Insurance –
are you covered?
People often call us to ask about insurance coverage for
lifeguards and instructors. e answer depends on whom
you work for:
•
If you are employed by a corporation such as a
town, city or camp, the corporation likely carries
general liability insurance that covers you as the
employee. erefore, you do not need your own
insurance.
•
If you are asked to lifeguard or teach private lessons
in a backyard pool then insurance is required.
Ask your employer if you are covered under their
homeowner insurance policy; if they say yes, you
should have them conrm this coverage in writing
before you agree to work. If you are not covered
under the employer’s policy, or the owner is unwilling
to conrm such coverage in writing, ensure that you
secure adequate liability insurance on your own by
contacting an insurance broker.
•
Insurance is also required if you are lifeguarding or
teaching in your own backyard pool. You may be
covered under your (or your parents’) home insurance
policy, but it is best to conrm this with the insurance
provider. If you are not covered, ensure that you
secure adequate liability insurance on your own by
contacting an insurance broker.
•
If you are volunteering your examiner services on
behalf of the Lifesaving Society, the Society covers
you under its liability coverage so you do not need
your own insurance.
•
If you are a volunteer, the Ontario Good Samaritan
Act applies with regard to liability, details of which
are online.
e popular “Watch Me Not Your Phone” art is now
available in 11x17” poster size. Sold in packages of 10.
50/50 RAFFLE FOR
SWIM TO SURVIVE
The draw for the Society’s first 50/50 Raffle for Swim to
Survive took place on August 30. Rachel Tennant was
the winner, taking home $2,780.
Tickets for the next raffle go on sale on October 1,
2019. The draw will happen on November 29, 2019.
Visit our website starting on October 1 to buy tickets.
September 2019
1 of 5 Tel: (416) 490-8844 • Email: [email protected] • www.lifesavingsociety.com • www.lifeguarddepot.com
CLC 1st place winners Jacob Miess and Alexandra Ferguson.
CLC
On August 4, at Martinique Beach in Nova Scotia,
29 qualiers (including 11 from Ontario) participated in
the Canadian Lifeguard Challenge – the most demanding
lifesaving sport event in Canada – a triple triathlon test of
skill and endurance composed of three consecutive rounds
of Oceanwoman/Oceanman. e by-invitation-only event
pit Canada’s best lifesaving athletes against one another in
head-to-head competition.
Coverage of the 2019 Canadian Lifeguard Challenge was
live-streamed on Facebook (watch it here), reaching over
8,000 viewers.
Here’s how our Ontario athletes placed.
Women: Alexandra Ferguson (1st), Haylie Burton (2nd),
Alexa Hunyady (5th) and Scano Hewa Batuwitage (12th).
Men: Jacob Miess (1st), Sebastian Reimer (2nd), James
Verreault (3rd), Mackenzie Salmon (5th), Ethan Placek
(6th), Owen Hollowell (8th) and John Wyatt (13th).
Congratulations to all of the competitors!
September 2019 The Lifesaving Society
2 of 5 Tel: (416) 490-8844 • Email: [email protected] • www.lifesavingsociety.com • www.lifeguarddepot.com
Citizenship Ceremony
Citizenship Judge Albert Wong invited the Lifesaving
Society to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of
1,800 new Canadians over three days in August. e
ceremony, held at the Chinese Cultural Centre Of Greater
Toronto, welcomed an audience of 3,000 including family
and friends.
Judge Wong asked the Society to set up a water safety
display at the ceremony in response to a high number
of drownings in July, and to the higher drowning risk
for new Canadians in general (as determined by the
Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada).
e Society’s booth featured the newest Water Smart®
tip cards in 12 languages and our mascot, Buddy the
Lifeguard Dog. In addition, Alex Chu (a recent recipient
of the Society’s Rescue Award of Merit) and members of
the Society sta were onstage to congratulate the new
Canadian citizens.
We thank Judge Albert Wong for allowing us to be a
part of this important ceremony and look forward to the
opportunity of participating again this fall.
Congratulations to all of the new Canadian citizens sworn in over three days
in August!
SWIM TO SURVIVE AND SWIM
TO SURVIVE PLUS – NOW IN
A SINGLE AWARD GUIDE
Our new Swim to Survive and Swim to Survive+ Award
Guide helps instructors plan, teach and evaluate both
programs:
The Lifesaving Society’s Swim to Survive program
teaches the essential skills needed to survive an
unexpected fall into deep water: Roll into deep water –
Tread for 1 minute – Swim 50 metres to safety. Swim to
Survive+ (Plus) participants perform these survival skills
while wearing clothing. They learn how to safely help a
friend in trouble using talking, reaching and throwing
assists, and they perform a clothed fitness swim.
Available October 1. Order your copy of the new
combined award guide – 16 pages, saddle stitched and
three-hole punched for binder compatibility. Same price:
$4.55. Available in English and French.
Award Guide
Swim to Survive and
Swim to Survive+
For instructors teaching the Lifesaving Society
Swim to Survive and Swim to Survive+ programs
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September 2019 The Lifesaving Society
3 of 5 Tel: (416) 490-8844 • Email: [email protected] • www.lifesavingsociety.com • www.lifeguarddepot.com
New for afliates –
electronic invoices
Get your invoices and account statements by email direct
to your inbox or to a designated receiver! No more copying,
scanning or forwarding Lifesaving Society invoices to another
person or department in your organization.
To let us know who the right people are and the email
addresses to use, email [email protected]
or call 416.490.8844 and ask for Lorna (ext. 227)
or Dawn (ext. 230).
Remember that aliate e-commerce users can also view,
print and pay outstanding invoices online by logging in to
our website and selecting Pay Your Account Online from the
Organizations menu on the left.
2019 CANADIAN
DROWNING REPORT
Seniors age 65 and older have the highest drowning
rate of all age groups according to the Lifesaving
Society’s 2019 Canadian Drowning Report. Despite
the long-term downward trend, high numbers of
preventable drowning deaths continue to occur: 2,220
people lost their lives in Canadian waters between
2012 and 2016, the most recent year for which
complete data is available. Open the report.
Prepared for the
by the Drowning Canada
Canadian
Drowning Report
2019
edition
Canadian
Drowning Report
2019
edition
Prepared for the Lifesaving Society Canada
by the Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada
September 2019 The Lifesaving Society
4 of 5 Tel: (416) 490-8844 • Email: [email protected] • www.lifesavingsociety.com • www.lifeguarddepot.com
Biletski v. University of
Regina – A Standards
Review
By Stas Bodrov, lawyer and Chair of the Lifesaving Society
Standards Committee.
In June 2005, competitive swimmer Miranda Biletski dove
from a starting block located in the shallow end of the
University of Regina pool. Her foot slipped and she entered
the water at a steep angle hitting her head on the bottom
causing permanent quadriplegia. e water depth was
1.22 m.
Biletski sued the University and in October 2017, a jury
found the University liable for some $9 million in damages.
e University appealed. In May 2019, the Court of Appeal
for Saskatchewan, the highest court in the province, upheld
the jury decision.
At the time of the accident, while the pool did not comply
with the existing standard for the minimum depth (1.35 m)
for starting blocks, it did comply with the “grandfathered”
standard for pools built pre-2002. e University argued that
since it met the pre-2002 standard, it could not be considered
negligent. e jury found otherwise. e Appeal Court
refused to interfere with the jury’s nding. Even though
the pool complied with the grandfathered standard, the
University was nonetheless found to be negligent by having
the diving blocks placed in the shallow end of the pool.
is case underscores the need for pool owners and operators
to assess the risks associated with their particular facility.
Facilities should consider placing starting blocks in the deep
end of swimming pools and ensure that FINA standards are
met (a minimum 1.35 m depth from 1.0 m to at least 6.0 m
from the wall where the starting platforms are installed).
Starting blocks should be inspected on a daily basis by the
Pool Operator and used only under the direction/supervision
of a certied coach or instructor. Additionally, facilities
should conduct safety inspections with a certied Lifesaving
Society inspector every year and Lifesaving Society safety
audits at least once every ve years.
September 2019 The Lifesaving Society
5 of 5 Tel: (416) 490-8844 • Email: [email protected] • www.lifesavingsociety.com • www.lifeguarddepot.com
