Tragedy struck on Easter Sunday (April 16) when a man drowned in Lovesick Lake, located between Buckhorn Lake and Stoney Lake near Burleigh Falls.
Members of the Peterborough County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and emergency crews were called shortly after 1:30 p.m. to assist a man who had been pulled from Lovesick Lake near Ojibway Drive.
Employees from a Toronto-area roofing company were working in the area and had finished for the day. Two men from the company decided to take a paddleboat out into Lovesick Lake.
The paddleboat began to take on water and eventually sank. One of the two men on board made it to shore, while the other had to be pulled from the water. Although lifejackets were available on the boat, neither man was wearing one.
A 28-year-old man from Whitchurch-Stouffville was transported to Peterborough Regional Health Centre where he was pronounced dead.
A post-mortem examination will be scheduled at the Office of the Chief Coroner and Forensic Pathology Service in Toronto for later this week.
Spring conditions in the Kawartha Lakes means that water levels are high, the water temperature is cold, and currents are moving quickly. Police advise to take precautions when participating in early-season boating activities and to always wear an approved lifejacket or personal flotation device when heading out on the water.
