A 14-year-old disabled girl is looking for answers after she was ordered out of the water at Vancouver's Jericho Beach, one of the city's top summer destinations.
Like thousands of British Columbia's Natalie Coder likes to head to the beach on warm summer days.
But because she has spina bifida, it is difficult for Natalie to swim without the use of a flotation device. She tried to swim with her inner tube on Locarno Beach but was ordered out of the water by the lifeguard on duty.
That's because under Vancouver Park Board rules, inflatables are not allowed.
"Imagine one hundred people floating on inflatables out here. The lifeguards would have great difficulty knowing who could swim and who couldn't,'' said Lifeguard Raehid Sabourne.
Natalie says she is frustrated by the Park Board rules.
"I'd just like access like everyone else," she said.
Natalie's mother Christine believes society makes all kinds of concessions for disabled people. So she'd like to see the Park Board make an exception to allow inflatables for those special swimmers who need them.
CTV went to talk to Sean Healy, the Park Board's supervisor of aquatic services to ask if the rule on inflatables could be amended,
But Healy says it's tricky because of liability concerns. However, he didn't rule it out.
Healey and Saborne both suggest anyone like Natalie who wants to swim at Vancouver beaches could wear a lifejacket. Natalie's mother says that's fair but her daughter would still need her inner tube
Both sides in this debate will soon be talking to see if a compromise can be reached.
For more information, check the Park Board's beach information site.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger.
