Multiple drownings on the rise in Quebec

In 2023, 82 people lost their lives to drowning, according to Lifesaving Society data. She is especially concerned about the fact that the number of victims per event is increasing compared to the previous year, which demonstrates the need to continue water safety awareness efforts.

“We are seeing this year that fatal drownings with multiple victims are increasing. And that is mainly the worrying situation for us at the moment,” he explained to The Press the general director of the Lifesaving Society, Raynald Hawkins.

Events causing multiple deaths on waterways have increased in number last year. In addition to the tragedy in Akwesasne, which cost the lives of eight migrants, including two children, last March, four children also died during a fishing trip near the St. Lawrence River in Portneuf-sur-Mer in June. last.

Two firefighters were also swept away by the river in May, during the flooding in Charlevoix. In Rivière-Éternité, in Saguenay, a landslide also claimed the lives of two people last summer.

In 2023, seven events caused the death of no less than 25 people.

In recent years, however, there have been very few multiple drownings, an average of 2.5 events per year causing more than one victim, most often two.

According to Mr Hawkins, this shows a real paradigm shift. “In general, people often associate drowning with residential swimming pools, but we see that it is more and more natural bodies of water that pose a problem. In the immediate future, it is really the river that is growing, more than usual. »

Changes to be implemented

The Lifesaving Society hopes that Transport Canada and the federal government will quickly regulate the mandatory wearing of flotation vests for water sports. “I know that they are holding consultations, that they are considering, but we must act. Just with that, we would reduce 20 deaths per year in Quebec,” says the CEO.

Alcohol remains a “determining” factor, he regrets. “Regardless of the activity among adults, mainly among men, we see that it still has a notable influence almost everywhere. »

Overall, the 82 deaths recorded in 2023 represent a marked annual increase, but a slight increase compared to the average. In 2022, there were 61 drownings in the province. The Lifesaving Society was then encouraged by a certain “return to normal” after the results of 2021, with 81 deaths, and that of 2020, at the height of the health crisis, with 121 fatal drownings.

“Ultimately, this year’s results slightly inflate the average we have had for the last 10 years, which is 80 water-related deaths,” said Mr. Hawkins.

In the long term, however, the situation has clearly improved. 40 years ago, Quebec recorded an average of 200 water-related deaths each year. “We didn’t then have 1.2 million boaters and three-quarters of a million residential swimming pools. This tells us that behaviors have changed, but that there is still work to be done,” the manager further illustrates.

He hopes to be able to provide a more accurate portrait of non-fatal drownings in the coming years. Generally, for every fatal drowning, there are four where the person survived, most often thanks to resuscitation maneuvers.

Montérégie, the most affected region

It is the Montérégie region which continues to be one of the regions most affected by fatal drownings, with 18 out of 82 in 2023, or 22%. The Lifesaving Society also notes that “surprisingly, the North Shore stands out by coming in second place with 13 drownings (16%), followed by Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean with 11 (13%) and the Capital -National with 10 (12%).

No drownings were recorded in 2023 in Nord-du-Québec and Laval. The other regions oscillate on average between one and six drownings.

The majority of tragedies again occurred during the summer season. About half of the drownings actually occurred from June to August. However, in 2023, we observed a significant increase in fatal events in September and October, with 17 deaths, for approximately 21% of the total.

Finally, men continue to be more at risk than women. Last year, 63 of the 82 drownings involved male victims, compared to 14 female victims. The remaining five victims had not yet been identified at the time of writing.