Water safety on the beach
The Lifesaving Society is providing insights on beach safety. CTV's Ainsley McPhail explains
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Ottawa Citizen
10 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
OPP sound the alarm following 10 drownings so far this season
Article content Since there are no lifeguards on their beaches, they do make PFDs available to borrow free of charge. This service is available to visitors at 70 of its participating parks. Article content Ontario Parks also reminds people never to leave children unattended, especially in the water, regardless of how shallow it may be. Article content According to the Canadian Red Cross, 'the absence of adult supervision is a factor in most child drownings,' regardless of whether a child can swim or not. Article content Ontario Parks added that while water wings and inflatable tubes are great, they are not a substitute for a PFD/lifejacket and full-time adult supervision. Article content Wearing a lifejacket has multiple benefits if you find yourself in a water-related situation. It can pop you back up to the surface, give you time to adjust to the situation, catch your breath, and call for help. Article content On what is currently the Lifesaving Society's national Drowning Prevention Week (July 20-26), the organization noted in a news release that drowning claims the lives of hundreds of Canadians each year. 'Over 400 Canadians die in preventable water-related incidents annually. Even one drowning is too many,' the release said. Article content Article content This year's campaign is urging people to be 'safer together.' Article content 'This year's National Drowning Prevention Week is all about the easy ways that anyone can have a safer experience in or around the water. Safer together means you swim with someone instead of alone, and you wear a lifejacket instead of keeping it next to you in the boat. It's simple steps like these that make sure your day on the water ends happily,' said Lifesaving Society Ontario's Stephanie Bakalar. Article content In Ontario, 100% of drownings among children under the age of five occurred when supervision was absent or distracted. Article content Swimming alone accounted for 71% of drowning deaths in adults aged 65 and older, and 57% in adults aged 35 to 64. Article content Only 1% of drownings occur in lifeguard-supervised settings. Article content In boating-related fatalities, 89% of victims were not wearing a lifejacket. Article content Some tips include: Article content Actively supervise children anytime they are in or near the water. Article content Always swim with a buddy. Article content The safest place to swim is where the lifeguards are. Article content Lifejackets can save your life.
CTV News
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CTV News
11 hours ago
- CTV News
N.S. public health reporting 30 cases of measles in northern part of province
A dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination awaits the next patient during a vaccine clinic in St. Thomas, Ont., on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins HALIFAX — Nova Scotia Health says there are now 30 cases of measles in the northern part of the province. The health agency had reported a single case on July 7 in the northern zone, and says it is believed that all 30 infections stem from travel within Canada to regions where measles is known to be circulating. 'Currently, new cases are mainly found in large households and specific, small communities with close contact,' said a Thursday statement from Nova Scotia Health. Health officials said the rise in cases was expected because it's common for secondary infections to appear within seven to 21 days after initial measles cases are identified. Eight of 30 cases in the northern zone have been lab-confirmed and the remaining are considered confirmed based on patients' household exposure and symptoms. Despite the rise in infections, the risk to the general public is still considered low. The provincial health agency is reminding Nova Scotians that the best protection against measles is vaccination, and every person born after 1970 should have two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine after their first birthday. Nova Scotia's Department of Health says 93.4 per cent of children who turned two years old in 2024 had received one dose of the measles vaccine, and 78.6 per cent were fully vaccinated with two doses. A spokesperson with the department says actual measles vaccination rates in Nova Scotia may be higher 'because of under-reporting.' Scientists, meanwhile, say that a population needs a vaccination rate of 95 per cent — with two doses — to stop measles from spreading. In May, a single case of measles was reported in the Halifax Regional Municipality, but there were no secondary infections identified with the original case, now considered 'resolved.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025. By Lyndsay Armstrong
