As Ontario continues to see a jump in drownings on our lakes and rivers, OPP officers and other experts are reinforcing the need to take precautions before heading out.
“It’s very sad. These are generally totally preventable incidents … they’re just life-long incidents that affect families,” Const. David Hobson, a long-time marine officer in the Georgian Bay area, said when asked about the recent drownings.
“I’ve responded to numerous drownings and numerous sudden deaths and rescues. It’s very disheartening as a human to see the effect on people, regardless of the situation.”
OPP officers said in eastern Ontario toward the end of July that there were nearly a dozen drownings, which was roughly double the number of incidents compared to the same point in 2024.
The most recent incident on OPP-patrolled jurisdictions happened Sunday afternoon at Stony Lake in Burleigh Falls. The circumstances are still under investigation, but officers said a man fell into the water from the shoreline and quickly got into distress. A second man reportedly went in to try to save him. The next day, the bodies of the drowning victims — a 24-year-old from Caledon and a 26-year-old from Brampton — were recovered.
Toward the end of July, a 12-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy drowned in a river at the northern Ontario town of Dryden. In separate incidents, three-year-old children drowned at a beach in Long Sault (near Cornwall) and Sandbanks Provincial Park in Prince Edward County.
East Lake in Prince Edward County, along with Wasaga Beach and other areas along Georgian Bay, have been the sites of drownings in recent weeks.
Speaking generally, Hobson said people can get into sudden trouble “in a blink of an eye.”
“Canadian Studies have shown that virtually, when you fall in the water, or you’re thrown in the water … you got one minute to catch your breath,” he said.
Hobson said the best defence against drowning is a coast guard-approved (Canadian or United States) life jacket. He said one of the things he comes across with boaters most often is life jackets that are stowed under seats and either not being worn or within a hand’s reach.
“The standing question is, ‘Well, how would you put one of those on if you’re in the water?” Hobson said.
After an interview, CityNews joined Hobson during a patrol of Georgian Bay. While going through Honey Harbour, Hobson stopped close to a dozen younger adult visitors from Michigan in a small boat registered in the United States en route back to a family member’s cottage. No one on board was wearing a life jacket at the time, but a couple of loose ones were on the ground. After passing various requirements and a brief safety talk, Hobson sent them on their way.
Hobson also stopped a family of four on paddleboards and in a kayak visiting Honey Harbour from a nearby town, but it was to thank them. All were wearing life jackets, including the two younger children. He and other officers raised a bit of money from the community to create a program that hands out shirts to kids saying, ‘I got caught wearing my life jacket,’ as a means to recognize good behaviour.
“It’s public education that’s far greater than handing out a ticket; telling people what they did right, telling people what they did wrong,” he said while describe his approach during the patrol.
Experts CityNews spoke with all said being better prepared is essential to stopping these types of incidents in Ontario from happening.
Weather, water conditions can suddenly shift and become unpredictable
Georgian Bay is one of many areas in Ontario vulnerable to intense storms, particularly because of the thousands of swimmers, boaters and cottagers in the area.
While the patrol on Georgian Bay, intense wind gusts suddenly came at a few different times.
Meteorologists with Environment and Climate Change Canada actively issue weather alerts, marine forecasts and alerts, and general weather forecasts for all municipalities and jurisdictions in the province. Greater Toronto Area weather information can also be found on CityNews.
CityNews chief meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai said rip currents can form along jetties, near sand bars and on large bodies of water. She said it can be a narrow body of water where you don’t see waves coming in.
If you’re caught in a rip current, Ramsahai shared tips such as not fighting the current, swim parallel to the shore to escape the current, and float and tread water while summoning help if you can’t escape.
When it comes to lake temperatures, she noted the current wide range across Ontario. The water temperature for Georgian Bay on Friday was 21 C. Lake Superior had temperatures between 16 and 22 C. Lake Ontario hovered between 23 and 24 C while Lake Erie was between 25 and 26 C.
Always have a method to contact Ontario police, paramedics and fire services if needed
Patrick Hervieux, the deputy chief with County of Simcoe Paramedic Services, was among those pleading for more care as paramedics often have to rush to help save those impacted.
“Unfortunately, one (drowning) is too many. One of the things we really try to stress in the community is water safety, and that’s where we really ask that people supervise,” he said.
“Children should not be left unattended. They should be within an arm’s length at all times. One of the things we see … drifting with tubes. That’s a big problem we have. So we really ask that people recognize and see how far they’re drifting offshore and be cognizant about their safety.”
Simcoe county paramedics are responsible for a large jurisdiction, including Georgian Bay, Lake Simcoe, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Barrie, Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Midland, Washago and Orillia. Hervieux said while response times “are normally quite quick,” it can mean longer distances to travel and harder-to-access areas.
“If you believe someone is drowning or near drowning, activate the lifeguard [who] is near or the 911 system immediately. Minutes and seconds absolutely count in these situations,” he said.
Responsibilities for care when out on the water
CityNews spoke with Rajiv Haté, a senior personal injury lawyer with Kotak Law, about the law and responsibility for caring for others while being out on the water. Without discussing a particular case and speaking generally about drownings seen in Ontario recently, he said he questions the lack of precautions being taken.
“I think in almost all the cases, people were not wearing life jackets or any sort of flotation devices, and that right off the bat is the first thing that I think about in terms of any kind of concerns with how people are operating,” Haté said.
In any case that involves a child or youth, he said the question will always be if there was “negligent supervision of the minor” and “who was responsible for that.”
“Did they fail to put on flotation devices or life jackets when it was required? Was the child left out on their own or were they within a safe distance to be able to save the child? If there was an event that took place, what other precautions were taken or failed to be taken leading up to the incident?” Haté said, noting the background of a drowning victim (such as exposure to swimming lessons) and the potential for damage (the waterway type, depth and exposure to currents) would also be considered.
“If you’re going out with a teenager who’s done swimming lessons and is at lifeguard status, then (it’s) understandable if that individual is not wearing a life jacket or a flotation device. But if you’re going out with a four-year-old who has not done any swimming lessons and does not know how to swim and yet you send them out of the water without any kind of safety precautions, that’s where it could amount to negligent supervision.”
He said if an adult is taking out a child that is not their own, they should ask and discuss the following with the child’s parent(s) or guardian(s):
- Can the child swim independently?
- Do they know how to get their head above the water?
- If their head goes under the water, do they know how to stay afloat?
- The list of activities planned
- How deep the body of water will be
- Can the adult safely operate the kayak and canoe
- Availability of correctly fitting life jackets, or flotation devices
If it’s a situation where adults are out on a kayak or canoe (click here for Transport Canada pleasure craft rules and advice), Haté said the potential for damages comes down to the unique circumstances.
“When you’re an adult and you’re participating in a task that is known to be potentially dangerous, there is the element of the assumption of the risk, and especially if you decide to jump out of the canoe, the vessel you’re in that is providing you with safety to go for a swim, that is your decision to do so,” he said.
“The duty of care there is significantly less, I think, in a circumstance like that. If you are the owner of the canoe or the kayak, the prudent thing to do is to tell all of your guests who may be using it, ‘make sure that you know there is a requirement that you wear a life jacket in order to use this.’ Now you can’t, obviously, force someone to do it if they decide not to and they decide to jump out on their own accord. That is their decision, but it would be prudent for you as the owner of the canoe or kayak to tell them, ‘Hey, don’t jump out in the middle of it.’”
