For a government so concerned with our well-being — for example legislation limiting smoking in cars and even outdoors as well as cellphone use in cars and a whole ministry devoted to health promotion — why is the Ontario government so slow to act to protect us at our public beaches?

As noted in The Intelligencer Wednesday, public beaches across the province have lost their lifeguards, a move started by previous governments as far back as the NDP and followed up by the Conservatives afterward.

Decorated Canadian swimmer Elaine Tanner and her husband, John Watt, a former parks and recreation director in Sidney Township, advocate the dire need for lifeguards at crowded beaches such as Wasaga Beach and the Sandbanks.

Tanner said with no lifeguards in sight and only an inadequate number of emergency telephones spread out across the beach, the Sandbanks, like many other summer hotspots across the province, is not properly equipped to deal with water-related emergencies.

“What they have done is put up barely the bare bones,” she said. “It isn’t the staff, they do the best they can with what they’ve got. It comes from the top.

“There is a lack of will of the politicians to hear the voice of the people.”

She said Ontario residents should push government officials to find tangible and cost-effective ways to bring the lifeguards back and promote the importance of learning how to swim.

Watt said it’s appalling to note that not even one politician has made any effort to support their battle to raise awareness about the issue.

“Money seems to trump life,” he said. “We need a champion at Queen’s Park to stand up.”

The Canadian LifeSaving Society recently reported that since January, 68 people have drowned in Ontario, which is six more than the same period in 2009. In Canada, 213 people have drowned, 30 more than the same time last year. Nearly 500 people die every year in water-related incidents.

Drowning is the second leading cause of preventable death for children under 10 years of age, but still there have been 13 child drownings in Ontario since May, nine more than last year.

Tanner said it has been statistically proven that “less than one per cent of drownings occur in lifeguard-supervised areas.”

One preventable death is too many, particularly if it is the death of a child. The government says it cares about our health and well being. Bringing back lifeguards would be a good way to put its money where its mouth is.

via If safety is so important, where are the lifeguards? – Belleville Intelligencer – Ontario, CA.