Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With the ice being gone and people out boating, every year across the Northwest Territories you hear reports of people drowning. After an accident in Inuvik last year the town of Inuvik recognized that something needed to be done, so they’ve taken it upon themselves to put together a really important initiative, and that’s to make sure that every kid in Inuvik knows how to swim. Along with some partners that pay for pool time — the pool time is free — the kids would be able to go there and learn how to swim. It’s a very important initiative in the town. What they’ve also done is they want to provide life jackets for pretty well every kid in Inuvik that goes out boating.
I think the town recognizes that this is a problem, and they’ve taken the steps to try to do something about it. Mr. Speaker, we don’t want to have to hear in Inuvik or anywhere across the Northwest Territories this year about people drowning.
I’d like to commend the town of Inuvik and their partners for taking the important initiative of donating free pool time, providing life jackets and making sure the kids know how to swim. It may not seem like much now, Mr. Speaker, but in a few years or maybe even this summer whatever these children have been taught may come in handy. If this whole program saves one life, then it was a job well done. I’d like to commend the town for that.