Toddler drowning inquest jury now deliberating

The jury in the inquest into the drowning death of toddler Jrmie Audette began deliberations Tuesday after hearing recommendations from the Crown.

Audette drowned in a backyard pool in 2010 while on an outing with his unlicensed daycare provider to the home of another day care provider.

About 30 children and four to six adults were at the home when the daughter of the homeowner found the two-year-old boy at the bottom of their outdoor pool.

The five-person jury is expected to make recommendations that might prevent similar deaths.

Crown suggests alterations to Day Nurseries Act

The Crown outlined a dozen of their own recommendations on Tuesday, including directing the Minister of Education to review the Day Nurseries Act with an emphasis on requiring unlicensed home daycares to register, with registration based on basic standards of care, required training and submission to spot checks.

Changes to the act would also require parental permission forms for all outings, that no backyard pool, wading pool or pond be at any home daycare, and that recreational swimming in a day care setting have a one-to-one ratio of adult to child.

The Crown also made a number of recommendations concerning municipal by-laws on pools and pool enclosures, saying rules should be in place to ensure gates be self-closing, self-latching and locked when pool not in use and that pool owners have the most up-to-date information on maintenance, safety and supervision.

The jury is not bound to the Crown's recommendations.