Safety measures needed at drowning site, Pictou County residents say

Some Pictou County residents say safety measures should be put in place at the waterfalls where a 19-year-old drowned on Friday.

Kale Mason was swimming with a group of people at Park Falls near Sutherlands River on Friday afternoon when he jumped into the water and did not resurface. Searchers found his body later that evening.

Don Swallow, who lives a kilometre or so up the road from the falls, says he remembers swimming there as a child, just as both his father and grandfather did generations earlier.

Park Falls has long been a popular swimming place for locals and visitors, Swallow said.

"As a kid, I seen pictures of this in a magazine," he said in an interview next to the falls.

"You think it's just a small town, and something like this wouldn't be that noted. But hey, a lot of people come here from around and you can see why.

"It's beautiful."

Dangerous rocks and currents

The falls may be beautiful, Swallow said, but they're also dangerous. Not far below the surface of the water are lots of rocks.

"A lot of them are hidden out of the water, maybe a foot or two below the surface, and you can't see them," he said. "If you're not familiar with it, you can get injured here pretty quickly, and obviously it can go beyond that."

In addition to the danger posed by the rocks, there's also a swift current that gets even stronger after a lot of rain, Swallow said.

"There's times here that even a good swimmer wouldn't be able to swim," he said. "Up here you better have your wits about you if you're going in when the water's high."

Safety measures needed

Swallow said erecting signs warning of the dangers "wouldn't be a bad idea."

"It probably should have a sign," he said. "It should be obvious by looking at it. It takes a little more than common sense sometimes. Sometimes you need signs to do that, I guess."

A friend of Mason's wrote a public Facebook post calling for an outright ban on visits to the spot.

"I think it's about time the town and law enforcers put a ban on Park Falls," wrote Tyler MacRae. "This is already too late. How many loved ones do we have to lose before they ban it?"

He encouraged people to share his post if they agreed, and it had received nearly 150 shares by Sunday afternoon.

MacRae suggested in an interview that warning signs be posted or lifeguards be stationed at the falls. He said residents should not swim in the rough areas or near the falls.

"I will never swim there again — ever," he said. "You just don't realize how fast something can happen until it's already happened."

A police spokesman said Saturday that at least two deaths and a serious injury have occurred at the site in the past.

'Nicest guy'

MacRae went to North Nova Education Centre in New Glasgow with Mason, and played with him on the rugby team.

"Nicest guy you'll ever meet," he said of Mason. "Will never fail to put a smile on anybody's face. Funniest guy."

MacRae said he was in disbelief when he heard the news.

"I said the name like four times after I was told because I thought, like, it couldn't have been Kale Mason. I just had to run the name through my head again, over and over again."

'Great teammate'

Mason was a volunteer firefighter with the Little Harbour Fire Department. He also played hockey with the Pictou County Scotians and with his high school team, the Gryphons. Mason had a reputation as an aggressive player who was a strong enforcer.

The Scotians released a statement Saturday about Mason.

"Always a great teammate, Kale's friendships and ties with many of his Scotian teammates extend far beyond his time as a Scotian and began during his days at NNEC, where he and his teammates formed one of the strongest high school teams in recent history in winning the NSSAF Championship in 2015-16," the statement read.

"Kale will be sadly missed by his teammates and the entire Scotian organization."

MacRae said although he's still in shock over the news of Mason's death, it's starting to sink in.

"You just have to look at it in the best way you can. He's in a better place right now," he said. "It is going to touch my heart a lot, forever."