Metropolis backs household of siblings who drowned in push for swimming classes

DRYDEN — The household of two kids who drowned within the Wabigoon River in Dryden this summer time, and native politicians, need to see obligatory water security coaching in colleges.

“In the situation with these two children, if they had learned Swim-to Survive, if they had had just the basic training on how to tread water for just five minutes, I can tell you right now, they’d be alive right now,” mentioned Micheal Williams.

Williams and his spouse Evelyn Paige are the grandparents of Jocelyn and Kayden Grant, the 2 younger siblings who tragically drowned within the Wabigoon River in July. Twelve-year-old Jocelyn fell into the water and Kayden, 15, tried to rescue her.

Neither little one knew the best way to swim, Williams mentioned.

At their assembly on Sept. 22, Dryden metropolis councillors endorsed a movement introduced ahead by Mayor Jack Harrison that “respectfully urges the government of Ontario, through the Ministry of Education, to incorporate mandatory water safety and Swim-to-Survive training into the elementary school curriculum for all Ontario students.”

Williams and Paige are additionally backing that decision.

Williams mentioned the aim is to stop different households from having to undergo what his has needed to endure.

“Two children perished in one day, just like that,” he advised Newswatch.

Williams mentioned he needs to see uniformity in how water security instruction is offered.

“So it happens haphazardly across the province, but not on a uniform basis,” he mentioned. “This is a real problem because a lot of kids, like those two, fell through the cracks through the years.”

Williams and Paige reside in St. Catharines, and spoke with Harrison whereas the mayor was in Ottawa at this summer time’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario convention.

“We met with him over lunch and we had a great discussion about what we thought we could do going forward to try to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future,” Williams mentioned.

The Dryden council decision states that drowning is likely one of the main causes of preventable deaths amongst kids in Ontario, and that primary swimming and water survival coaching “significantly” reduces the chance. The doc additionally notes that “many children in Ontario do not have equitable access to swimming lessons outside of school due to financial, cultural or geographic barriers.”

The decision will probably be forwarded to Education Minister Paul Calandra, all Ontario MPPs, AMO and all Ontario municipalities together with a request for his or her endorsements.

Williams mentioned getting backing from a number of communities will amplify the message.

“Each municipality represents all the people within their municipality — when they put together a resolution, they’re doing on behalf of all their constituents,” he mentioned. “So, I believe that this can be a very efficient option to get the message throughout.”

“This is a life-saving skill that needs to be taught in the schools,” Harrison mentioned. “It actually does not want an terrible lot of time to learn to swim, a minimum of to have the ability to survive falling within the water.”

He added that he was capable of let Calandra find out about what Dryden is proposing at a ministers’ discussion board in the course of the AMO convention, the place he heard he “was aware of the tragedy and sent his condolences to the family as well.”

Harrison plans to comply with up with a letter this fall and can attempt to meet with Calandra on the Rural Ontario Municipal Association convention in January.

Williams mentioned he’s assured that, with sufficient public will, the adjustments he needs to see will occur.

“I honestly, I don’t think that they’re going to say no — I really don’t,” he mentioned. “It’s a very simple process to make this happen. It doesn’t require a new law. The minister has, at his disposal, the power to do this just really at the stroke of his pen.”