Two people, including a three-year-old, died in separate drownings in Ontario on Saturday, as one expert warns that July often sees the highest number of drownings in Canadian water.
Ontario Provincial Police are investigating after emergency services were called to Mille Roches Beach in Long Sault around 5:45 p.m. regarding a child with no vital signs.
A statement from police said off-duty medical professionals were attempting to resuscitate the child who was rushed to the hospital and later pronounced dead.
Separately, police said emergency services responded to a residence on River Road East in Wasaga Beach at approximately 1:05 p.m. after reports of a missing kayaker.
They said a 24-year-old man from Toronto had been kayaking with two others when their boat overturned.
The Wasaga Beach Fire Department located the man and started resuscitation efforts before he was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead.
Neither of the identities were released out of respect for the families.
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Police are also investigating the death of another three-year-old who drowned at Sandbanks Provincial Park on Thursday.
OPP at the time said the number of drownings in eastern Ontario this year is more than double what it was by this time in 2024.
Stephanie Bakalar, a spokesperson for Lifesaving Society, said in an interview that July is often the month with the highest number of drownings across the country as people look to cool down amid hotter temperatures, with most instances occurring in natural bodies of water.
Saturday marked the final day of Drowning Prevention Week in Canada, and Bakalar offered some general tips for staying safe around the water.
“Depending on the different age groups, we have slightly different risk factors, but generally pretty much the same things,” she said.
Bakalar said that swimming or boating alone is a significant risk factor for both older and younger adults. For those above the age of 65, she said about 70 per cent of drowning deaths happen while individuals are swimming alone.
For children under the age of five, she said, drowning most often occurs while “supervision was either absent or distracted.”
“I think it’s really important for especially parents and caregivers, anyone who’s taking kids near the water, to understand that drowning is fast and it is silent,” Bakalar said.
She said someone supervising a child should be within an arm’s reach and remain hyper vigilant.
“If you can’t get to your child in a moment, if you cannot reach out and grab them, you are too far away from them, and the unthinkable can happen that quickly,” Bakalar said.
When boating, she said it is always important to wear a life-jacket.
“About 90 per cent of the drowning deaths in Ontario, specifically, while people were boating, which includes powerboats, canoes, and kayaks. the victims were not wearing life-jackets,” Bakalar said.
Staying sober when swimming or supervising someone else can increase safety, according to Bakalar. She also noted that swimming in a lifeguard-supervised setting can help people stay safe as they look to cool off amid hotter temperatures.
“We are never immune to drowning if we don’t take layers of protection. So it’s knowing how to swim. It’s wearing the life-jacket. It’s being with someone else,” Bakalar said.
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