‘One death is too many’: Life-saving society focuses on Manitoba newcomers

It’s National Drowning Prevention Week, and Manitoba’s life-saving statement says it’s focusing its nationalist acquisition run connected newcomer communities.

“This year, for National Drowning Prevention Week, we’re looking astatine partnerships and organization arsenic our wide theme,” said Christopher Love, h2o smart and information guidance co-ordinator pinch Lifesaving Society Manitoba.

“Here successful Manitoba, we really dug into that and went pinch moving pinch newcomers, because that is simply a group that we person unluckily seen has had acold excessively galore tragedies occur.”

Love told Global Winnipeg nan statement has plans for acquisition events successful Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie and Altona this week, successful business pinch section groups that supply migrant and newcomer resources.

That’s connected apical of nan year-round outreach nan nine is already doing pinch newcomers to Manitoba.

“We do a batch of activity pinch newcomers. We do h2o information presentations each outpouring and summer, and crystal information presentations during nan winter,” he said, “to thief them get acclimated to Canada and hopefully bring down nan level of consequence erstwhile they’re exposed to each of nan awesome h2o passim nan province.”

Manitoba arsenic a whole, Love said, sees much than its stock of incidents involving intoxicated people, group not wearing life-jackets, and a deficiency of parental supervision erstwhile young kids are adjacent nan water.

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“In this province, unfortunately, we’ve seen an uptick successful nan number of fatalities.

“Our semipermanent mean utilized to beryllium 22 deaths per year. The latest study now has it up to 23 deaths per year. Doesn’t sound for illustration much, but 1 decease is 1 excessively galore from our constituent of view.”

The nine is besides marking nan week pinch a number of section landmarks lit up successful blue, successful an effort to get nan speech started astir h2o safety.

“We’re conscionable hoping to raise consciousness by getting our image retired there. We’re wanting to get group asking questions.

“Why is nan (Esplanade Riel) span blue? Why is nan Winnipeg motion blue? Why is that h2o building successful Selkirk blue? What’s that unusual logo connected nan dome of nan (Manitoba Legislature) successful nan evenings?”