No fear present at Long Lake
Surveyed beach-goers at Fred Henne say safety not at stake
Mark Rieder
Northern News Services
Friday, July 3, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Two years after a seven-year-old drowned at Long Lake, Fred Henne beach-goers Yellowknifer spoke to said they feel secure that their children are safe.
Lucy Mesana, 1, and Elliot Riepl, 4, were enjoying the water at the edge of Fred Henne Beach on Thursday morning. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo |
Area resident Nancy Rose said the addition of a roped-off area with buoys, free life preservers, and trained attendants are welcome - but ultimately it comes down to her to ensure the safety of her children.
"I feel that it's my responsibility to watch my child." she said.
Rose was among a large number of people at the beach on Canada Day. One of the original concerns about how the youngster may have drowned is the uneven terrain under the water's surface. It had been observed previously that the lake bed has a number of indentations that were reported to be as deep as six feet.
Kris Johnson, regional superintendent for the North Slave region with the Department Industry, Tourism and Investment told Yellowknifer previously that care had been taken to mitigate that problem.
"When they put the new buoys out, they made sure there were no deep holes within the swim areas," Johnson said last year.
There were other indications from beach-goers Canada Day that since the water level is currently low at the lake, safety is less of an issue.
Jerry Blanchard was at the beach that day. He said he had been swimming there for as long as he can remember and that in his opinion it is less dangerous than previously.
"The water is so shallow now, it's safe," he said.
When asked, he said that he had not seen any unsafe conditions or inappropriate behaviour by the people at the beach.
Observations made by Yellowknifer at the beach on Canada Day indicated that there were no deep holes that children could fall into within the cordoned-off swimming area. The beach was well attended with an estimated 150 to 200 people. Boats and pontoon planes could be seen in the distance,
At least two of the trained attendants were seen walking along the shore and observing conditions, keeping a close eye on the younger children - especially those who were splashing about and making noise. Adults were also in the water, most playing with their children or wards.
