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.
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. “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.”
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. “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.”“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.