Swimming lessons important for new Canadians: Lifesaving Society

by jason_cramp | February 11, 2016 11:27 am

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The Lifesaving Society is stressing the importance of swimming lessons and water safety for new Canadians after the recent near drowning of a Syrian refugee in a Saskatoon hotel pool.

At the time of the CBC News report it was not known whether the 13-year-old child could swim, or if there were other problems; however, Shelby Rushton, CEO of the Saskatchewan branch of the Lifesaving Society said the issue of newcomers and water safety is well-known.

“The Lifesaving Society did some research a couple of years ago and we found that new Canadians who have been living in Canada for less than five years are going to be at greater risk for drowning than those who were born here,” said Rushton in the report.

In fact, the 2010 Ipsos Reid research study showed despite plans by more than 79 per cent of new Canadians to be in and around the water during the summer, they are four times more likely to be unable to swim than those born in Canada. In 2011, the Lifesaving Society conducted focus groups with new Canadians to gain further insight into their initial findings and the results supported the study, with much being attributed to not having access to swimming lessons in their native country.

As a result, the Lifesaving Society recognized the need to bridge the gap by creating swim safety programs and tools which target this group. In doing so, the Lifesaving Society Saskatchewan Branch offers WaterSmart® tips for parents with children in various age groups in 11 different languages, as well as Swim to Survive videos in eight languages on its website[2].

“One thing we can do now is reach out to the hotel pools and to the hotels,” said Rushton in the report. “Unfortunately, it’s going to take an incident like this to make us step up and be more aware and have a call for action.”

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/swimming-lessons-important-for-new-canadians-lifesaving-society/

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