The annual drowning toll in Canada has spiked after years of steady declines says the Lifesaving Society. Statistics obtained by the Society from coroners offices show there were 492 drowning deaths in 2005 – the most recent year in which national data is available up from the 433 recorded the year before.

"We are currently working on the 2006 and 2007 data to learn if this

increase is a trend," says Barb Byers of the Lifesaving Society.

Drowning remains the third leading cause of accidental death among

Canadians under 60 years of age and the second leading cause of death for children under the age of 10. And men are four times more likely to drown than women. Swimming is the most popular activity during which the largest numbers of drownings occur, closely followed by power boating and fishing.

"Canadians must be mindful of these statistics as they take part in summer

water activities," says Barbara Byers of the Lifesaving Society, a

charitable organization dedicated to the prevention of drowning and

water-related injuries in Canada. "Most of these deaths are preventable if

people are aware of the risks and adopt key prevention strategies, like

wearing their lifejackets in a boat and leaving the alcohol on shore,"

insists Byers. In fact 90% of people who drown while boating were found

not wearing a lifejacket and alcohol was involved in about one third of

the drowning victims.

The Lifesaving Society hopes its National Drowning Prevention Week which

begins Saturday July 18th will remind Canadians to practice safe behaviour

in, on, or near the water.

Children under the age of 5 have a particular drowning risk because of

their almost magnetic and fearless attraction to the water. The Society

notes that a child can drown quickly (in as little as 10 seconds) and

silently, and urges parents and caregivers to restrict access to the water

and closely supervise their children. Their message is: "If you're not within arms' reach, you've gone too far."

The Lifesaving Society urges Canadians to:

- Take a lifesaving course and learn how to reduce the risk of drowning,

as well as what to do if something does go wrong. At a minimum, make sure everyone in your family can achieve the Canadian Swim to Survive®

standard.

- Always wear a lifejacket or PFD when boating.

- Don’t drink and drive your boat.

- Always closely supervise children; keep them within arms reach and,

whenever possible, chose to swim in an area supervised by a lifeguard.

The Lifesaving Society trains more than 500,000 Canadians each year in its swimming, lifesaving, lifeguard and leadership courses. Please visit us

online at www.lifesaving.ca.