Overview of fatal drowning in Canada
Fatal drowning
Definition
Drowning is the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid.
Data sources
The drowning research process involves data collection, research tabulation and analysis. Water-related death data is extracted from the offices of the Chief Coroners and Medical Examiners in each province/territory. The scope of this research:
- collects the data needed to profile victims of aquatic incidents, including the circumstances and contributing factors under which these incidents occurred.
- includes all deaths in each province/territory and Canada overall resulting from incidents “in, on or near” water; “near-water” incidents are included if the incident was closely related to water-based recreational, vocational or daily living activity, or if the presence of water appeared to be an attraction contributing to the incident.
Interim data
Complete final data on the most recent drownings and other water-related deaths are not always readily available from the offices of provincial/territorial Chief Coroners and Medical Examiners. When complete and final data is unavailable, the DPRC uses interim, preliminary data derived from media releases, media clippings, news reports and internet searches until official data is available.
Featured
The Lifesaving Society’s 2024 Ontario Drowning Report summarizes the most recent data on water-related fatalities available from the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario. Read the report.
