Increased signage to be posted across the City to prevent drownings

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, September 11, 2020     4:10pm 

(Ottawa) – Tragically, five lives have been lost to preventable open-water drownings so far this summer in Ottawa. 

In most of these cases, a major contributing factor was the fact that the victims adventured themselves in unknown waters with little to no knowledge of river water hydrodynamics without wearing proper personal flotation devices (PFD).

To increase awareness of the dangers of swimming and boating in open water, the Ottawa Drowning Prevention Coalition (ODPC), the office of the Regional Supervising Coroner with East Region – Ottawa, the National Capital Commission (NCC), the Ottawa Police Marine, Dive and Trails Unit and the City of Ottawa are partnering to erect notice signs in predetermined high risk areas throughout the City in the hope of saving lives.

“Facing a very difficult swimming season with COVID-19 in our community, we were bracing for bad news with the unknown opening of supervised swimming areas,” said Christine Wagg, Chair of the Ottawa Drowning Prevention Coalition. “Fortunately we did see the lifeguards at regional beaches and municipal pools thanks to the City of Ottawa and the NCC.  However, we did see tragic losses on our rivers this summer.  We are hoping that the signage at Bate Island will make visitors aware of the dangers in this area of the river.  Swimming in unknown waters or accidentally finding yourself in swift water can have someone quickly in a dangerous situation.  The ODPC encourages swimming in supervised areas, to wear a life jacket in a water vessel to ensure a safe trip for all.”

“The Office of the Chief Coroner/Ontario Forensic Pathology Service strongly supports this initiative of signage at Bate Island and other areas of public use in the Ottawa area,” said D^re Louise McNaughton-Filion, Regional Supervising Coroner with East Region - Ottawa. “Public education, along with identifying areas of drowning risk, can help prevent future water-related deaths.”

With the first phase of this drowning prevention campaign, a total of six new signs have been erected on Bate Island. These signs will soon be accompanied by four deployable life rings/buoys placed in strategic areas on the Island to be accessed in case of emergency. 

In the second stage, further signage will be erected in other key strategic areas of our City, including at Prince of Wales Bridge and Vimy Bridge. 

“A lot of people are used to swimming pools and aren’t aware of the currents and undertows that exist in open water,” said Cst. Tommy Jellinek, with the Ottawa Police Marine Dive and Trails Unit and a member of ODPC. “Even strong swimmers can be overwhelmed. That’s why, even if you are on a vessel, you need to wear a life-jacket. If you don’t know the water, don’t go!” 

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CONTACT:

Ottawa Police, Media Relations Section                 

Tel: 613-236-1222, ext. 5366