Ottawa Heat Wave

The Ottawa Valley is always consumed with high humidity and an excess of heat. It is only May, coming along to June and already we've managed to break a few weather records. When it is this steamy in the out-of-doors human activity tends to slow down of necessity, although across the region elementary schools have been engaged in their annual spring sports events, encouraging students to try out for various types of high-jumps and runs, to bring lustre to the reputation of individual schools.

For families, the Victoria Day long week-end - in anticipation of nascent summer, and in memory of Queen Victoria, along with celebratory recognition of the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II - this is together-time. All the more so when enervating heat leads people to area beaches, to soak up the sun lying on the sand, and venture into the cool waters of the Ottawa River. On the Victoria Day week-end the municipality and the National Capital Commission tend to 'open' amenities for the public.

This was the big week-end for the re-introduction to Canadians and Ottawans in particular, of the Canadian Museum of Nature - the Victoria Memorial Museum Building, after years of undergoing intensive, in-depth renovations to the sinking massive stone structure. Families attended in their tens of thousands. The parkway through Gatineau Park was officially opened, allowing people to drive to favourite haunts there.

For many other families the public holiday and the weather conspired to entice them to other area amenities, namely the municipality's public beaches. But despite the abnormal heat and the obvious fact that people would head to them, and would wish to take advantage of the cooling waters, there was no attempt by the city to prepare those beaches. By installing the buoys which would alert people to safe areas, nor by having lifeguards on duty.

The beaches - officially 'closed' to minimize responsibility, with a 'swim at your own risk' attitude - were full of people trying to temporarily escape the stifling heat. No less so at the well-advertised Petrie Island site in Orleans. Where a young man of 24, who ventured into the water met his end by misadventure. The beach should have had signs posted warning of deep cavities that could entrap the unwary.

Formerly, in an earlier incarnation as a sand dredging operation, that portion of the beach had been off limits to recreational users. But the sand dredging operation now vacated, left areas of the river bottom vastly uneven, with pits where one might suppose the bottom would be level, not cursed with deep drop-offs. The city is aware of this, but people out for a day of fun and relaxation would not be.

On this extremely hot and humid week-end, no preparations were made for the public.

There were no warning signs posted, there were no buoys in place where there normally are, during the swimming season, and no lifeguards to be alert to respond to potential danger. The young man had appeared at the beach with neighbours, two other adults and two children. Dabbling with the children in the water, the man appeared to disappear under the water. And no one made any effort to ascertain whether he was all right.

When 20 minutes had elapsed they knew of a certainty that the young man most definitely was not all right. His body was found 10 metres from shore where the water is five metres deep.

This tragedy is the result of negligence on the part of the city's recreation department; of an unfortunate lack of due diligence.