Ottawa beaches to be safety audited, after multiple drownings

Starting next week, all of Ottawa's beaches will undergo a comprehensive safety audit by the Lifesaving Society to identify possible risks they may pose toward residents.

Britannia, Mooney's Bay, Petrie Island and Westboro beaches will be evaluated.

Following the audit, a report will be provided to the City of Ottawa with recommendations on how tomake their beachfronts safer for the public.

It comes after the death of a nine-year-old boy last month at Britannia Beach the latest in a string of drowning fatalities at the same beach since 2020.

He died after being pulled from the water at Britannia Park on the afternoon of June 3.

"It's haunting me and I know it's haunting a lot of people it just keeps you up at night. It's you know, what could be done," Bay Coun. Theresa Kavanagh said.

Why it didn't happen four years ago, I can't explain- Coun. Theresa Kavanagh

Following the drowning, the Ontariocoroner's office recommended the City of Ottawa conduct a lifesaving audit of all its beaches.

"Why it didn't happen four years ago, I can't explain," Kavanagh said.

Michael Shane, safety management director of Lifesaving Society's Ontario branch, saidthe City of Ottawa reached out about two weeks ago with this audit request.

A year ago in July 2023thecoroner's office released a report with results from an investigation into three deaths from 2020 to 2023 at Britannia Beach.

It found all three of those drowning victims were "new arrivals to Canada" and known to be "novice swimmers."

It also found they were all standing or wading close to a "drop-off area" where the depth of the water changes quickly, from roughly half a metre to three metres.

Dan Chenier, the city's general manager of recreation, said in a statement Wednesday that filling or dredging areas of the beach's waterbed would require engineering solutions, and the closure of the beach for a full or partial season.

"It's unfortunate [the audit] has to follow tragedies that have happened," said River Coun. Riley Brockington.

The report said the third death occurred within an hour of lifeguards leaving for the day. Itsuggests the city should "strongly consider" lifeguard staffing at public beaches that coincides with daylight hours, among other recommendations.

"We know people are there, so why do we not have staffing that matches that need," Brockington said.

Results couldtake months

The Lifesaving Society will have their own recommendations but it could take months.

The audit is a three-step process a review of literature, an inspection and interviews.

Each site inspection will last about three hours, where the team will go through a checklist, take photos and measurements.

They hope to begin their work on Tuesday, weather depending, and the beaches will remain open during their inspections.

"Our preference [is] actually to see them in operation so we can see what the lifeguards are doing, if they're present. We can see what the public are doing and where they are, and it makes it I think a little more realistic and helps us identify perhaps some issues," Shane added.

Once that step is done, interviews will be conducted with at least three "personnel who have something to do with the direction of operation" at beaches, according to Shane.

That is expected to be done in October, and from there, it will be at least 60 days before the City of Ottawa will see a draft report, possibly leading into 2025.

Shane said it's been 14 years since the Lifesaving Society last audited Ottawa beaches for safety, but that it wasn't as extensive as their upcoming assessment.