Safety paramount while on the water, Lifesaving Society says after 2 Manitoba drownings
Manitoba RCMP said two men drowned at Reynolds Ponds and Grand Beach and Lifesaving Society Manitoba is urging beachgoers to stay safe in light of the tragedies.
'Your heart kind of breaks for them — they're families that wanted to go out and have a good long weekend and enjoy the summer,' the society's executive director, Lynne Stefanchuk, told 680 CJOB's The Start.
'It's really not what we want to see.'
One of the victims, a 25-year-old Winnipeg man who drowned at Grand Beach, was using what police described as a 'pool flotation device' on Lake Winnipeg when he fell into the water and didn't resurface.
Story continues below advertisement
Stefanchuk said she encourages Manitobans to save their floaties for backyard pools and wear a life-jacket instead while out on large bodies of water.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
'We've seen a bit of an increase in the use of flotation devices over the last 10 years. They get pretty elaborate — they can get really big, and it is paramount that you think about safety when you're going out on the lake,' she said.
'The design and structure of (life-jackets) has changed over the years. They're comfortable, it's not going to be restrictive of your movement.
'I think folks assume they're going to be OK (without one) and the problem with that is when you need it and you don't know where it is or you don't have it with you, it's not going to help you.'
Stefanchuk said to make sure your life-jacket fits you correctly and keep it handy at your cabin or bring it with you to the lake every time you go out.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
3 days ago
- Global News
Festival calls for safe return of 100 animal pelts after Fort Gibraltar heist
A brazen heist at a local historical site Monday night has Festival du Voyageur hoping for the safe return of some unusual stolen goods. Festival du Voyageur's executive director, Breanne Lavalle-Heckert, told 680 CJOB someone scaled the fence at Fort Gibraltar after the site closed for the day on Monday and made off with more than 100 animal pelts — furs which make up between 50 to 75 per cent of the fort's artifacts. 'There's bears, there's coyotes, there's lynx, there's fox, there's mink, there's otter, muskrat, beavers — a huge array of animals,' she said. 'There was (even) a few wolverines … wolves. Quite a few.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Lavelle-Heckert said it seems like whoever committed the theft was targeting the furs specifically, as the rest of the fort and its artifacts survived the heist unscathed. Story continues below advertisement 'It was very interesting … it's the trading post, so there's a lot of other different historical items in there. There's a whole wall full of china, and there was literally nothing else damaged in the fort. 'To me, it really says that whoever was coming to do this was very, very explicitly coming to take the furs.' All of the furs, she said, are marked with the animal's name in French, as well as the initials F-D-V, or the festival's iconic toque-and-boots logo. Winnipeg police say they're aware of the incident and that the property crimes unit will investigate.
Global News
5 days ago
- Global News
Missing Teulon area man's car found near Starbuck
A relative of a missing Teulon, Man.-area man says she's 'holding out for a miracle' that her loved one will be found. Lana Knor's second cousin, 69-year-old Stewart Campbell, was last seen around 3:30 a.m. on July 15. He was reported missing by friends to Stonewall RCMP two days later. On July 24, RCMP located his vehicle on Road 3 West, north of Highway 2, roughly seven kilometres east of Starbuck. Campbell was not with the vehicle. 'He pulled off here because he was out of gas,' Knor said. 'He had his cat with him, and nobody knows where he is from there.' Knor said Campbell, a lifelong Interlake cattle producer, suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, and friends had been trying to get him help after noticing changes in his behaviour. Story continues below advertisement 'We assume he has dementia or something very wrong with memory loss,' she said. 'Every tip is looked into to see if we can get any leads, but as for now, we're at a status quo,' said Manitoba RCMP Media Relations Officer Melanie Roussel. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We're still asking the public, though, to check their video surveillance, their cameras, check their property in the area of the RM of Rockwood and near Stonewall or even in the RM of Mcdonald where the vehicle was recovered there near Highway 2.' View image in full screen 69-year-old Stewart Campbell was reported missing on July 17. Manitoba RCMP located his vehicle on a dirt road east of Starbuck a week later. 'We're just playing a guessing game and we don't have a clue,' said his second cousin Lana Knor. Submitted by Lana Knor RCMP issued a Silver Alert, a notification of a missing vulnerable adult, for Campbell on July 18 on social media. The family of another missing Manitoba man is petitioning the House of Commons to create a National Silver Alert System that would send geographically-targeted notifications to cellphones in the area of the missing person. Story continues below advertisement While the RCMP has access to the National Public Alerting System, which sends emergency notifications to phones and broadcasts, they are not authorized to use it to push Silver Alerts. 'It's just not in the criteria for that, so you would not never get a signal on your phone like you would do for a tornado watch or that kind of situation,' Roussel said. Knor says an alert may have helped in Campbell's case. 'He was quiet. He minded his own business. But if somebody had gotten a picture of him on their cellphone, they would have went, 'Hey, I saw that guy,' right? And maybe there would be reports,' she said. Knor says she is trying to remain optimistic her relative will be found. 'The clock is ticking. He's been missing now quite a long time,' she said. She urges people in the Starbuck and Teulon areas to check their properties for him. 'He's been a survivor and independent for most of his life, so I'm gonna cross my fingers that that has kicked in… and that he's just somewhere we haven't found him yet. 'But regardless of the outcome, we just want to find him.' Story continues below advertisement Manitoba RCMP describe Campbell as approximately five-feet-eight-inches tall, 110 lbs. with shaggy grey hair, blue eyes, and clean-shaven. Anyone with information is encouraged to call 911, Crime Stoppers, or the Stonewall RCMP at 204-467-5015.
Winnipeg Free Press
08-08-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
HSC reports sex assault, bomb threat as nurses vote on safety concern-driven measure
As Health Sciences Centre nurses continued to vote on a measure encouraging colleagues to steer clear of the hospital because of safety concerns, the facility alerted staff about another sexual assault early Friday. Manitoba Nurses Union voting on whether to 'grey list' the province's largest hospital is set to close at 4 p.m. Friday. HSC officials sent a notice to staff at 11 a.m., reporting a sexual assault — the sixth in recent weeks — had occurred on the campus in the morning. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba Nurses Union voting on whether to 'grey list' the province's largest hospital is set to close at 4 p.m. Friday. 'HSC Security and the Winnipeg Police Service swiftly responded, with the WPS apprehending the individual and ensuring ongoing care for the survivor. There is no ongoing threat to HSC staff, visitors or patients,' reads the notice, obtained by the Free Press. 'We thank our security team and the WPS for their quick response and HSC staff for their care provided to the survivor.' If the MNU measure passes, members at the hospital will formally urge their nursing colleagues not to accept jobs there until safety demands made to the employer are met. It would not impact the jobs of the 3,000 members currently working at HSC. Meanwhile, HSC officials also notified staff about a second security incident, involving a bomb threat, in a separate notice sent at 12:44 p.m. Thursday. 'An incident occurred involving a patient being transferred from Crisis Response Centre to the HSC Adult Emergency Department. The patient indicated they were in possession of an explosive device. Security and Winnipeg Police Service responded immediately. The patient was assessed and authorities confirmed there was no explosive device found on the person,' the notice read. 'There is no threat to the safety of staff, patients, or visitors.' WPS Const. Pat Saydak confirmed police responded to the bomb threat, and it was quickly resolved without incident. Nobody was placed under arrest, and there was no evidence of a bomb, he said. Saydak said he was still looking into the reported sexual assault and could not yet provide confirmation or details. A union spokesperson said the two incidents highlight the safety risks nurses are forced to deal with. 'The failure to adequately address these issues — whether it's the lack of proper screening or the absence of crucial safety protocols like a Code Black announcement — makes it clear that the situation is not improving,' the spokesperson said in an email to the Free Press. 'Nurses are putting their lives on the line to care for Manitobans, and it's time the employer took concrete action to prioritize their safety.' A Code Black refers to a bomb threat or similar security emergency. The Manitoba Nurses Union criticized the hospital's response to the bomb threat in a social media post Friday, saying the HSC did not alert staff to the threat until after police resolved the incident. 'To our knowledge, the individual gained entry with their possessions, apparently unsearched or unscreened,' the union said. 'This is yet another example of an ineffective and insufficient safety protocol.' The latest incidents come after several assault on women on or around the hospital grounds on July 2. Police said a teenage girl was confronted by a man and assaulted in the area of Elgin Avenue and Sherbrook Street at about 7 p.m. that day. Later, an HSC staff member was assaulted walking near the hospital on Emily Street near McDermot Avenue. Another staff member was assaulted while walking in the hospital tunnels, followed by a sexual assault report on the 600 block of Notre Dame Avenue, police said. Police arrested a 28-year-old man the following day and charged him with five counts of sexual assault, one count of sexual interference, three counts of assault and one count of carrying a concealed weapon. The union moved to grey list the hospital in the wake of the assaults. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. The union has resorted to using the measure only five times in its 45-year history. The most recent case was at Dauphin Regional Health Centre in 2007. A union spokesperson said members voted in favour of grey listing at HSC in 2020 amid a number of unresolved grievances. The employer agreed to work on the issues, and the measure was not imposed. The results of Friday's vote are expected to be available immediately after the voting window closes, a spokesperson said. If nurses vote in favour, HSC would be asked to require swipe cards to access hospital tunnels, create an early alert system to warn staff members and patients about security incidents and ensure controlled entrances are staffed and maintained. Tyler SearleReporter Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler. Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
