The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is urging everyone heading out on the water to make one life-saving choice: wear your life jacket, every time, every ride.
Despite calm conditions and proximity to shore, many boating-related drownings occur when people least expect danger. Most of these tragedies happen in small vessels, like canoes and kayaks, and are preventable.
In 2025, nearly 80% of all boating fatalities investigated by the OPP involved individuals who were not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD). Adult males accounted for almost 90% of all boating fatalities on OPP patrolled waters. According to the Drowning Prevention Research Centre of Canada, 35% of water-related fatalities in Ontario are linked to swimming, while another 13% are attributed to walking, running, or playing near water, accounting for nearly half of all drownings when combined.
Young children, weak swimmers, and non-swimmers should always wear a life jacket when near water, even in shallow areas. Supervision and proactive lifesaving decisions, like wearing a life jacket, are key to avoiding tragedy.
What You Can Do:
- Always wear a properly fitted, Transport Canada (TC) approved life jacket. Modern life jackets are lightweight, comfortable, and designed to save lives. Don’t just bring it, wear it.
- Ensure there is a properly sized life jacket for every person on board.
- Keep all required safety equipment easily accessible and ready to use.
- Set the example, especially for children and new boaters.
- Check weather and water conditions before heading out.
Every year, the OPP continues to share this important safety message across the province, reminding the public that wearing a TC-approved PFD is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent water-related tragedies.
Make it a habit. Make it home.
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Yes, wear it every time and teach your children the same. A PFD is no good stored in a box.