Drown-proofing program could come to Winnipeg School Division

The tragic deaths of two Winnipeg School Division students this summer at Grand Beach prompteda trustee to bring forward a motion Mondayto add drown-proofing programs at schools.

• Grand Beach drowning victims David Medina and Jhonalyn Javier mourned

On Aug. 1, David Medina, 12,and Jhonalyn Javier, 11,were pulled from the water at the western edgeof West Beach, near Grand Beach's popular boardwalk area along Lake Winnipeg.

Winnipeg School Division trustee Mark Wasyliwsaid their deaths affected him deeply.

"We lost two students from our schools," hesaid Monday.

"I was thinking that something had to be done about this, and something in a positive and proactive way, that could help other students in a similar situation that may have just been recently into the country and may not have the type of experiences in their home country when it comes to basic swimming."

A similar program based in Ontario targets students in Grade 4 and involves three 45-minute to one-hour classes on what to do in deep water and survival skills if they fall through the ice.

"We have two major rivers intersecting the Winnipeg School Division and lots of children play on the ice, so with the increase of the newcomer population in Winnipeg, I think it's a responsible reaction to what's happened," Wasyliw said.

"Swimming skills are not instinctual; they have to be taught. It's a life skill."

Offering the program in Winnipeg would come at a cost, butWasyliwsaid there are ways to mitigate those costs throughshared facilities programming with the City of Winnipeg.

"The way these programs are administered, they tend to be a partnership between the municipality like the City of Winnipeg and the school board and perhaps the province,"Wasyliwsaid.

Trustee 'our champion,' says lifesaving society

The motion callson the divisionto endorse the Lifesaving Society's Swim to Survive program or a similar water survival course, as well as discuss possible partnerships with the city and province.

The Lifesaving Society, which has been teachingSwim to Survive courses to students in northern Manitoba communitiesfor 11 years, praised Wasyliw for bringing the proposal forward.

• Manitoba 'swim to survive' program limited to north

"I am so excited that Mark has become our champion. [The] Lifesaving Society has long believed that these skill sets shouldbe taught through the schools," said Carl Shier, CEO of the society's Manitoba branch.

"It's a great opportunity to capture the largest audience at the best possible age and to learn a skill that they'll retain the rest of their life. We can reduce drownings by at least half if a program like this would get started."

Shier said three lessons can be enough for childrento learn basic water survival skills, such as orienting themselves after falling unexpectedly into water, treading water and using a basic swim stroke to move themselves to safety.

The motion was tabledat a Winnipeg School Division board meeting Monday night.The division will vote on the motion at their next meeting on Oct.17.

Ifpassed, Wasyliw saidthe next step will beto discuss the possibility of formingpartnerships with the city andprovince to develop the program.