A 21-year-old man is in hospital after he was found unconscious in an outdoor municipal pool in Montreal’s Anjou neighborhood early Monday morning.
Montreal police (SPVM) say they received a 911 call at 3:25 a.m. about an incident at Roger-Russeau Park, at the intersection of Boulevard Châteauneuf and Rondeau Avenue.
“When police officers arrived on the scene, they jumped into the water to save the victim and began CPR,” explained Marian Aller Morin, a spokeswoman for the Montreal police.
Police added that he was with a 22-year-old woman at the time and they may have jumped the fence to enter the pool, which is closed.
The man was transported to hospital in critical condition and police say they fear for his life.
Quebec Lifesaving Society president Reynald Hawkins said his organization is working with the city to include nighttime surveillance of municipal pools.
“I think we need to work on education,” he said.
Monday morning’s incident comes just over a year after a 13-year-old boy drowned in the Maisonneuve pool in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve after entering the pool after hours. This pool also had a secure fence around the premises.
Hawkins is quick to stress water safety, especially after a weekend in which four people lost their lives in different bodies of water.
People must, he said, learn to swim.
According to the information we have in the last three days, they were not swimmers,” he said.
The Lifesaving Society wants swimming lessons to be included in the school curriculum.
This year, 36 people have drowned in the province, down from 40 at the same time last year. The drownings come as the province deals with a shortage of lifeguards due to suspension of training during the pandemic.
Hawkins has a simple message for those looking to jump in the water after hours.
“When the pool is closed, please don’t go there,” he said. “It’s no good trying to swim at midnight.”
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