The central lifeguard tower at Main Beach in Port Stanley was the backdrop Thursday afternoon for the launch of the Central Elgin Lifejacket Lending Program. The initiative is a result of collaboration, determination, and a shared belief that drowning is preventable.
So, less than three months later, King participated in the launch of the water safety program in Port Stanley.
“Your determination has been such a driving force behind this project, ensuring that Ryan’s legacy helps protect others. Your voice, strength, and partnership mean so much to our coalition and community.”
Lake Erie has claimed several lives in recent years, and at the program launch, Central Elgin Mayor Andrew Sloan noted, “That’s what people forget about, how few beaches on the North Shore of Lake Erie actually have a lifeguard team.
“And I think that most of the beachgoers here understand that we prioritize the health and safety of everyone who comes and visits.”
Briar McCaw paid tribute to the Life Saving Society of Ontario for their donation of the lifejackets and their expertise in helping implement the program.
McCaw also recognized the dedication of Linda King.
“Your advocacy has been a powerful force. After experiencing a loss no parent should ever have to endure, the tragic passing of your son, Ryan Davies, almost one year ago at Lake Margaret, you’ve transformed your grief into action.
“Your determination has been such a driving force behind this project, ensuring that Ryan’s legacy helps protect others. Your voice, strength, and partnership mean so much to our coalition and community.”
“Advocating for this program was about breaking down barriers, and it was about making safety equitable . . .”
Most importantly, added McCaw is the effort of the Central Elgin Beach Rescue Supervisor Team and lifeguards, “Your dedication to educating the public, preventing tragedies, and responding in emergencies is the front line of our drowning prevention efforts. Thank you.
“A lifejacket can be the difference between a rescue and a tragedy, but not everyone owns one or remembers to bring it. Advocating for this program was about breaking down barriers, and it was about making safety equitable, ensuring that every person, regardless of income, background, or whether they are visiting or local, has access to a lifejacket when they need it.
“This is especially important for newcomers to our community, children learning to swim, and visitors who may be unfamiliar with the power of our waters.”
McCaw added, “We also know that drowning is often silent and quick. In Canada, we lose hundreds of people each year to drowning and many more experience non-fatal drownings that can have lifelong health impacts.
“The ripple effects of every single incident extend far beyond the shoreline. They touch families, friends, first responders, and entire communities.
“Lifejackets are not the whole solution, but they are one of the simplest, most effective tools we have. They buy precious time for rescue and turn a high-risk moment into a survivable one.
“As we celebrate the program, I want to remind everyone that a lifejacket is not a substitute for active adult supervision. We all have a role to play in keeping each other safe.”
Looking ahead, continued McCaw, “this program has been years in the making, and we are proud to see Central Elgin leading the way in Elgin county. But this is just the beginning.
“We hope this launch inspires other municipalities, marinas, libraries, businesses, and other community spaces to start their own lifejacket lending programs. One year from now, I hope we can look back and see the difference just as we are today: more people on our waters wearing lifejackets, fewer preventable emergencies, and a stronger culture of safety in our community.
“Together, we can ensure that every person who enjoys our waters has the chance to return home safely.”
Following the short ceremony, we sought a shady spot at the lifeguard tower and asked Linda King to address the significance of the day.
“I’m really excited and so glad that this all came about, and appreciate all the support from local realtors and Briar and everybody to make this happen.
“I’m really happy. I think it’s going to be a big hit. Hopefully, people will take advantage of it over the rest of the summer and into next year.”
With other beaches in Elgin along the Lake Erie shoreline, the hope is that those municipalities will follow Central Elgin’s lead, suggested King.
“You never know. Let’s see what’s next. Yeah, that would be great. And I know we’ve got a few other people willing to donate some life jackets and things like that. So, I’m definitely interested in doing that and reaching out to some other partners to be part of this.
“It’s not that difficult, right? If you come together and you want something bad enough, it can be done.”
And in a relatively short period, as was the case with St. Thomas and Central Elgin.
“Well, we’re coming up to almost the one-year anniversary of Ryan’s death. So, actually, this is a great way to celebrate something tragic to not happen again, right?
“At least, you know, the grief that we have, we’ve put to good use, right? We’ve turned that into something positive.
“In some way, I’ll always feel like Ryan (pictured above) was a part of that, right? He gave me the strength to call Briar and get some of this stuff started.
“I mean, there are days when you want to curl up and hide under your bed and not do anything. But actually, it’s been really nice. And now I realize how important, you know, there are so many drownings.
“So I will be spending a lot more time with Briar and advocating for water safety for sure. So let’s hope by next year we have a few more beaches on board.”
Along with Lake Margaret, where the signage has yet to be installed.
“I look forward to going there and seeing all the changes that they’re going to make there. It’ll happen. It’s a work in progress. That’s right. Just like me.”
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THE INN IS STAYING PUT
Complaints and concerns aside, the city’s emergency shelter is staying put.
The location of The INN has been a flashpoint since the day it opened. Well, actually, long before it welcomed its first guests at 10 Princess Avenue.
At Monday’s (Aug 11) council meeting, Coun. Earl Taylor presented a motion requesting that staff explore alternate locations for the shelter.
You can read the details of his motion here.
The motion was defeated 7-2 with Coun. Steve Peters, the lone member of council supporting Taylor.
As Taylor correctly noted, it was the previous council that approved the downtown location. And as Taylor similarly pointed out, seven members of the present council participated in that vote.
“I expressed some concerns (at the time of the vote),” reminded Peters, “and many of those concerns are coming true today.
“The impact that it was going to have on neighbouring businesses. The impact that it would have within the core.
“And I don’t buy the argument that we have to be in the core because all the services are in the core. The vast majority of the services that the residents of the inn are utilizing are actually right within The INN.
“There are maybe some ancillary services that are downtown, but I don’t think that the argument that it has to be right in the core where it is holds a lot of weight.”
Peters continued, “Of course, we need The INN. I’m not going to say that we don’t; we do need to provide some services.
“But I do not believe that that is the best location to be providing those services. And hence why I will support the motion this evening to have staff move forward to look at alternatives, look at options and bring that back to us as a council.”
The defeat of his motion was not a surprise, according to Taylor.
“I would rather, if at all possible, council that we vote no to this because I’d like our housing people to be spending a great deal of time helping homelessness and finding spaces for them rather than out doing research projects on a shelter, an emergency shelter we may not need.”
“I wasn’t, to tell you the truth, because even though they say it was a previous council that made the decision in 2021 to place the emergency shelter at its current location without public input or consultation, that previous council is today’s council, basically.
“So, yeah, they made the decision to place it there and to make the decision to move it was actually asking a lot.”
Taylor added that it appeared council is willing to live with the turmoil associated with the present location.
Several members of council felt the budget limit of just under $1 million for the land purchase was far too low, and Coun. Steve Wookey suggested $10 million would be a more realistic figure.
Mayor Joe Preston said it was his preferred option to have councillors vote ‘No’ on the motion.
“But, boy, to the number of people who stayed there last night, it’s excellence. To the number of people who stayed there on the coldest night of the year in February this year, it’s as good as it could be in our community, and it wasn’t available in other communities.”
“Look, we’re looking for perfection in a time when perfection, as more than one councillor said tonight, is not available to us. We’re at a time when we have homelessness as a crisis in this country and this council has been able to do work that makes it where St. Thomas stands out from a homelessness and emergency shelter point of view as a kind of guiding light to many other communities.
“I would rather, if at all possible, council that we vote no to this because I’d like our housing people to be spending a great deal of time helping homelessness and finding spaces for them rather than out doing research projects on a shelter, an emergency shelter we may not need.”
Preston added, The INN is “mostly working,” but was quick to concede, “it is not perfection.
“But, boy, to the number of people who stayed there last night, it’s excellence. To the number of people who stayed there on the coldest night of the year in February this year, it’s as good as it could be in our community, and it wasn’t available in other communities.”
While the goal is to effectively eliminate homelessness in the city by 2027, it appears that the number of homeless individuals is on the increase, according to information presented to council on Monday.
Asked whether he would further push for a new location for The INN, Taylor responded, “I don’t know what the next step is. I don’t know whether I have any fuel in the tank to be able to proceed further with this.
“I’m going to let this settle for a little bit for people to understand that council has decided that the turmoil and destruction that has happened in our downtown is quite satisfactory. So that the businesses and property owners can deal with it. Continue to deal with it.
“But what I was looking for was a space where it would work. A space to call their own, rather than having to use private and public spaces. But anyway, oh well. It was a good test. I’ll take a page out of this.”
LEGION CROSSWALK
In time for Remembrance Day this year, the city will sport a Veterans’ Memorial crosswalk in the downtown core.
Unanimously approved by council at Monday’s (Aug. 11) meeting, the crosswalk will be at the intersection of Talbot and Moore streets, leading to Veterans’ Memorial Garden.
At the start of the year, Royal Canadian Legion, Lord Elgin Branch 41, requested approval from city council to install a commemorative crosswalk near Veterans’ Memorial Garden.
The crosswalk will link the east and west sides of Moore Street, aligning with the route of the annual Remembrance Day procession.
The cost of installation is $5,000, with the local Legion branch contribution $1,000 and the Williams Foundation covering the rest.
Touchups and repainting the crosswalk will be included in the city’s pavement marking program in the future.
FUNDING SETBACK
A proposed new tennis and pickleball facility at Orchard Park has suffered a setback. As announced at Monday’s city council meeting, an application under the province’s Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund was not approved.
The funding program offered up to $10 million for new or replacement community sport and recreation facilities.
In a report to council from Adrienne Lacey Griffin, Director of Parks and Recreation, it was noted that the Orchard Park facility “met key program goals, including increasing physical activity, improving accessibility, and promoting affordable recreation.”
It would have been constructed on city-owned land, be shovel-ready and was in response to the strong growth in pickleball participation, “especially among a broad age range, and its low cost and seasonal flexibility.”
However, despite meeting several funding program objectives, the city’s application was one of over 400 submitted and lost out in the numbers game.
In her report, Griffin stressed, “Staff remain committed to this project and will continue seeking funding opportunities to support its development.”
THE ECHO CHAMBER
Responding to our item last week on a motion before city council this past Monday to seek alternate locations for the city’s emergency shelter, Dave Mathers has this suggestion (although the motion was defeated).
“The old Peavey/TSC building would be perfect. Lots of room and even an outdoor park area for ‘rough camping’.”
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