March 07, 2018 - 10:33 AM
SASKATOON - A Saskatoon city committee studying pond safety following a five-year-old boy's death is proposing a fence be built to separate a nearby school from the park.
Kindergarten student Ahmedsadiq Elmmi was found in the pond near Ecole Dundonald School after recess ended one morning last September.
The boy was pronounced dead in hospital.
The committee suggests a wrought-iron fence just over a metre high be built on the school side of the park pathway.
Other ideas include educating students on storm pond safety and revising signs for increased clarity — particularly for younger children and people with language barriers.
The recommendations still need approval from city council.
The boy also attended a nearby daycare, where staff said he was autistic and needed close supervision.
An imam who was called to the school after Ahmedsadiq died said the Muslim boy's attendant had told him the tragedy happened in seconds.
The pond is about 120 metres from the school property line. It was built four years before the school in 1983 to catch storm water and was converted to a pond in 2005.
Bronwyn Eyre, who was Saskatchewan's education minister when the boy died, said at the time that school divisions should review safety measures at schools that are close to ponds.
(CKOM, The Canadian Press)
News from © The Canadian Press, 2018