The mother of a Mooretown toddler who fell into a Petrolia pool wants unlicensed daycares to have a home inspection before they accept children into care.
Jan. 24, 20 month-old Waylon Saunders fell into an icy pool at the home of his Petrolia daycare provider. He was without a heartbeat for nearly three hours, but was revived by first responders and hospital staff before being taken to London’s Children’s Hospital. Waylon is at home and improving daily.

But his mom, Gillian Burnett, says she’s still having panic attacks and nightmares about the incident which nearly claimed her son’s life. Recently, Burnett says Lambton County building officials inspected the daycare providers home and found a number of problems around the security of the pool.

The Independent contacted both Lambton County – which issued the order – and the Town of Petrolia whose bylaw the county enforced but neither would provide any information on the inspection citing an investigation which is underway by the OPP. OPP have charged the daycare provider with criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

As Burnett and her family work through the fallout of the traumatic event, she’s planning to work with Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey on ways to make unlicensed daycare operations safer.

Burnett would like to see the operators “register with the county” with officials “inspecting the house at least once” before it can accept children into care.
She’d also like to see a register of unlicensed providers where any previous charges against them would be visible.

Burnett first contacted her daycare provider on social media. She went to the woman’s Petrolia home and left with a good feeling about it since the woman had six teenage children of her own and Burnett’s three year-old daughter seemed comfortable there.

“I didn’t go outside and check the pool or anything. I should have. I don’t know why I didn’t. But I just kind of (looked) where the kids were going to be – the living room, kitchen, downstairs living room,” Burnett says. “She didn’t mention the pool.”

And Burnett didn’t think to ask about it because the blinds in the home were closed at the time.

That’s where Burnett thinks a county inspection could have been helpful.
“The county should have to go into that home…they would have been able to see it right away, spot all the things that are infractions.

“I’m not a pool owner, I’ve never owned a pool. I don’t know what the laws are about it. I have no idea. If they would have gone in there, they would have seen (any) infractions and they could have said ‘no, your house isn’t equipped to be able to watch children.’”

Since Waylon’s accident, Burnett has been asked a number of times why she didn’t have the kids in licensed daycare. That’s easier said than done, she said, noting she’s been on a waiting list for licensed care for two years.

For now, Burnett will stay at home with her children. “There’s absolutely no way I will ever trust somebody with my children again, unless it’s like my mom or you know, a close family member. There’s no way I’ll ever trust somebody again.”

And she says, by working with the local MP, she hopes to spare other families from what they’ve gone through. “I want to tell Waylon story so what we learned can save somebody’s life. ”