Water and Ice Injury

Children can and do drown in rivers, lakes, ponds, dams, canals, ditches, water troughs, bathtubs – potentially in any setting where the mouth and nose can be covered by even a few centimetres (inches) of water.
Source: Canadian Red Cross, National Drowning Report, 2001

Edition Five to 14 year olds are at appreciable risk for drowning when playing or wading in water. Drownings result when non-swimmers or weak swimmers get caught by currents in rivers or out of their depth in abrupt drop-offs. Although strong swimmers sometimes take universal risks and can be swept away in unfamiliar currents, at least 32% of swimming victims between 5 and 14 years of age did not know how to swim or were weak swimmers. Of concern is that 42% of swimming victims in this age group were not accompanied by an adult.
Source: The Canadian Red Cross Society and the Canadian Surveillance System for Water Related Fatalities, 2003 (Rate and Number of Swimming Drownings by Age and Sex, Canada 1991 – 2000)

In spite of repeated public campaigns promoting the use of personal flotation devices (PFDs) and lifejackets, a majority of boaters still ignore this basic precaution. Although current regulations do not require the wearing of a PFD or lifejacket by boaters, they do require that a PFD or lifejacket be present in the boat and that each passenger has a properly fitting PFD or lifejacket. However, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to find a PFD or lifejacket in the water and put it on properly after capsizing or falling into water, which are two of the most frequent incidents leading to boat drownings.
Source: What We Have Learned: 10 years of Pertinent Facts About Drowning and Other Water-Related Injuries in Canada 1991-2000: Canadian Red Cross

Wear a properly fitting personal flotation device (PFD) or lifejacket. The Canadian Red Cross Drowning Report shows that more than 70% of people who drown while boating are not wearing a PFD or lifejacket. Be Boat Smart – always wear a PFD or lifejacket.
Source: BoatSmart Canada website Between 1991 and 2000, 34 children 5 to 14 years old drowned when they fell through ice. This accounted for 16% of all ice drowning victims. Source: What We Have Learned: 10 years of Pertinent Facts About Drowning and Other Water-Related Injuries in Canada 1991-2000: Canadian Red Cross