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Drowning at Sudbury beach claims life of 24-year-old man
Drowning at Sudbury beach claims life of 24-year-old man

CTV News

time8 hours ago

  • General
  • CTV News

Drowning at Sudbury beach claims life of 24-year-old man

One man has drowned & another hospitalized after an inflatable kayak capsized at a Sudbury Beach. Officials stress lifejacket use at Drowning Prevention Week. Police, firefighters and paramedics rushed to Moonlight Beach, one of Greater Sudbury's most popular beaches, at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Saturday following reports of a drowning. A 24-year-old man tragically lost his life, while a 27-year-old man was transported to hospital in stable condition after a near-drowning incident. Moonlight Beach A lifeguard is shown on duty at Greater Sudbury's Moonlight Beach. July 21, 2025. (Madison Marier/CTV News Northern Ontario) Deputy Fire Chief Jesse Oshell commended the swift response of emergency crews, stating, 'They (firefighters) were at the beach with the boat in the water in just around eight minutes, and they had the best opportunity to get to the individuals, get our water rescuers into the water and help get those individuals out of the water.' He added, 'I know that we started performing lifesaving actions and got them transported to paramedic services who were there and waiting.' Timely dispatch and rescue efforts Oshell confirmed that fire services were alerted at approximately 5:30 p.m., dispatching one boat from the Long Lake area and another from the Moonlight water station to the scene. Despite the rapid response, the outcome, he told CTV News, was devastating. Greater Sudbury firefighter uniforms Greater Sudbury firefighter uniforms are hung at a fire hall in this undated photo. (Madison Marier/CTV News Northern Ontario) 'With a community such as ours, we have 330-plus beautiful lakes within our community, and we will respond to all of them,' Oshell said. 'Certainly, it is a matter of travel time to get to those lakes. That is why it is so important that individuals exercise caution.' Inflatable kayak capsizes 300 meters from shore Police reported that the two individuals were believed to be using an inflatable kayak when it capsized approximately 300 meters from shore. The 27-year-old man was alert and conscious when pulled from the water, but the 24-year-old was unconscious upon reaching shore. Firefighters immediately initiated lifesaving measures, but the young man was pronounced dead at the scene. Lifesaving Society warns of unintended drowning risks Stephanie Bakalar, a senior officer at the Lifesaving Society of Ontario, emphasized that many drownings occur unexpectedly. 'A lot of drownings actually happen when the person doesn't intend to get into the water,' she said. 'This could be a fall from the dock, or, you know, you're walking along the beaches and, it could be that you are boating and you're not wearing a life jacket.' Stephanie Bakalar An undate promotional profile picture of Stephanie Bakalar, a senior communications officer with the Lifesavin Society of Ontario. (File photo/Supplied/Town of Caledon) The tragic incident occurred just as the Lifesaving Society's National Drowning Prevention Week kicked off, an annual awareness event that runs from July 20 to July 26 this year. Importance of life jackets and swimming with others Bakalar highlighted common factors in drowning incidents, stating, 'We've seen a lot of drownings happening when people are swimming alone. A lot of people who aren't wearing life jackets when they're boating.' Echoing her concerns, Oshell noted, 'When fire services responds to some of these incidents, you know, one of the things that we see most common, especially around water rescue incidents, is those PFDs, those lifejackets, and they're not worn.' 'Safer Together': A call for vigilance Bakalar urged swimmers to take precautions, including wearing personal flotation devices (PFDs) and swimming with experienced companions. This aligns with this year's National Drowning Prevention Week theme, 'Safer Together.' 'Only 1% of drownings happen in lifeguard-supervised settings,' she said. 'So, this is by far the best place to swim.' Lifeguard at moonlight A lifeguard is shown on duty at Greater Sudbury's Moonlight Beach. July 21, 2025. (Madison Marier/CTV News Northern Ontario) Oshell acknowledged that Sudbury's natural bodies of water are generally safe but stressed the importance of vigilance. 'Taking precautions is very important,' he said.

Podcast of 2 friends in Sudbury, Ont., shares their story of addiction and forgiveness
Podcast of 2 friends in Sudbury, Ont., shares their story of addiction and forgiveness

CBC

time9 hours ago

  • CBC

Podcast of 2 friends in Sudbury, Ont., shares their story of addiction and forgiveness

Social Sharing Warning: This story includes details of intimate partner violence. Two friends from Sudbury, Ont., hope their new video podcast can show people that it's possible to come full circle from the lows of active addiction. Aptly titled Full Circle, Jamie-Lee Thibert and Melissa MacMillan talk about their unlikely friendship, with all of its ups and downs. The pair met in 2011 when Thibert was visiting her mom and heard some screaming from another apartment in the building. MacMillan said she was addicted to opioids at the time and in an abusive relationship. "There was a domestic situation between my partner and I. He hurt me pretty badly," she said. "He hit me in the head with a dresser drawer and knocked me unconscious. I was coming in and out of it. I had kind of made my way to the bathroom and started screaming." When she heard the screams, Thibert called 911. Police and paramedics arrived and brought MacMillan to the hospital. I went right from labour delivery into the mental institution. - Melissa MacMillan A few days later, after she had been discharged from the hospital, MacMillan thanked Thibert for saving her life. "Not too long after that, I guess we had become pregnant, both of us at the same time, and ended up bonding over that," Thibert said. At that time, MacMillan said, she was homeless and addicted to intravenous drugs. "So I was doing any kind of opiate pills that I could get my hands on and doing sex work in order to fuel my addiction." The bumpy road after adoption After her son Kai was born eight years ago, she said, child protection services intervened right away. "I went right from labour delivery into the mental institution," MacMillan said. Although she was a single mother with three of her own children at the time, Thibert started the process to adopt Kai. "In April of 2018, Melissa signed over full custody to me," she said. MacMillan didn't become sober until 2021. "There was that moment in the podcast where I said, like, 'Sometimes I wish you would have died in a ditch somewhere,'" Thibert said. "And that sounds cruel to say, but it would have made things so much easier because I was so terrified that she was going to come back and take my son." Thibert said the years before MacMillan's recovery were difficult. "Even though she made the decision initially, she started accusing me of stealing her baby," she said. "And she was making posts about me on social media and TikToks about me, saying really not so nice things. It took a while for her to get to the point that she is at and it's definitely a lot better now." MacMillan also has three older daughters she had to give up when she was homeless and addicted to opioids. But today, she has relationships with her children and is grateful to the people, including Thibert, who took over their care. "If I didn't have these amazing people around me who protected my children from me and from my addiction, my girls would not be as well rounded as they are today," she said. "They all struggle. It's probably not easy being a kid in 2025. But considering their history, considering what they went through, there are very well-rounded kids." MacMillan said there are households across Canada with similar stories, and hopes she can help address the stigma that addicted mothers face. "I try to tell people, that like, the person you were when you made those choices is not the person you are now in recovery and you can't live the rest of your life with this guilt," she said. "And if other people have opinions as to what you did in the deepest, darkest, most debilitating mental health crisis a human can go through, if they wanna judge you because of that, most of the time it's a projection."

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