Doctor calls on Manitoba to bring back swim lessons in schools

A Winnipeg doctor who saved a drowning father and daughter last summer in Rushing River Provincial Park in northwestern Ontario is calling on Manitoba to bring back swim lessons in schools. 

Thoughts of the tragic drowning from Monday evening at Grand Beach are not far from Angelle Downey's mind as she watches over her two kids swimming at a friend's pool on a hot and humid Winnipeg evening. 

• Grand Beach drowning victims David Medina and Jhonalyn Javier mourned

"My heart really goes out to the families of anyone who's lost a child or family member," said Downey on Wednesday.

Downey is haunted by a similar scene from last summer.

Her family had been out swimming at Rushing River just east of Kenora, Ont. when she spotted a young girl bobbing up and down in the water, just offshore.

At first Downey thought the girl was just playing but she felt uneasy about it and started swimming towards the girl.

When she got closer she realized the girl who was under 10 years old was struggling and that there were a set of hands holding the girl up from below. The girls father had been pushing his daughter up but he was unable to keep his daughter and himself afloat. 

Downey was able to pull the man and his daughter from the water and luckily both walked away from the incident okay but Downey wonders why more isn't being done to help prevent incidents like these.

"For years I thought you could reintroduce swimming into the school systems. I realize that this is something that is expensive but swimming is a life skill," said Downey.

Chris Love with the Lifesaving Society Manitoba branch agrees that schools could be an ideal setting to reach all kids and teach them basic skills.

Love says that for decades, before major government cutbacks in 1990's, school swim lessons were where many kids learned to swim.

"Swimming at that time was not considered critical and slowly but surely it was dropped out," said Love.

Love says that there are still a handful of schools that offer some form of swimming lessons but schools that do are in the minority.

The Lifesaving Society says if it could teach everyone to tread water, swim at least 50 metres and recover from a disoriented entry, the number of people who drown across Canada could be reduced by more than 50 per cent.

Downey says she often watches everyone when they go to beaches now and that she often swims with a life jacket on because she says it's heavy carrying someone else through the water even if you are a good swimmer.