been designated as National Drowning Prevention Week across Canada, designed to promote safe practices on and in the water.
In an area such as the Lakeland region, known for its abundance of lakes and water-based recreational activities, the ability to swim is an essential skill.
Once learned, says Jennifer Okrainec, a coach with the Lac La Biche Whitecaps swim club, swimming is a lifelong skill.
“It is the one sport skill that can actually save your life or someone else’s,” she told Lakeland This Week, adding that kids and adults should take swim lessons to learn the basics, while swimming competitively enhances an individual’s swimming skills and strength.
Both swimming lessons and water safety, Okrainec continued, are crucial in preventing drownings. The sooner a person learns swimming skills, she explained, not only is it easier, but they will also have a better ability to maintain them.
While acquiring these abilities is essential, Okrainec said it’s important to note that regardless of how good of a swimmer someone is, failing to follow water safety rules could still result in potential drowning. Therefore, life jackets must always be worn when boating, kayaking, paddle boarding, or engaging in any water sport for that matter.
“Water is to be respected,” she said, explaining that small children need to be within arms’ reach of a guardian, even when wearing life jackets or playing on flotation devices. “One small error and things could go bad quickly.”
Water watch
With so many boaters out enjoying local lakes during the summer months, and individuals heading to beaches and water bodies, fish and wildlife officers and police, are also a common sight ensuring that laws related to safety and impaired boating are being adhered to.
“Fish and wildlife officers regularly patrol the lakes within their respective districts,” said Calli Forbes, a spokesperson with Alberta Public Safety and Emergency Services, explaining that Alberta Fish and Wildfire Enforcement Services has six district office locations in the Lakeland Region: Athabasca, Lac La Biche, Cold Lake, Bonnyville, St. Paul and Smoky Lake.
Most boaters, Forbes continued, are generally compliant in ensuring that they have a Pleasure Craft Operators Licence along with the required safety equipment needed for a boat. Failure to comply with the law can bring trouble, both financial life-changing.
Wearing a life jacket while boating doesn’t only make sense, it’s also the law. According to Forbes, there is a legal requirement to have a life jacket for every occupant in a boat. She added that they should be readily available to those who are travelling in a boat.
“It is a best practice to wear a life jacket in a boat,” she said. “There are numerous drownings every year in Alberta that could have been prevented by wearing a life jacket.”
While out patrolling the Lakeland, Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers, conservation officers and the Mounties not only do safety and equipment compliance checks and respond to boaters in distress, but they also ensure that those operating watercraft – just like any vehicle – are sober while at the controls.
“A boat is considered a motor vehicle and carries the same impaired offences and penalties,” Forbes said.
When asked if there are any particular lakes in the Lakeland region that are considered to be dangerous for those either boating or swimming on them, Forbes said all lakes can be dangerous. Furthermore, conditions such as storms and strong winds can occur very quickly, catching boaters off guard.
Knowing the layout of the lake where swimming or boating will take place is important for all outdoor enthusiasts, he said.
“Many of the lakes have rock reefs that are dangerous, and if struck can severely damage boats,” she said. “Also, cold water temperatures can severely affect anyone in the water for extended periods of time, especially if not wearing a life jacket.”
The Alberta Blue Cross and the Lifesaving Society Alberta and Northwest Territories promote National Drowning Prevention Week every year in the middle of summer, near the August long weekend.
Themes for the awareness week can include safe boating, swimming in open water, supervising children around water, backyard pool and pond safety, lifejacket awareness and the importance of learning to swim.
Madison Lalonde, a spokesperson with the Lifesaving Society Alberta and Northwest Territories, said people must make prevention key, as it could save a life.
“We encourage you to discuss these important topics with your loved ones throughout the week, and to integrate at least one of these safety measures this summer,” Lalonde stated.
According to the 2020 National Drowning Report, drowning claims the lives of 450 Canadians each year. The report goes on to note that on average, 70 per cent of fatal drownings in Canada occur in open water, including lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and ditches.
The 2024 Alberta Drowning Report states that from 2015-2019, every one of the fatal incidents involving children under five years of age occurred due to of a lack of, or distracted, supervision.
