After two separate incidents in which three people drowned in the Grand River locally, National Drowning Prevention Week comes at an excellent time. Running from July 21st to the 27th, the City of Kitchener‘s drowning prevention program aims to promote water safety through education and community events.
Recent statistics from the Drowning Prevention Research Centre show drowning rates in Ontario have increased since 2011, with seniors and young children being particularly at risk. According to the Life Saving Society of Canada, the great majority of people who drowned were not wearing a personal flotation device or were not wearing it properly.
Patrick King, the City of Kitchener’s aquatics manager, underscores the importance of proper life jacket use, the unique challenges of swimming in natural water bodies and the disproportionately higher incidence of drowning among Indigenous communities.
