Adding Swim to Survive to the Ontario Curriculum to Improve Water Safety and Save Lives - by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik, seconded by Councillor Rachel Chernos Lin

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The decision

2025-11-12 · Toronto City Council · adopted

As filed

City Council on November 12 and 13, 2025, adopted the following: 1. City Council urge the Ontario Ministry of Education to incorporate mandatory water safety and Swim to Survive training into the elementary school curriculum for all Ontario students. 2. City Council forward this item to the provincial Minister of Education, all Toronto Members of Provincial Parliament, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, and all Ontario municipalities with a request for their endorsement.

On the agenda

As the city filed it

Drowning is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths among children in Ontario and research by the Lifesaving Society of Ontario shows that most children who drown never intended to be in the water. Evidence demonstrates that even basic swimming and water survival skills significantly reduce the risk of drowning. Many children in Ontario do not have equitable access to swimming lessons outside of school due to financial, cultural or geographic barriers.

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The Ministry of Education has the authority to incorporate water safety and survival training into the regular elementary school curriculum as a universal, life-saving skill comparable to fire safety and road safety instruction. The City of Dryden , City of St. Catharines , and Niagara Regional Council have all recently adopted a call on the provincial government to add the Swim to Survive program to the elementary school curriculum for all Ontario students.

Staff recommended

Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik, seconded by Councillor Rachel Chernos Lin, recommends that: 1. City Council urge the Ontario Ministry of Education to incorporate mandatory water safety and Swim to Survive training into the elementary school curriculum for all Ontario students. 2. City Council forward this item to the provincial Minister of Education, all Toronto Members of Provincial Parliament, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, and all Ontario municipalities with a request for their endorsement.

On the record

The item as the City filed it

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