The Swim Safe YYC Initiative is committed to ending preventable drowning through education, advocacy, and community outreach, honouring the life of Yagazie Ike-Peters & Caelan Escalante by turning tragedy into purpose.
To raise awareness, educate families, and promote drowning prevention across communities, starting in Calgary and extending beyond, ensuring that every life is protected through knowledge, safety, and collective action.
Yagazie was a bright, compassionate young man whose tragic drowning in Calgary in August 2025 exposed a painful truth — that many people still underestimate the dangers of water and the importance of safety education. His passing became the turning point that inspired this initiative, transforming grief into action.
Today, his legacy drives a growing movement to make water safety awareness a shared responsibility. Your support helps turn awareness into impact — urging HOAs and city leaders to adopt real water safety reforms, push for stronger safety policies, and promote life-saving education.
On August 27th, 2025, two 20-year-old childhood friends, Yagazie Ike-Peters and Caelan Escalante, went swimming in Mahogany Lake, Calgary, on an unseasonably hot summer day. What began as a moment of joy turned into tragedy when both young men drowned in the deep, cold waters near the dock, where Basin shaped body of water covering 63 acre with deep end up to 30ft.
Caelan was known for his warmth, positivity, and genuine connection with people, a true social spirit. Yagazie was full of life, kindness, and joy, always bringing happiness to those around him. Both were young men filled with promise, love, and dreams for the future. We cannot wait for another preventable loss to awaken awareness. Let their story inspire change. Let this be the last tragedy.
No lifeguards at most community lakes
No mandatory lifejacket rules
Unsafe practices like dock-jumping and unsupervised swimming
Inadequate fire safety tools or warning signs
Very dangerous deep ends
This is about more than rules. It’s about protecting our children, families and communities. Join us in urging HOAs and city leaders to adopt real water safety reforms. Speak up. Share our story. Demand change.
Here is how you can get involved and make a change
Collaborate with us on the movement to Mandate the presence of lifeguards and trained first aid responders at all recreational water sites. Together, we can inforce this safety and drowning prevention initiative.
Your support funds awareness campaigns and advocacy, and youth training initiatives. Every donation helps turn awareness into real, life-saving action.
By adding your voice to this movement, you’re standing with grieving families. You’re standing for prevention. You’re standing for a Calgary that values life above all else. our signature brings us one step closer to saving lives.
Change begins with one voice, YOURS.
Stand with us to make our waters safe for everyone. Safety is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Every resident deserves to feel secure while enjoying our lakes and community spaces. By signing this petition, you’re standing for stronger water safety measures.
This movement began as a memorial to Yagazie Ike-Peters and Caelan Escalante, two young lives full of promise, lost too soon to drowning at Mahogany Lake. Today, your generosity ensures their story creates lasting change. Every donation helps us reach more communities drive more life-saving advocacy programs.
