SASKATOON — Water-related activities increase every summer, with families and other groups enjoying camping and spending the weekends cooling off at lakes, and doing other water-related activities in rivers or indoor and outdoor pools.
Data provided by the Saskatchewan branch of the Lifesaving Society showed that there was an average of 24.2 drowning deaths from 2015 to 2024. Drowning deaths fluctuated during those 10 years, with the highest being 32 in 2021, from a low of 16 two years ago.
About 79 per cent of the drowning victims are male, and 21 per cent are female, with 66 per cent of the drownings happening from May to September. A combined 73 per cent of the drownings happen in lakes and rivers, and 19 per cent in pools, bathtubs and hot tubs.
Around 24 per cent of the drowning victims, where about two per cent occur in a lifeguard-supervised area, are aged 0-19, while 45 per cent are from the 20 to 49 age group. People who are 50 to 54 years old make up 16 per cent, while 14 per cent of the victims are senior citizens, over 65.
Lifesaving Society, operating under the Royal Life Saving Society of Canada in the country, is a worldwide network of independent organizations in over 25 countries. The charitable organization is devoted to raising awareness in preventing drowning deaths and other water-related injuries.
The group is celebrating National Drowning Prevention Week, from July 19 to 25, culminating in World Drowning Prevention Day on Saturday, July 25. Canada observes the annual awareness campaign every July, the month when the highest drowning rates occur.
The awareness campaign comes a few weeks after a tragic incident that took the life of 32-year-old Mexican tourist Adan Vargas Salvador, who went missing after riding a jet ski on June 20 at the South Saskatchewan River. His body was later recovered on July 2 near Clarkboro Ferry.
Lifesaving Society Saskatchewan branch urges wearing lifejackets, swimming sober, and always supervising children when swimming as part of this year’s campaign theme, “Prepare to be Water Smart.” Statistics show there are about 450 people who die from drowning nationally, and around 300,000 worldwide.
Shelby Rushton, the CEO of the Saskatchewan branch of the Lifesaving Society, said that drowning is preventable, and it has been their mission to raise awareness of avoiding the second leading cause of unintentional deaths for children and the third leading cause of unintentional deaths for adults.
She added that making smart choices, such as learning and practicing how to swim and perform self-rescue skills in the event of an unexpected fall into water, when doing water-related activities, would help reduce drowning incidents.
The Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport said staff of all provincial parks are committed to promoting water safety so visitors can enjoy spending time at lakes and beaches safely this summer. They have partnered with the Lifesaving Society of Saskatchewan to operate 24 Lifejacket Loaner Stations.
The Ministry is encouraging visitors to use the loaner stations across the provincial park system, which provide free access to lifejackets in a variety of sizes, and to wear them whenever they are on or near bodies of water, whether boating, paddling, swimming, or participating in other water activities.
“Water safety messaging is posted throughout provincial parks, including at beaches and Lifejacket Loaner Stations. These messages include: Swim within marked swimming areas, stay off marked buoys, beaches are unsupervised and there are no lifeguards on duty,” said the Ministry.
The Ministry added that everyone should always wear a properly fitted lifejacket and ensure all buckles and zippers are secured, and reminds visitors that lifejackets are for everyone, regardless of age, swimming ability or water activity.
They also encouraged visitors to follow all posted signage, safety guidelines and water safety best practices, and wear a lifejacket or personal flotation device whenever on or near open water, including when using canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards.
Many water bodies associated with provincial parks are not located within park boundaries, and drowning data is typically collected and reported by other organizations, including the Lifesaving Society of Saskatchewan and the Coroners Service. Sask Parks does not maintain province-wide drowning statistics.
