Don’t drink and boat this long weekend
Drinking and boating accounts for approximately 40 percent of boating-related fatalities on Canadian waterways. To raise awareness and reduce alcohol related deaths, the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC) is launching year five of an initiative called “Operation Dry Water.” Its goal is to discourage this dangerous practice.
With the summer boating season in high gear, the August 5 long weekend is the perfect time to remind Canadian boaters about the risks of drinking and boating. Combined with sun, wind, waves and the rocking motion of the boat, the effects of alcohol on the water can be greatly increased.
“The CSBC, its partners and sponsors would like, through this and our other initiatives, to raise attention to the problem of boating under the influence and to remind boaters not to drink and boat,” stated John Gullick, chair of the Canadian Safe Boating Council. Operation Dry Water will focus on the potential risks of drinking and boating, and remedies that are currently in place to discourage it.
Federal statutes dictate that, whether or not your craft is motorized, you can be charged with Impaired Operation of a vessel under the Criminal Code of Canada if your blood alcohol level exceeds the .08 threshold. This means you can be charged even if you are impaired while operating a canoe and a judge is able to, upon conviction, suspend your boating privileges. But that’s not all; it can get worse.
Some provinces have enacted legislation where drinking and boating can affect your automobile driving privileges. In Ontario, for example, Bill 209 amended the Highway Traffic Act to also apply to “anyone operating or having the care or control of a vessel.” As such, anyone found boating with a blood alcohol level above .05, faces an on-the-spot automobile drivers’ license suspension. Should the person’s blood alcohol concentration exceed .08, upon conviction, an additional suspension of up to one year can be applied.
Operation Dry Water is aimed at reducing the number of alcohol-related accidents and fatalities on the water while fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol use while boating. The end goal? To achieve safer and more enjoyable recreational boating.
What are your teens up to this weekend?
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is reminding parents and caregivers to spend some time talking with their children about respectful and acceptable behaviour during summer holidays.
Common occurrences police attend throughout the summer time are; acts of vandalism, mischief, shoplifting, loitering, trespassing, under-age drinking, field parties and general noise complaints. Police are encouraging parents/caregivers to take some time to not only teach young people about acceptable behaviour but also to supervise their activity.
Police experience tells us that more often than not, youth who end up in trouble with the law were not properly instructed or supervised, prior to or leading up the situation they found themselves involved in. Open and frank conversations between parents/caregivers and young people need to happen often, especially during the summer months when many young people have less formal structure and guidance.
Enrolling youth in summer programs is always a great way to keep them properly motivated and community minded. Summertime is a great time for students to build up their volunteer hours as well.
The OPP reminds parents and youth about the curfew provisions of the Child and Family Services Act. Under this act, no parent of a child less than 16 years of age shall permit the child to loiter in a public place between midnight and 6 am. This offence is punishable by fine if warranted and youth can be apprehended by police without warrant and taken to their parent/caregiver.
It is the hope of the Manitoulin OPP that everyone will have an enjoyable, safe and respectable summer vacation.
