Kawartha Lakes OPP are investigating a drowning incident that occurred Tuesday evening after a canoe capsized on Balsam Lake.
On Tuesday, July 29, 2025 at approximately 6:21 p.m., officers responded to a marine call on Balsam Lake, where they were notified that a male in a canoe had gone overboard and failed to resurface. The City of Kawartha Lakes OPP (including the marine unit), along with OPP Emergency Response Unit members patrolled the water extensively but were unable to locate the individual before nightfall.
On Wednesday, July 30, 2025, the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit aided in recovery measures and the body of a 75-year-old from North York was recovered at approximately 1:30 p.m.
The investigation is currently ongoing.
OPP are committed to boater education, marine patrol/law enforcement and saving lives on more than 110,000 square kilometres of Ontario waterways. With capsized vessels and falling overboard being the top contributing factors in boating deaths every year, a significant number of lives stand to be saved if boaters, personal watercraft users and paddlers wore a lifejacket or personal floatation device.
