(Today’s Northumberland file photo)
By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
St. Mary Secondary School students Sydney Ashcroft and Clara MacNeil addressed Cobourg council Wednesday to repeat their recent Pitch to the Chief project – how to bring lifeguards back to the Cobourg beach.
They pointed out that an estimated 200,000 to 500,000 visitors a year come to the beach. As such, they spoke of a responsibility to keep people safe, as open water can become dangerous very quickly.
Lifeguards do more than save people from drowning, the said. They are a first line of defence, intervening before issues like someone missing go terribly wrong.
And when it reaches that point, they added, emergency and rescue personnel are called in – at a cost that probably well outstrips that $114,000 savings from discontinuing lifeguard services.
The students offered some statistics comparing the situation before and since the discontinuing of lifeguards, with 2023 being the first year without.
The number of missing people went from four in 2022 to 11 in 2023, five in 2024 and one in 2025.
Sudden deaths by the water went from zero in 2022 to one each in 2023 and 2024.
Calls where lifeguards could have intervened or at least assisted went from 64 in 2022 to 44 in 2023, 55 in 2024 and 128 in 2025.
Before 2023, there were an average of 55 emergency calls a year at the beach. Taking the Ontario average of $500 to $1,000 cost per call (using $750 as the average), this cost an estimated $41,000. Last year, there were 128 calls, costing an estimated $96,000.
The students noted that the Canada Summer Jobs program provides wage subsidies to employers to create summer jobs for young Canadians.
They would also like to see an aggressive campaign to get sponsorship from local businesses to help cover this cost. This generous assistance would be acknowledged with signage and other displays.
In discussing the presentation, the issue of liability arose. Chief Administrative Officer Tracey Vaughan noted that, when the issue of discontinuing lifeguard services first came up, they investigated. It was determined there would be no liability issues “as long as it was clearly understood and communicated.”
Should lifeguards return, Treasurer Adam Giddings spoke of “potential liability issues – rescue decisions medical response, training standards. There’s always that risk of potential liabilities.”
Councillor supported a motion to refer the presentation to staff for a report back.
