CSBC Newsletter                       December 2017
Message from the Chair
It has been a very busy and interesting Fall season for many of us. First there was a very good annual NASBLA conference in the U.S. in September followed by a really great CSBC Symposium that was held in Quebec City. A report on the Symposium appeared in the October News Splash.

My sincere thanks go to the Symposium Committee for a truly enjoyable and informative event. I heard many positive comments on the agenda, the venue and the food. I am looking forward to next year's Symposium that will be held in Victoria, B.C. Those wishing to attend should book their hotel room early because there will be a very limited number of rooms available and when our block is gone the cost of rooms will rise a great deal. Some of us have already booked our room.

Another interesting opportunity presented itself in September. The CSBC was invited to give testimony before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Rights that was reviewing amendments to Bill C-46. On April 13, 2017, the Government introduced Bill C-46, an act to amend the Criminal Code, offences relating to conveyances. The Bill proposes to supplement the existing drug-impaired driving offence by creating new offences for having specific levels of a drug and alcohol in the blood. It would also reform the entire Criminal Code regime dealing with transportation offences by repealing all of the current transportation offence provisions and replacing them with a more modern, simplified and coherent new Offences Relating to Conveyances.

In reviewing the proposed bill we noted that under the Definition of Vessel all solely muscular (human) powered vessels were specifically excluded from the definition which they had not been in the past.

After much discussion we determined that this would not be acceptable to us and would actually be contrary to the definition of a vessel as contained in the Canada Shipping Act 2001, which specifically includes all human powered vessels.

Michael Vollmer and I appeared before the Committee, presented compelling data on recreational boating deaths related to human powered vessels and asked that the bill include under the definition of vessel all solely human (muscle) powered vessels and quoted the CSA 2001 definition.

As a result the Committee decided to remove the statement that excluded human powered vessels. While they did not specifically add human powered vessels to the definition it at least means that enforcement officers will still be able to lay charges related to operating human powered vessels while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and the courts will have to decide on the outcomes.

We believe that being asked to appear before the Committee and the impact of our testimony says a great deal about the recognition of the work of the CSBC. Congratulations to all.

Respectfully Submitted


John Gullick

Breaking News: Coleman Discount Continues for 2018!

The Canadian Safe Boating Council is excited to announce the continuation of a great membership benefit in partnership with Coleman Canada to help increase lifejacket wear across Canada.  Stearns/Coleman Canada will offer to 2018 CSBC members a 30% DISCOUNT on all online purchases through any Coleman Canada website.  This discount applies to the full line of Coleman Canada products - including Stearns PFDs, tents, sleeping bags, coolers and all sorts of outdoor camping gear, and Sevylor inflatables.

NOTE: The promotional code will only be released when your 2018 membership is renewed.

Organizational members will be able to provide that promotional code to their respective members. Individual CSBC members will receive their code directly from the CSBC.

Help us to promote safe and enjoyable boating - together, we're making a difference! Go to www.csbc.ca to renew your membership, or to become a member.



Canadian Safe Boating Awards 





Canadian Safe Boating Campaign 2017: 
Safe Boating Tracking Research 

The CSBC appreciates the financial support of Transport Canada and the support of Pattison Outdoor and many other partners in making this campaign possible.

Each year, the CSBC conducts a tracking research survey with Canadians to measure boaters' safety attitudes and behaviours, and their awareness of the key safe boating messages communicated by the CSBC's annual boating safety campaign.  Our 2017 survey was conducted by McCullough Associates and Ipsos Reid eNation in late August, to help us measure the effectiveness of our 2017 safe boating campaign.
 
The 2017 survey results are very strong... the CSBC's Safe Boating Campaign was very effective in getting its safety message out to Canadian boaters this year.  Even more so than in previous years!  Record high levels were achieved with boaters in 2017 for awareness of almost all of the CSBC's specific safe boating messages.  And the safe boating attitudes and behaviours that we are striving to influence were also very strong in 2017 - at or beyond the levels seen in previous years. 
 
Here are some of the key 2017 highlights:
  • 81% of boaters were aware of CSBC safe boating messages in August 2017... higher than the previous high of 74% achieved in August 2015.  All-time high awareness levels were achieved with both power-boaters and paddlers / non-power-boaters; and across younger & older age groups and across regions.
     
  • Record high 2017 message awareness was achieved for "don't drink & operate your boat", "wear your lifejacket", "impaired boating is impaired driving", "have the right equipment", "check the weather" and "get your boating license (PCOC)" messages.
     
  • The campaign is achieving high awareness levels with "New" boaters (who began boating during the past 3 seasons), and boaters "Not born in Canada", as well as more established Canadian born boaters.
     
  • The 2017 campaign achieved these high awareness levels via broad-based media communication efforts.  More communications sources contributed to generating awareness of boating safety messages in 2017, with all-time highs achieved for Advertising (PSAs), and Online Websites & Social Media; as well as continued strong News Coverage.
     
  • Key outreach communications materials developed for the CSBC campaign helped generate this strong awareness. One-quarter of boaters recall seeing the "Help us Catch Impaired Boaters" (English) and "Un verre peut tout changer" (French) ads / posters.  And we learned from this year's survey that the potential to be reported via "9-1-1" motivates the majority of boaters (57%) to be much more likely to avoid drinking while operating a boat.  One-quarter (24%) of boaters say they saw the new 2017 CSBC "Tired of Waiting?/Fatigué d`attendre?" lifejacket transit shelters/mall posters/ads (shown below). And almost 4 in 10 boaters recall seeing daily/community newspaper and magazine safe boating articles like the ones distributed to the media by the CSBC campaign team.
  • Increased intent to wear lifejackets in 2017... particularly among fishers and pleasure power-boaters.  Regionally, increased intent to wear lifejackets was especially evident in the Prairies and Quebec, which had lagged other regions in the past.
     
  • Increased intent to not drink and boat... among both power-boaters/ fishers and non-power-boaters/ paddlers.  Regionally, the biggest improvements in drinking and boating intentions/ behaviours trace to Quebec and the West.


More details are provided in the full research report, which is posted on the CSBC site.  Additionally, the CSBC team is using this information to help guide campaign development for next year. 
 
We know it is critical to maintain strong communications "pressure" year after year, as it takes continuous, consistent effort over time to change ingrained safety attitudes and behaviours.  The good news is we are making good progress and look to continuing the momentum with boaters in 2018!



New Research from Maritime New Zealand

More New Zealand boaters are heeding messages to wear lifejackets, according to research published by Maritime New Zealand in November.  The 2017 IPSOS research surveyed boaters' safety behaviours, participation and uptake of safety equipment.The research shows more than three-quarters of boaters wear their lifejackets all, or most of the time, on the water, while about half take two waterproof ways to call for help. These results also align with the on-the-water observational " No Excuses" survey done last summer by Maritime NZ and harbour masters, which showed even higher levels of lifejacket wear at 90%.

Nearly one in every two Kiwi boaters (1.4 million adults) were involved in recreational boating last summer. In 2014, about a third of the adult population said they were boaters (42% in 2017). 

The most popular craft are kayaks (32%) and then power boats under six metres (21%). Kayakers are also the youngest group - 48 percent are aged 18 to 34 compared to 35 percent of people using power boats under six metres. Annual recreational boating fatalities have decreased in the past two years. The fatalities were: 2014, 27: 2015, 24: 2016: 13 and 2017: 12 as of November.

For more information, including a new interactive infographic of the research, go to


Become a CSBC Member!
 
Do you think the work the CSBC is doing across Canada to make boating safer for everyone is important? Would you like to be part of  the network of boating safety enthusiasts across Canada, and internationally? Then why not support our work by becoming a CSBC Member?

We receive no ongoing government funding for the work that we do in bringing the boating community together, putting on the Symposium and the CASBAs, and developing specific boating safety project proposals for funding. As a totally volunteer organization, the CSBC needs your help to continue our programming and services.

Visit our website at www.csbc.ca to learn more about our programs and how to become a CSBC member. Both organizational and individual memberships are available. If you are already a member, now is the time to renew your membership. 



Pilotage Act Review

In November 2016, the Government announced the Oceans Protection Plan to improve marine safety and responsible shipping, protect the environment, strengthen partnerships with Indigenous communities, and to make investments in science for evidence-based decision making.  As part of this national strategy, the Government committed to reviewing the Pilotage Act to support the delivery of safe, efficient and environmentally responsible pilotage services into the future. On May 31, 2017, Mr. Marc Grégoire was named as the Chairperson of the Review.
 
The Pilotage Act Review will include internal and external analysis, as well as discussions with key stakeholders. Over the coming months, Mr. Grégoire and Transport Canada will be engaging with stakeholders to facilitate discussion about marine pilotage in Canada and seek views and advice regarding potential reforms to modernize the Pilotage Act.
 
On October 4, 2017, Transport Canada launched its site for public and stakeholder input at the links below.  To participate, click "register" or sign in.




Escape from a Sinking Vehicle!
 
One minute can save your life! Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht gave a presentation at the recent World Conference on Drowning Prevention on the latest research on how to escape from a sinking vehicle. Some facts:
  • 10% of all drownings occur in vehicles
  • 400 North Americans will drown in their vehicles this year
  • 3 minutes: the time that a vehicle may float on the surface. But ....
  • 1 minute is all the time you really have to exit safely.
  This is what to do: don`t panic, don`t touch your cell phone. Follow these 4 steps:
  1.     Seatbelts: off or cut
  2.     Windows: open or break
  3.     Children: undo their restraints, oldest to youngest
  4.     Out: through the window, children first.
 

In brief

Save the date: the next CSBC Symposium will be held in Victoria, B.C. from October 4 - 6, 2018.

The International Boating and Water Safety Summit will be held in Lexington, Kentucky from March 4 - 7, 2018. Click here for details.

The National Drowning Prevention Educational Conference will be held at the Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina in Tampa, Florida from April 2 - 6, 2018.