Saskatoon scrutinizes ponds after boy dies at recess

SASKATOON The City of Saskatoon will closely examine storm ponds after a five-year-old boy attending Ecole Dundonald School was found in a nearby retention pond earlier this week.

The kindergarten student, identified by family as Ahmedsadiq Elmmi, was pronounced dead in hospital after emergency workers were called to the school on Monday morning. Some parents in Saskatoon have raised concerns about the lack of a physical boundary around the pond. One mom started an online petition to have boundaries installed around all water features near schools or parks.

The Office of the Chief Coroner is investigating the boy’s death, which is classified by police as nonsuspicious.

Angela Gardiner, the city’s acting general manager of transportation and utilities, said the city will have an “initial meeting” with the public school division today to discuss how the incident happened, potential improvements at the Dundonald pond and general safety measures at all Saskatoon schools.

“As part of that, we are conducting an internal investigation and a comprehensive review of our storm ponds as well as everything around them with regards to the infrastructure, the design (and) our policies for maintenance — everything pertaining to the storm ponds — to ensure that they are safe for all users and all residents in the city,” she said.

The review is a direct result of Monday’s death, and the city will also examine best practices in other jurisdictions, she said.

Two other Saskatoon schools are located within 300 metres of a civic water feature: the public division’s Ecole Lakeview School is about 140 metres from a body of water in the Lakeview neighbourhood, and nearby St. Bernard Catholic School is about 250 metres away.

Jana Kinar, president of the Lakeview Community Association, said while she doesn’t have an opinion on whether the pond should be fenced, it’s important for the city to include the Lakeview pond in its investigation.

“I’m not going to say that anything should be done or anything like that, but I think ... when you have something of a similar landscape, it should be included, because what might be recommended for one could be recommended for another,” she said.