Summer is off to a difficult start on Quebec waterways: so far, 21 people have drowned compared to 14 this time last year.
The hot and sunny start to the summer may have more to do with the spike in the numbers than anything else, the Quebec Lifesaving Society said, but added it is worried people continue to make the same mistakes.
According to the water safety group, eight to 10 people who drown while boating were not wearing a life jacket and 80 per cent of the victims are men aged 25 to 65.
Almost half of all drownings happen in rivers.
The other at-risk group is young children. They warn adults to lock up fences surrounding residential pools and ensure children are never out of arms’ reach.
The Lifesaving Society also said it wants to start paying more attention to another group in its prevention programs: new Canadians.
A study it released about tweens and water safety found that those born outside Canada are five times more likely to be unable to swim than their Canadian-born peers.
“It’s not necessarily in their habits,” explained director Raynald Hawkins. “They (might not) have any swimming skills, they don’t go to swimming pools or on beaches, and that’s why if it’s not part of their habits, this is the potential of the drownings with the new Canadians.”
Starting this year, grade three students in city of Montreal schools will be offered the Quebec Lifesaving Society's Swim to Survive program.
Their summer prevention campaigns in municipal and hotel pools, beaches and waterways throughout the province start Wednesday.
