SECTION THREE: BUILDING A CASE |
3.11 DROWNING PREVENTION |
Drowning is the 2nd leading cause of accidental death in Canada for people 55 years of age and under. Year after year, the majority of people who drown have no intention of going into the water. 68% of drownings are associated with recreational activity in and around water.
In Ontario's water rich environment, swimming ability and lifesaving training are required life skills for survival. Participation in aquatic sports provides the confidence necessary to recreate in on and around water. Aquatic sports provide the basic skills and motivation to take aquatic lifesaving training to learn self-rescue and rescue of others. The same deep water, large deck and classroom characteristics of sport training facilities are required to properly train the over 65,000 Ontarians who enroll in lifesaving and leadership staff training programs annually in Ontario.