A Langford business owner, who says the recent drowning of a teen in Langford Lake sent “shock waves” through the community, has purchased life-rings for the docks and wants to erect them as soon as possible.
Ryan Oakley, owner of True North Group estate liquidation services, says he has purchased five dock-edge life-rings for $89.99 each from Canadian Tire and hooks at $9.99 from Rona and he’s just waiting for a green light from the city to install them.
“If council says yes, go ahead, and I have it in writing, the second I get that email I’m jumping in my truck and going to put the life-rings down there,” said Oakley, adding he’ll put them on the ground, on a pole, or mount and install them as directed.
The Capital Regional District’s parks committee voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend a pilot program to put life-jackets and life-rings — but not lifeguards — at Thetis Lake and Elk/Beaver Lake. The CRD next meets on July 10. Langford Lake is not in a CRD park.
Despite a renewed call for lifeguards following the drowning of Dequan Keron McKay at Langford Lake this month, the staff report did not recommend resuming the lifeguard program, which ended in 2002 at Thetis Lake and in 2003 at Elk/Beaver Lakes.
There were 32 accidental drownings on Vancouver Island in 2023 — a 10-year high and more than any other region in the province. In total there were 101 drownings across the province, also a record for drownings from 2013 to 2023.
The CRD parks committee staff report said pilot programs for life-rings and personal flotation devices (called PFDs or life-jackets) can be implemented immediately for the rest of the summer season within the current $35,000 budget for communication campaigns and outreach for regional parks and trails.
An evaluation of the service will be done at the end of the swimming season.
The Lifesaving Society of B.C. and Yukon estimated the cost of a recommended life-ring, depending on the length of the rope attached, at about $1,500 per unit, while a lifeguard service from May through September could cost more than $270,000 per beach.
Oakley, who has three children shared between himself and his fiancée Brittany Loomis, said as soon as he heard of the drowning and the fact there was no lifesaving equipment at the beach or dock he thought to himself: “I’m not going to let this happen.”
“We’re just waiting for council to get back to us,” said Oakley. “I went down and bought them all and I’m ready to put them down there.”
Oakley is meeting with the city next week to donate the equipment on behalf of his company, which owns Petrichor Window Cleaning Services and Bo & Grey Cleaning. He’s offering to build whatever type of mounting system the city wants.
Oakley maintains for liability reasons the city would have to decide on and purchase the type of life-jackets required.
Educational researcher Eric Ambroso, 43, was out for a walk around Langford Lake with his parents on June 15 when he watched his wife Alison Ambroso run off toward the dock and jump in to help pull the submerged teen from the water.
Since then he’s heard lots of support for life-saving equipment on the lake but he’s seeing no action. The researcher wrote a letter to the CRD parks committee chair Friday to appeal to the district to include Langford Lake in the pilot program for equipment.
“After Westhills’ investment in the Langford Lake Improvement Project, I’m shocked that the City of Langford and CRD didn’t choose to provide lifesaving equipment at Langford Lake, which is a very popular swimming spot for families in the community,” wrote Ambroso.
Ambroso argued that McKay’s friends would have had the chance to save him “if they had had access to life-saving rings or jackets,” he said. “Instead, they had to watch from the docks, unable to help, as Keron flailed his arms and took his last breath.”
Ambroso, in a phone interview, said he is not a strong swimmer and and he would have been in the same situation as the teens on the dock — without any life-saving equipment — to render assistance.
“I felt like the kids out there because they were just watching their friend go under the water and they couldn’t help,” said Ambroso. “And I kind of felt helpless too, because I wouldn’t have been able to help in that situation.”
McKay was removed from life support on June 19.
“I know that things like this kind of get forgotten after they’re out of the news cycle and I know that a lot of people have written to the city so I just want to make sure there’s some response,” said Ambroso.
Informed Langford Lake is not in a CRD park, Ambroso forwarded his letter on Friday to Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson.
Goodmanson said in a phone interview he is “in agreement” on anything that promotes safety at the lake or helps lifesaving efforts.
“I like the idea of both life rings and life jackets for children and adults,” said Goodmanson, who said he’ll pursue the idea with the city.
During a CRD parks committee meeting on Wednesday, Goodmanson suggested the budget considerations for lifeguards, life-rings and life-jackets should be a secondary concern.
“To put it bluntly,” said Goodmanson, “what is the value of any given life that could be saved.” To say it costs too much would to be to some degree putting a price on a life, he said.
Westhills, which owns property beside Langford Lake, supplied and installed the docks, said manager Ryan McKenzie. They’ve been basically given over to the city, he said, adding he doesn’t think the city needs any permission from the company.
McKenzie said he’s “very supportive of anything that could be done to improve safety for people.”
