Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada

What Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada does

Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada (DPRC) is Canada's designated lead agency for drowning and water-incident research, operating as a federally registered charity headquartered in Toronto. Founded in March 1999 as the Water Incident Research Alliance and renamed DPRC in 2010, the organization maintains the country's only comprehensive national Water-Incident Database, which records fatal drowning, non-fatal drownings, significant aquatic injuries, and responder interventions. Data is extracted from the offices of Chief Coroners and Medical Examiners across all Canadian provinces and territories, with an interim preliminary-data methodology using media releases and internet searches used when final coroner data is unavailable.

DPRC's product surface is research-report-led rather than technology-led. Core publications include the annual Canadian Drowning Report (national), Regional Drowning Reports covering Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Manitoba, the Maritimes, Newfoundland, Northern Canada, and Quebec, the Recreational Boating-Related Fatalities in Canada series prepared for Transport Canada, and the Ontario Non-Fatal Drowning Report. It has also co-developed the Non-Fatal Drowning Categorization Framework (NDCF) with global experts to standardize severity classification by respiratory impairment and morbidity. Standard reports are distributed as free PDF downloads on the dprc-crpn.ca website, while custom data reports are offered on a fee-for-service basis via direct inquiry.

The organization operates a hybrid revenue model: charitable donations collected through the CanadaHelps portal and likely government grants, supplemented by fee-for-service custom data reports and paid deliverables for institutional clients. Primary customers are federal and provincial government agencies (notably Transport Canada), national water-safety non-profits (Lifesaving Society Canada, Canadian Safe Boating Council), academic researchers, and media. Distribution relies on direct website downloads, Lifesaving Society Canada's redistribution network, and direct client delivery. Internationally, DPRC supports WHO, International Life Saving Federation, Commonwealth RLSS, and RNLI initiatives, including the 2021 UN Resolution on Drowning Prevention.

Name

Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada

Legal name

Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada

Website

https://dprc-crpn.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Short description

DPRC is Canada's lead agency for drowning and water-incident research, maintaining a national water-incident database sourced from provincial and territorial coroners and publishing annual national and regional drowning reports for government, water-safety non-profits, researchers, and media.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Research

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Search & Rescue (Urban/Water/Wilderness) Coordination (HLAJAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lifeguard, Water Rescue & Aquatic Safety Training (EDAOAMAJ), Mortality, Cause-of-Death Coding & Excess Death Analysis (HLAJAJAG)

Keywords

• Drowning prevention research
• Water safety data
• Aquatic injury surveillance
• Fatal drowning statistics
• Public health epidemiology

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom Reports and Data Services: DPRC provides custom reports to individuals and organizations upon request. Data pricing and custom report services are available for those seeking specific drowning prevention research tailored to their needs. The organization operates as a registered charity and appears to supplement charitable funding with fee-for-service data offerings.
2. Charitable Funding and Donations: As a registered charity approved by the Canadian federal government in May 2007, DPRC receives charitable donations and likely government grants to support its research operations. The organization is also supported by founding member organizations including Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Red Cross, and Lifesaving Society Canada.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DPRC conducts drowning and water-incident research in Canada, maintaining a national Water-Incident Database drawn from provincial and territorial Chief Coroners and Medical Examiners. It publishes annual national and regional drowning reports, produces specialized studies such as the Recreational Boating-Related Fatalities report for Transport Canada, develops the Non-Fatal Drowning Categorization Framework, and provides custom data reports and analyses on request to government agencies, non-profits, researchers, and media.

Product overview

The Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada (DPRC) operates as a research and data organization rather than a technology product company. Its core offering is a Water-Incident Database that tracks fatal and non-fatal drowning, aquatic injuries, and rescue interventions across Canada. The primary products are research reports: the Canadian Drowning Report series (national), Regional Drowning Reports (provincial/territorial), Recreational Boating-Related Fatalities reports (for Transport Canada), and Ontario Non-Fatal Drowning Reports. These are complemented by a Non-Fatal Drowning Categorization Framework and Custom Data Reports. DPRC functions as the lead agency for drowning and water-incident research in Canada, providing data to support water safety organizations, policy makers, and researchers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water-Incident Database Comprehensive national database collecting data on fatal drowning, non-fatal drownings, significant aquatic injuries, and responder interventions, sourced from Chief Coroners and Medical Examiners across all Canadian provinces and territories.
• Canadian Drowning Report Annual national report on fatal drowning in Canada, covering demographics, circumstances, and contributing factors of water-related deaths, prepared for the Lifesaving Society.
• Recreational Boating-Related Fatalities in Canada Report Bilingual report prepared for Transport Canada describing the epidemiology of fatal recreational boating-related incidents in Canada (covering periods including 2008-2017 and 2012-2021).
• Regional Drowning Reports Provincial and territorial drowning reports covering Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Manitoba, Maritimes, Newfoundland, Northern Canada, and Quebec, providing regional fatal drowning data and analysis.
• Ontario Non-Fatal Drowning Report Report on non-fatal drowning in Ontario, providing data on the true burden of drowning beyond fatalities using data from Public Health Ontario ER visits and hospitalization records.
• Non-Fatal Drowning Categorization Framework (NDCF) Standardized framework developed with global experts for categorizing non-fatal drowning severity based on respiratory impairment degree and morbidity, enabling consistent global reporting.
• Custom Data Reports On-demand custom drowning and water-incident data reports and analysis tailored to specific needs of individuals and organizations, with pricing available on inquiry.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced annual Canadian Drowning Reports and provincial/regional reports for all provinces and territories
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Transport CanadacoreOthers · 1 January 2022DPRC produced a bilingual written report on recreational boating-related fatalities in Canada (2008-2017) with data from its drowning database. Also produced 2012-2021 report describing epidemiology of fatal recreational boating-related incidents. Transport Canada is a key government client receiving drowning data and research reports.
• World Health OrganizationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2021Canada's leadership contributed to the first UN Resolution on Drowning Prevention through collaboration with WHO. DPRC supports international drowning prevention efforts aligned with WHO recommendations. Canada is positioned to support international cooperation by sharing lessons learned.
• Canadian Coast GuardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 1999Founding member of the organization (originally Water Incident Research Alliance). As a government agency responsible for maritime safety, the Canadian Coast Guard contributed to the establishment of drowning research infrastructure in Canada.
• Lifesaving Society CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 1999Founding member and current close collaborator. DPRC research and analysis support evidence-based water-rescue training and drowning prevention education. DPRC data allows the Society to produce national, provincial and regional drowning reports.
• Canadian Red Cross SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 1999Founding member of the organization (originally Water Incident Research Alliance). As a major humanitarian organization involved in water safety, contributed to establishing drowning research capabilities.
• Ontario Provincial PolicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 1999Founding member of the organization (originally Water Incident Research Alliance). Contributed law enforcement perspective on water-related incidents and fatalities.
• Canadian Institute for Health InformationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 1999Founding member of the organization (originally Water Incident Research Alliance). Contributed health data expertise to establish drowning research methodology.
• City of TorontocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 1999Founding member of the organization (originally Water Incident Research Alliance). Contributed municipal perspective on water safety and drowning prevention.
• Parks and Recreation OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 1999Founding member of the organization (originally Water Incident Research Alliance). Contributed parks and recreation sector expertise on aquatic safety.
• Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC)majorOthersDPRC data helps the CSBC to define key boating safety problems and issues that need to be addressed in Canada. CSBC is a key client receiving drowning data to inform boating safety initiatives.
• International Life Saving FederationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanada's leadership contributed to the UN Resolution on Drowning Prevention through collaboration with the International Life Saving Federation. Partnership for global drowning prevention knowledge sharing.
• Commonwealth Royal Life Saving SocietymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanada collaborated with the Commonwealth Royal Life Saving Society in international drowning prevention efforts, contributing to the UN Resolution on Drowning Prevention.
• Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRNLI resourced the international effort for the UN Resolution on Drowning Prevention with highly skilled personnel and financial support. Key partner in achieving this international milestone.
• Drowning prevention projects in Bangladesh and CaribbeanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanada's leadership contributed to drowning prevention intervention projects in Bangladesh and the Caribbean through collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Red Cross: Founding member of DPRC and operates water safety programs including swimming and drowning prevention education. Comparable in water safety mission and stakeholder overlap, though Red Cross is a much larger humanitarian organization with broader mandates.
• Public Health Agency of Canada: Canadian federal agency that publishes injury surveillance data including drowning, and is a potential DPRC commissioning partner. Comparable in publishing public health surveillance outputs, though much broader in mandate and not focused exclusively on water-related incidents.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): US federal public health agency that publishes drowning statistics and prevention guidance through its injury prevention programs. Comparable in producing authoritative drowning surveillance data and evidence-based prevention recommendations, though at much larger scale and scope.

Direct peers

• Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA): UK charity that produces water safety data, reports, and policy recommendations. Comparable in producing annual drowning/water accident statistics and advocating for prevention policy, though it covers broader accident prevention beyond drowning.
• Lifesaving Society Canada: National water safety NGO and DPRC's closest collaborator; uses DPRC data to publish national, provincial, and regional drowning reports and operates drowning-prevention training programs. Highly comparable in mandate and audience, though Lifesaving Society focuses on training/certification while DPRC focuses on research and data.
• International Life Saving Federation: Global federation that partnered with DPRC on the UN Resolution on Drowning Prevention. Comparable in mission (drowning prevention research and policy advocacy) but operating at international rather than national scope, and focused on lifesaving sport and drowning prevention standards.
• Canadian Safe Boating Council: Canadian nonprofit that uses DPRC data to define key boating safety problems and produce boating safety messaging. Comparable as a data-consuming client and advocacy partner in Canadian water safety, though CSBC focuses on boating specifically and public-facing campaigns rather than research.
• Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI): UK-based water safety charity that resourced the international effort for the UN Resolution on Drowning Prevention alongside DPRC. Comparable as a research-informed water safety organization, though RNLI combines lifeboat rescue operations with prevention research.
• Australian Water Safety Council: Australian national water safety body that publishes the Annual Drowning Report and drowning prevention strategies. Comparable in producing national drowning statistics and coordinating prevention policy across jurisdictions, though operating in Australia rather than Canada.

Regional players

• Water Safety New Zealand: New Zealand water safety organization that produces the annual Drowning Report covering fatalities and prevention strategies. Comparable in publishing annual national drowning statistics and coordinating prevention efforts, though operating in New Zealand rather than Canada.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada