NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Canada's Lifesaving Society is putting out a call to all NWT residents to "get caught wearing their life-jackets" while out on the water this summer.

The society's message to Northerners comes after the Lifesaving Society released its 2011 NWT/Alberta Drowning and Injury Prevention Profile this week, which showed there were three drowning-related deaths in the NWT over the 2010.

"It can be deceiving to watch the numbers go up and down every year, and assume things are getting better because numbers are down this year (in the NWT), but it is important to consider the ratio (of drowning victims) when it comes to the population of an area," said Barbara Kusyanto, chief administrative officer for the Lifesaving Society. "When you compare the three drowning deaths in the NWT to the 42 in Alberta, it's still a high number for the Northern population."

The number of drowning victims in the NWT has gone down from 2009 when the Territories counted six drowning related deaths, according to the drowning report issued by the Lifesaving Society.

"We don't want people up North to get complacent, just because the numbers have dropped this year," she said. "More deaths have occurred in the NWT over the years because people do not wear their life-jackets - several years ago an entire family was lost in a boating accident in the North - when people don't wear their life-jackets, it's an ongoing concern," she said.

The 2010 profile states that life-jackets were not worn in all three of the NWT deaths, and that each of those deaths occurred in a natural body of water, such as a lake, pond, river, stream or waterfall.

According to the society's Drowning and Injury report in 2011, Northern drowning victims ranged in age from 14 to 49 years. Alcohol was a factor in 33.3 per cent of the incidents and drugs and alcohol played a role in 66 per cent of NWT drowning fatalities.

Hay River aquatic supervisor Tanya Phillips says enrolment for summer swimming lessons is high this year and emphasizes her town "makes an extra effort" to promote water safety, particularly in cold water.

"We offer lessons in water safety and boat safety here in Hay River, and we also teach people about the importance of lifejackets; I also send home handouts about water safety with the younger students - there is always the hope that they will share what they learn with their families," Phillips said.

"Still, you ask the kids if they should be wearing a life jacket, and they always say yes - but when you ask them whether their parents need to, they usually say no," she said.

Arlene Canadien is the administrator for the hamlet office in Fort Providence, and said her community puts a strong focus on water safety and cold water safety when teaching swimming lessons.

"With boating, though, it seems obvious; everybody knows they should wear a life-jacket when they are in a boat," she said.

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