Friends mourn mother of two who drowned in Whiteshell

The victim of a drowning in Whiteshell Provincial Park on Saturday has been identified as a mother of two.

The 38-year-old died after she slipped on rocks and fell into the water at Sturgeon Falls near Nutimik Lake on Saturday afternoon, RCMP said.

Friends have identified the victim as Harpreet Kaur Girn. One described the loss as “the toughest and unimaginable time” of Girn’s family’s life.

“No one is ever ready to (lose their) family member, same goes for two little kids waiting for their (mom),” reads the friend’s GoFundMe fundraiser for Girn’s loved ones, created on the weekend.

“They don’t even realize that their mom who went to the waterfall and was with them until few hours ago will never return back now.”

The fundraiser said her parents are in shock, while many of her friends are “inconsolable.”

“It all ended with a sudden slip that drew her into water and ended many (lives) not just hers,” said the fundraiser, which was created for her husband and children.

Lifesaving Society Manitoba’s executive director, Lynne Stefanchuk, described the woman’s death as a tragedy.

“Our hearts just break for the family,” said Stefanchuk. “You never want to see someone’s life taken suddenly like that.”

Stefanchuk warned the public to take precautions, as the summer begins and people flock to swim and spend time near bodies of water.

“You never know what might happen, so be as prepared as possible is really what we encourage people to do,” she said, adding that can include wearing a life jacket in or near the water, keeping kids close and abstaining from alcohol when boating or swimming.

“You never want to have to think about hindsight,” said Stefanchuk.

She encouraged everyone, particularly people new to Canada, to take basic swimming lessons.

“Those basic safety lessons can make the difference when it finally comes down to it, if something should happen,” said Stefanchuk.

Whitemouth RCMP were called to the area of the falls at 12:45 p.m. Saturday, where bystanders told them the water’s strong current pulled Girn into the lake.

A conservation officer in a boat was later able to find her in Nutimik Lake. She was taken to hospital and pronounced dead, RCMP said Monday.

Second drowning at falls since 2023

The drowning is not the first time a person has died at Sturgeon Falls, about 125 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg and 20 kilometres from the Ontario border.

Accessible by a hiking trail, the falls are located on a narrow section of fast and deep water between Nutimik and Numao lakes on the Winnipeg River system.

Rough water conditions, including surfing waves, have made the site a popular draw for experienced kayakers, while also creating safety concerns.

A 12-year-old boy from Winnipeg, Usaid Habib, slipped into the water while climbing down the rocks on May 27, 2023.

A bystander jumped into the water to try to save him, but could not get him to shore. RCMP recovered the boy’s body two days later.

In mid-May 2017, former Kenora police chief Dan Jorgensen died in a kayaking incident near the falls, after his boat overturned in rough waters at the base of the rapids. He was en route to Gimli on the Winnipeg River at the time.

The trail to Sturgeon Falls was not open to the public Saturday, amid the province’s mandatory evacuation of parts of the Whiteshell due to wildfires, though the campground at Nutimik Lake had reopened Friday.

Elsewhere in Manitoba this year, a 20-year-old man drowned at the Pinawa Dam Provincial Heritage Park.

The man slipped on wet rocks at the top of a small waterfall at the dam and fell into the water on the evening of May 4, RCMP said. His body was found the following day.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca