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5d ago

Rise in Canadian Drownings Prompts Phone-Free Supervision Campaign

With preliminary figures showing rising water-related deaths in Ontario and Quebec, the Lifesaving Society is warning caregivers against using phones during child supervision near water.

Beaches in Toronto are packed as people find ways to embrace temperatures up to 36 degrees Celsius on Monday June 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Overview

  • Preliminary data from the Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada report a national increase in drowning deaths from 164 to 168 between Jan. 1 and July 29, with Ontario cases rising from 49 to 57 and Quebec from 32 to 47.
  • Over 90 per cent of drownings among children under five involve absent or distracted caregivers, according to Stephanie Bakalar of the Lifesaving Society.
  • The society highlighted recent Ontario incidents that killed two young children and a 24-year-old kayaker as examples of rapid, silent drowning events.
  • Official coroner figures show Ontario recorded 75 drowning deaths in 2024, down from 94 in 2023, and British Columbia logged 98 in 2024, down from 119, while Quebec’s 2024 and 2025 data remain pending.
  • Delays in coroner investigations and uneven enforcement of life-jacket regulations and boat safety standards continue to complicate real-time drowning prevention efforts.