'We've seen too many tragedies on the water,' What to know before heading out on waterways
Following a recent string of drownings in Simcoe Muskoka, police are urging people to take extra precautions before venturing onto Ontario's lakes and rivers.
Despite safety messaging, police patrolling waterways issued four offence notices to boaters for not having life-jackets over the weekend.
"COVID has really increased the popularity of people being on the water, and unfortunately, when you have that popularity, we have people on the water that don't have the skills to be on the water yet," said OPP Provincial Marine Coordinator Sgt. Dave Moffatt.
Locally, in the past week, four people drowned, including an 18-year-old Mississauga man who died while swimming in the Muskoka River.
Two more men, both in their early 20's also died after going down the rapids at the Port Sydney falls.
And late last week, a 61-year-old man died after divers pulled his body from Arnolds Bay, west of MacTier.
"We've seen too many tragedies on the water," said Moffatt. "We've had drownings in 13 feet of water, so people are thinking they can cross to the shoreline, and they don't make it."
Police say boating fatalities this year have also increased by 33 per cent.
"One drowning is too many, so the numbers are alarming," said Shannon Scully-Pratt with the Canadian Red Cross.
Experts say preparation is key, including making a plan on what to do in an emergency and wearing a personal flotation device, even for strong swimmers.
"If you wear it, then your more likely to survive because it's on and keeps your head above water," said Scully-Pratt.
The Red Cross said it's also a good idea to swim in areas with signage or lifeguards.
"It's safer not only are you watching your family in this guarded area, but the lifeguards are there to support you if an incident does happen," said Scully-Pratt.
Police advise boaters to read the Safe Boating Guide and make sure all safety gear is in working order, and life-jackets are worn at all times.
"By the time you need your life-jacket, it's already too late," the OPP stated in a release.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Canada's favourite sport to watch is hockey, survey shows
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs have already delivered a fever level of fan excitement in Canada.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.