Editor:
Diversity, inclusion, and equity is not only good policy for organizations' it can also be life-saving!
Recently at my local pool, I had an interesting conversation with an elderly brown guy.
He was wondering why almost everyone in the pool was brown and all the lifeguards were Caucasian? I said that's actually a really good observation.
What happens if an elderly brown guy has a medical emergency and cannot speak English. How is he going to get help? How are the lifeguards going to understand him? This is a life-or-death situation. Every second counts.
I said I've noticed brown lifeguards and staff at the pool before, but I am not sure if they take "language ability" into account when they schedule lifeguards.
My community of North Delta is about one-third South Asian and I would be surprised if one-third of the staff at the pool is South Asian.
I understand organizations cannot recruit lifeguards who speak every language, but it would be good practice to ensure people who make up a major demographic in the community have city employees who can speak the language, especially at a pool where anything can happen.
Just an observation people like me think and talk about, that most people overlook. Really this is a type of "preventative policy and practice" that the mayor and council should consider to implement. That's my thought of the day.
Alex Sangha, Delta
