Life jackets mandatory for all kids
Since the mishap Wednesday kids who can’t swim on a cursory test will have to wear a life-jacket at all times at the Jean-Drapeau beach. (CTV seems to have a problem here with a slightly nonobjective headline: Young beachgoers forced into life-jackets.)
But I have a question: if you can’t swim, how the hell are you going to learn if you’re wearing a buoyancy device?
Clément 20:10 on 2012/07/19 Permalink
To your question: I think the beach (wasn’t it called plage Doré at one point?) is more concerned with liability than teaching kids how to swim.
I kind of agree with them. Kids need to learn how to swim, but it should be the parents’ or the school responsibility to teach them and it should be done in a more controlled environment.
Marc 20:26 on 2012/07/19 Permalink
Lifejackets at the beach/pool…another thing under the column of security theatre.
jeather 21:22 on 2012/07/19 Permalink
The law doesn’t say that they need to wear a life-jacket at all times in all places, just that on a busy beach with no swimming lessons, if you don’t already know how to swim, you need to wear a life-jacket.
Doobious 21:32 on 2012/07/19 Permalink
Maybe the beach should offer swimming lessons?
Stefan 03:51 on 2012/07/20 Permalink
last saturday (34 degrees) at the event weekends du mode, i went to refresh myself in the lake close to the metro jean-drapeau, where the water fountains are. standing up to my swimming trunk in the water directly at the side of the lake, a security woman ordered me (and some kids) out – ‘il n’y a pas des sauveteurs!’. no use explaining to her that i am an adult (implying somehow that i am responsible for myself), able to swim and the water was only about 70cm high.
well, shortly after i enjoyed a dip in the st. laurent a few 100m’s away, where nobody bothered (although currents can be very dangerous away from the coast).
it seems a public space (large area on the island) is taken over to maximize profits (which any liability would reduce), where it is most important that people consume, not that they enjoy, or care for their safety. and that is wrong in my opinion.
i think montreal has a really great potential with its many km’s of waterfront, but sadly under-used. other cities show how they can make a big difference in quality of life (at your own risk, of course, but most drownings are kids in private pools, or drunk adults overestimating their capacities).
Taylor C. Noakes 08:43 on 2012/07/20 Permalink
It’s the parents responsibility. The city only needs to make sure public pools and lessons are available, but the onus is on parents. You can’t expect schools (that typically don’t have access to a pool) to offer it gratis. If a school’s PTA comes up with the cash and figures out some arrangement with a city pool, great.
All that said, let’s be for real here. All these drownings, near drownings etc. the only people to blame are the people who let their infant children out of sight by the side of a pool. The city doesn’t need to mandate fences around pools, we don’t need to force schools to have swimming lessons (though it’s not a bad idea if it doesn’t cost extra) and we sure as shit shouldn’t close the few beaches we have.
Parents just need to be hyper responsible around their kids. Put down the crackberry, and don’t let your kids out of your sight.
Part of that responsibility is making sure your kid knows how to swim. Swimming lessons can be started at six months if I’m not mistaken.
walkerp 09:22 on 2012/07/20 Permalink
They should provide lifejackets, but make them optional.
Kate 10:52 on 2012/07/20 Permalink
Clément: I saw one reference to “plage Doré” in the news since the near-drowning mishap. Was that ever an official name? The website doesn’t name it.
david m 12:04 on 2012/07/20 Permalink
i doubt it’s a poor assumption that parents who can’t swim don’t tend to prioritize swimming as an activity for their children. in most european countries, swimming is a required skill, like learning how to write using a pencil, taught at school, at an early age. one would think that the crazy high number of drownings this year would put this on the agenda in quebec
Kate 13:01 on 2012/07/20 Permalink
Not just for kids. I for one cannot swim. I was born here and grew up here and at no stage of my education was swimming part of the picture.