Recent drownings spark calls for more life-jacket loaner locations By: Scott Billeck Posted: 2:54 PM CDT Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025

Trevor Cowie knows first-hand how critical wearing a life-jacket can be.

The harbour master in Gimli is mourning the loss of his assistant, who drowned after falling from a boat in late July. Cowie can’t help but wonder if a life-jacket could have made the difference.

“It’s personal to me,” Cowie said Wednesday.

For the past two years, a life-jacket loaner program — an initiative overseen by the Manitoba Coalition for Safer Waters and supported by provincial government funding, has operated in Gimli.

Cowie said the recent death of his assistant, along with two other drownings over the long weekend, underscores the importance of such programs.

“It’s the reason it exists, with the hope that people will use some common sense,” Cowie said.

One of those drownings occurred at Grand Beach, where a 25-year-old Winnipeg man died in Lake Winnipeg Saturday night. His death has sparked renewed calls for a life-jacket loaner program at one of Manitoba’s most popular — and crowded — swimming destinations, located about an hour northeast of the city.

“I wish Grand Beach had the lending posts like other beaches… It would make it safer for those who are not familiar with water or can’t swim,” Rhonda Funk told the Free Press Sunday.

Her husband, John, was among those searching for the man after he was seen in distress in the water.

RCMP were told about a possible drowning at about 8 p.m.

Two people went onto Lake Winnipeg with a pool flotation device, lost their balance and fell into the water, police said previously. One was rescued by a nearby kayaker.

The body of the missing man was found at about 1 a.m. Sunday. An emergency co-ordinator with the Rural Municipality of St. Clements said the victim had drifted beyond the designated swim area marked by buoys. He was not believed to have been wearing a life-jacket.

“The bottom line is, plan ahead and respect the water… It’s really easy to get in trouble.”–Lynne Stefanchuk

Despite its size and popularity, Grand Beach currently does not have a loaner station.

“That’s crazy,” Cowie said. “I understand fully, because I grew up around Grand Beach. When the wave action comes out, you can even get a bit of a riptide going. It’s about eight feet of water around that buoy. You can get in trouble real quick.”

Earlier Saturday, a 70-year-old swimmer from Ontario went missing at Reynolds Ponds near Steinbach. Bystanders told Steinbach RCMP a senior had gone for an afternoon swim in a pond roughly 80 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg and did not resurface.

The Manitoba RCMP Underwater Recovery Team was deployed and the man’s body was located.

Life-jacket loaner programs are in place at 14 of Manitoba’s 93 provincial parks, including Birds Hill, Hecla-Grindstone (Gull Harbour), Duck Mountain (Wellman Lake) and Spruce Woods.

The province did not offer an explanation for Grand Beach’s exclusion.

“I want to extend my deepest sympathies to the families mourning the tragic loss of their loved ones,” Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes said in an email. “Ensuring the safety of Manitobans taking part in water-related activities remains a top priority for our government.

“In addition to the beach safety officers present at Grand Beach, we are looking at all options to bolster water safety so Manitobans can safely enjoy the province’s beautiful beaches and lakes.”

Last year, the province committed $7.4 million in funding through 2028 to support beach safety officer services at Grand Beach (West Beach), Birds Hill and Winnipeg Beach.

Life-jacket loaner initiatives across the province are overseen by the MCSW and funded by the province. The coalition, which includes the Lifesaving Society of Manitoba, has operated the program since 2006.

Initially, the goal was to reduce drowning rates in northern and remote communities, where residents often lack access to stores that sell life-jackets. About 8,000 life-jackets and personal flotation devices have been distributed to nearly 100 northern communities so far.

Interest in the program has grown in Gimli in its second year. Initially allocated approximately 40 life-jackets, Cowie said that number has increased to about 60, thanks to community donations. Donated jackets are float-tested by the Canadian Coast Guard to ensure they remain safe and effective.

Lynne Stefanchuk, executive director of the society, said Saturday’s drowning has led to some reflection on what can be done to improve access to life-jackets.

“Certainly, our position is that the more access, the better,” she said. “Is there a means or ability or a plan for us to expand access to life-jackets out there? What can we do?”

She added that early conversations have already begun.

“How can we make (the loaner program) bigger so we can get more life-jackets out there?” she said.

Although it’s hard to quantify how many drownings the program might have prevented, Stefanchuk said its impact is clear.

“I will say that having access to life-jackets, having just a physical presence of, ‘Hey, you can get a life-jacket here,’ to remind people they need them, is a great thing,” she said. “The more that we can get out there, the more it’s only going to have a good effect.”

Stefanchuk said people need to be cautious when swimming and plan ahead, particularly on large bodies of water such as Lake Winnipeg. That includes wearing a life-jacket, making sure it fits and swimming with others.

“The bottom line is, plan ahead and respect the water,” she said. “It’s really easy to get in trouble.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca