'It's been too long': Quebec man recounts trying to save boy in backyard pool
The Montreal Children's Hospital issued an "urgent alert" Monday after two separate pool incidents in Quebec left one child dead and another in critical condition in a dangerous weekend in the province.
Joe Pereira was watching TV at his home in Repentigny, Que. Sunday afternoon when his wife came inside telling him a neighbour two doors down from them was screaming for help after her five-year-old son had fallen in her pool.
Pereira and his wife rushed to the woman's backyard and jumped into the pool to retrieve the boy.
He searched the deep end while his wife combed through the shallow end of the pool, which was filled with murky water since it hadn't been opened yet for the season.
"The water was all green, murky and full of leaves, and you don't see anything in the water. I had trouble seeing my arms underwater," Pereira said.
It took about 20 minutes of frantic searching before the boy was found by another neighbour who joined the rescue effort.
"After seven minutes it's rare that you can survive that. My wife was screaming, 'it's too long, he's been in there too long.' I tried everything I could to try to get him out the first shot I could but unfortunately, it wasn't enough," Pereira said.
Police arrived on scene just as the boy was pulled from the deep end.
"The cops showed up at that moment and there was one that jumped into the water to help take him out and the [paramedics] started doing CPR right away," Pereira said.
The boy was rushed to St-Justine Hospital in critical condition as the family and neighbours are still reeling from the near-drowning.
"It's hard enough for me as a neighbour, you know. As parents, when I came back home, I hugged my kids. It's not easy," Pereira said, with his voice breaking.
CHILD DROWNED IN ST-LAMBERT
The day before, a four-year-old boy from St-Lambert, on the south Shore of Montreal, was found unconscious in his family's backyard pool.
He was pronounced dead in hospital.
Longueuil police (SPAL) said the family's pool was fenced, and it's currently unclear how the child got in.
Also on Saturday, a five-year-old boy was found unconscious in a pool and rescued by an adult.
On Monday, the Montreal Children's Hospital issued a water safety alert to remind the public that "anyone can be at risk" and to ensure constant adult supervision at all times.
After several coroner's reports, Quebec's Ministry of Municipal Affairs has tightened security measures around residential pools under the Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act.
The ministry first mandated that as of July 1, 2023, all pools in the province need to have a 1.2-metre-high fence on all sides, as well as a door that closes and locks automatically. They later extended the deadline to 2025.
It's not clear if any of the pools involved in the weekend's incidents had the new fencing already up.
While gates and fences help, nothing replaces the supervision of a nearby adult, according to the Montreal Swimming Institute.
"The truth is, if kids really really want to get into a pool, they'll find a way to get into a pool," said Adam Di Fulvio, president and CEO of the institute.
"Even if there's a fence and a latched gate, they'll drag over a toy or some sort of obstacle and use that to climb over."
'IT CAN HAPPEN IN 15 TO 20 SECONDS'
With pools starting to open for summer, the Quebec Lifesaving Society is warning parents to be extra vigilant, especially when it comes to young children.
Society director Raynald Hawkins says children should always be closely supervised while near bodies of water.
"With toddlers it can happen in 15 to 20 seconds, it's silent," he said.
He said caretakers should keep their young children within arm's reach.
"It's like crossing the street. You always want to take the kids by the hand. This is the same reality with the backyard pool."
Pereira said Sunday's near-drowning on his street happened in a flash, serving as an important warning for all parents.
"I just helped because I heard people screaming for help. I would just hope that if something like that would have ever happened to my kids that somebody would come out also," he said.
"Just everybody has to be careful."
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV News Montreal reporters Touria Izri and Kelly Greig
Correction
This story originally said that the deadline for installing new safety measures at pools was July 1, 2023. In fact, the deadline has been extended to 2025. CTV regrets the error.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.