The West Coast is mourning after a fatal drowning near Tofino on Saturday night.
Sgt. Chris Manseau of the BC RCMP said police were called to Long Beach around 6 p.m. on Aug. 7 and by the time they arrived, a person was receiving first aid. He added the BC CoronerB次元官网网址檚 Office is investigating the incident.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a terrible tragedy,B次元官网网址� Tofino mayor Dan Law told the Westerly B次元官网网址. B次元官网网址淭he community certainly feels the depth of this tragedy. We are a very small community and, when something like this happens, it affects everybodyB次元官网网址y deepest condolences go out to the people involved. ItB次元官网网址檚 just a very, very tragic event and weB次元官网网址檙e all very saddened by it.B次元官网网址�
He expressed gratitude to the local first responders who arrived at the scene.
B次元官网网址淲e have a small but very dedicated, professional emergency response community here on the Coast and weB次元官网网址檙e very thankful for them and want to support them in any way we can,B次元官网网址� he said.
While details about the incident remained scarce on Monday, the tragedy has renewed calls to bring lifeguards back to Long Beach. Lifeguards watched over the beach as part of the Pacific Rim National Park ReserveB次元官网网址檚 Surf Guard program for 40 years before CanadaB次元官网网址檚 federal government axed the program in 2012.
B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 think of anywhere else in this country with that many people in the water and no lifeguards,B次元官网网址� Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns told the Westerly. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 deeply troublingB次元官网网址tB次元官网网址檚 unbelievable to be honest with you. I donB次元官网网址檛 understand it at all.B次元官网网址�
Johns has consistently called for the Surf Guard program to return and to restore the program in 2019 that received 829 signatures.
He noted it is not known whether lifeguards could have prevented SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 tragedy, but said the growing number of visitors and incidents at Long Beach needs to be addressed.
B次元官网网址淢y condolences go to the family and the loved ones of the person who died in this tragedy. My heart goes out to them,B次元官网网址漢e said.
B次元官网网址淲e need eyes on the water. We need Surf GuardsB次元官网网址hereB次元官网网址檚 more and more people visiting our region than ever before. WeB次元官网网址檙e seeing more people in what used to be our winter slow months than we did in our peak months in August and July ten years ago when the Conservative government irresponsibly wiped out the Surf Guard program.B次元官网网址�
Law noted there have been several drowning deaths at Long Beach over the past few years.
B次元官网网址淯nfortunately this is not the first time this has happened and I hope that the communities and Parks Canada can get together and do something about this,B次元官网网址� Law said. B次元官网网址淚 am in support of the Surf Guard program returning to the Coast. Clearly thereB次元官网网址檚 a need for it, clearly thereB次元官网网址檚 a risk as weB次元官网网址檙e seeing and I think itB次元官网网址檚 wise and prudent to take action.B次元官网网址�
He acknowledged there is signage at the Park Reserve warning visitors of the dangers of the ocean, but more is needed.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very common for me to hear stories about local surfers saving people who are drowning or near drowning. ThatB次元官网网址檚 a fairly regular narrative that comes to my attention and I think we really need to think about that and think of strategies to keep people safer in the water, especially with the increased number of tourists every year,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e seeing people enter the water that are not familiar with the ocean, theyB次元官网网址檙e not familiar with currents or riptides; theyB次元官网网址檙e inexperienced. I do not know the details of this particular incident, but I do know that in the past all of those have factored into drownings and tragedies that have happened on our Coast.B次元官网网址�
Johns suggested lifeguards are on duty at National Parks in both Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and questioned why the federal government refuses to bring lifeguards back to the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve despite higher visitation.
B次元官网网址淭his is bizarre to say the least with the concentration of visitation and the amount of people in an area of concern where weB次元官网网址檝e had multiple incidents, some fatalB次元官网网址 have no idea why theyB次元官网网址檙e so resistant,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e want to see people outdoors, enjoying themselves and being physically active, but we also want to make sure weB次元官网网址檙e doing it responsibly.B次元官网网址�
The Westerly B次元官网网址 reached out to the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve for comment, but did not receive a response by presstime.
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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