According to information provided in a beach safety survey released yesterday by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, "children under the age of 10 (will not be) allowed in the water at Long Lake, unless they are within an arm's reach of an adult or responsible guardian." - NNSL file photo |
Tough safety rules coming to beach
Children under 10 must have adult supervision while in Long Lake
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Friday, May 23, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
While hiring beach attendants to supervise Long Lake beach will undoubtedly make it safer, parents who plan to take their children for a swim will have their work cut out for them.
According to information provided in a beach safety survey released yesterday by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, "children under the age of 10 (will not be) allowed in the water, unless they are within an arm's reach of an adult or responsible guardian."
Children under the age of 13 will be asked to leave the beach if they are not accompanied by an adult or responsible guardian.
Alayna Ward, manager of public affairs and communications with the department, said those standards are set by the Lifesaving Society of Canada with the intention of ensuring that the waterfront is as safe as possible.
"In a nutshell, that is the standard across the board," she said.
Those standards would also apply if lifeguards had been chosen to supervise the beach instead of beach attendants.
One of the differences between the two forms of supervision is that with attendants, the beach would revert to an unsupervised waterfront when they are not on duty. However, if lifeguards were stationed there full-time, the beach would be closed to the public when they are not on duty.
