I would like to start by thanking you for the honour of serving as Chair of the Canadian Safe Boating Council. I have followed the work of CSBC for many years and enjoyed interacting especially in the many educational programs offered that benefit so many….from down here in Southwestern Ontario to the far north, east and west. As I grow more deeply involved, I realize the quality of the men and women who volunteer to ensure the Mission of the CSBC is achieved along with the many supporting organizations, Partners and Sponsors. I take on this position following many who have given so much of their time and energy and are still active today….thank you for your commitment and leadership and bringing the Council to where it is today. I especially want to offer my sincere thanks to my immediate predecessor, John Gullick, for his ongoing commitment to the CSBC and his guidance and counsel. John, greatly appreciated.

 

As many of you know, I have been involved with the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons’ vessel courtesy check program for many years, and have seen first-hand how meeting and talking to boaters can really make a difference. In the past three months I have spent a lot of time participating in this program. Sometimes I get challenged by friends and colleagues as to the amount of weekend time spent, but really, if you think about it, I am near the water, on boats, with boaters and yet delivering the message(s) I believe in. The result of a vessel check is always significant to me and to those I interact with on the docks.

 

What is the significance, you might ask? Well:

 

You see, what I am able to do in a 30 to sometimes 50 minute visit is have an impact on the boater in the context of today’s reality of boating…the dangers yet all of the good fun aspects expected once you leave the dock. I use ‘safety equipment’ as a vehicle to have conversations with people about boating and boating safety and their safety, and in the process it makes them reveal themselves – their perspective on boating, their habits and what they have learned through this conversation.

 

In this time period, the five CSBC core messages are delivered to the boater even though it may be through various discussions, examples, or stories….they learn about the features, advantages and benefits of:

-        Wearing their lifejacket (and storage and care)

-        Boating sober (including all drugs and the consequences)

-        Taking a boating course or upgrading their skills (or realizing they are not compliant in some ways)

-        Being prepared both personally and their vessel (do you know how and what to do)

-        And being aware that the water is cold….almost all summer (even in supposedly shallow areas).

 

My message to you, if you are reading this, is that you too can have that impact. In your own way you can be that vessel examiner watching out for your family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. It does not take much….if you have an observation please say something.

The Canadian Safe Boating Council, and many other organizations, wants everyone to come home safely and we all share in that responsibility….from Stand Up Paddleboards to the large recreational Sail and Power Boats.

 

The basic Safe Boating Equipment Requirements can be found at https://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/marinesafety/TP-511e.pdf

As this is my first message to you as Chair, I would be remiss if I did not pass on some specific ‘CSBC’ messages.

 

In closing, I would like to thank you for taking the time to be our partner….whether you are a Member, Director, Sponsor, Partner or just a friend. Your support is appreciated.

May you have fair winds, calm seas and enjoy the balance of your summer.

Respectfully,

    Joe

Joe Gatfield, Chair, CSBC

Maritime New Zealand has issued a new and important safety message to recreational, commercial and racing jet boat owners and operators. The bulletin is the result of an investigation New Zealand experts undertook following a recent fatal high-speed jet boat accident. The cause of the accident was identified as steering failure caused by a D-shackle pin working loose after the wire locking in the pin became fatigued and broke. (click image to read the full bulletin)

A recent Court decision in Ontario will make it easier for police forces to pursue enforcement of the Criminal Code and secure a conviction for those who operate a canoe or kayak when impaired by alcohol or drugs. The decision has been welcomed by boating safety advocates, including Sgt. Dave Moffatt of the Ontario Provincial Police, who said: “In a canoe, in a vessel propelled by muscular power, you go into the water while you’re impaired, that can take your life away in minutes”, and that he believes the ruling means it is more likely that police will now lay charges of impaired paddling.

On June 27 David Sillars became the first Canadian ever to be convicted of impaired driving charges for the act of paddling a canoe. On the afternoon of April 2017, after consuming alcohol and cannabis earlier in the day, he made a bad decision to go canoeing on the Muskoka River, despite the strong current. He took his girlfriend’s 8 year old son with him. The canoe tipped and in the strong current, the boy was swept over the 50 feet High Falls. Mr. Sillars was able to struggle out of the water and go for help but the boy was found dead at the bottom of the falls.

While impaired operation of a vessel has long been an offence under the Criminal Code, the uncertainty surrounding the definition of a vessel has been confusing for the public and resulted in some enforcement authorities being reluctant to lay charges. While the June 27 decision is only applicable in Ontario, it has now created a precedent for cases in other jurisdictions.

Avid readers of the CSBC Newsletter will recall that in September 2017, when the federal government proposed amendments to the Criminal Code impairment provisions to include cannabis and other drugs among the bases of impairment, it also proposed a definition of vessel that would excluded human-powered vessels. In its testimony before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, the CSBC pointed out that a significant portion of the impaired boating deaths a year involve human-powered vessels, and that excluding them would increase risk. The Committee subsequently recommended this definition be removed and that it be left to the courts to determine. This case in Ontario is the first important building block in providing clarity that impaired operation of any type of vessel is an offence.

For more information on the impairment issue, click here https://csbc.ca/en/operation-dry-water  to learn more about the Operation Dry Water campaign by the CSBC and its partners, as well as the CSBC’s collaboration with Muskoka Grown, an Ontario licensed cannabis producer, to make boaters aware of the risks of cannabis consumption and boating.