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Police say the death is not being treated as criminal in nature.
A Saskatoon fire crew searches the South Saskatchewan River on July 2, 2022. Police later confirmed that a seven-year-old boy found in the water was pronounced dead at a hospital. Photo by Saskatoon Fire Department
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Saskatoon police have confirmed that a seven-year-old boy pulled from the river over the weekend has died.
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Officers were called to the riverbank near the traffic bridge around 8.30pm on Saturday to a report of a missing child. A search of the area found the boy’s belongings, which had apparently been dumped near the water, leading officials to believe the boy may have entered the South Saskatchewan River.
A water rescue unit of the fire department was called in to help in the search. Two objects of interest were initially detected in the water by firefighters using a handheld sonar scanner.
Divers went in around 9:30 p.m. and pulled the boy out just before 10 p.m. Firefighters performed CPR, with one escorting the boy to an ambulance while paramedics continued life-saving efforts, according to a fire department news release issued Saturday.
The boy was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. No other injuries were reported.
A police spokesman said in an email that the boy’s death is not being treated as a criminal matter. He added that the boy’s family had been offered support.
The river is regularly the source of warnings from the city’s fire department because of its swift current, which poses a risk even to experienced swimmers. Swimming in the river is prohibited by bylaw within the city limits of Saskatoon and people using boats or other watercraft are required to wear life jackets.
Earlier this year, the city council honored Brian Gibson for saving a man who was seen struggling in the water while trying to cross the river near Spadina Crescent. The clerk at the town’s sign shop had come running when he saw the man in distress and rushed to help him.
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The river and coastal areas attract significant traffic during the warmer months. Steadily increasing use prompted Saskatoon’s RCMP detachment to begin patrolling the river last summer using its boat, with enforcement taking place mainly on weekends and holidays.
Saskatoon police are responsible for law enforcement on the river, but the service does not have its own boat.
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