Since this is my first message to you since our Annual Meeting in May, I want to thank you for the honour of serving as Chair of the CSBC for another year. I do have to say that it was a real pleasure the way we started this year compared to last year, with the new programs that were announced in the June News Splash and the one more being previewed in this Newsletter.

With all of the excitement of having new programs to focus on, I realize that we are all facing daily challenges with the COVID pandemic. I appreciate the changes it has made in our personal lives and in the way we traditionally manage the busines of the CSBC. What makes me proud is the way we have adapted and the continued presence we have as a result. As COVID set in mid-March, the question became what do we do with the Safe Boating Awareness Week? Well, with the technology available, the message did get out and social media ensured that the five key messages of the CSBC were front and centre. As we are all now aware, boating has become one of the few activities that really ensures safe “physical distancing”.

In May we hosted our first ever “virtual” Board Meetings and Annual Meeting with great success. Virtual never replaces face to face, but the attendance was excellent, and the interaction and discussion were as if we were around the table. My personal thanks to Secretary Ron Kroeker, Executive Support Officer (ESO) John McMullen and Cheryl Gallagher, Playsafe Productions for all of your preparatory work to ensure these meetings went flawlessly.

I know there was a summary in the June News Splash, but at these meetings we had two Directors retire and I personally want to thank Peter Garapick and Jay Morrison for their service to the CSBC and to safe boating in Canada. The new Directors were introduced and I thank Daniel Breton, Bob Chabot, Peter Heard and Michelle McShane for joining the Board and the various committees they have volunteered for. And to the returning Directors and Executive Committee, thank you and I look forward to the year ahead and the challenges we will face and overcome.

In this Newsletter, you will read about our Virtual Symposium being held on October 1. Lawrence Jacobs and his team have worked hard to prepare this alternative to our usual face-to-face event and if you have the time, it’s free, you can join us from your home or office and the program is excellent. Registration is now open…..I have already registered, why don’t you?

Brenda Reeve is looking for nominations for the Canadian Safe Boating Awards (CASBA’s). There is an update in this Newsletter….even though we cannot commit at this time to a date, we still need you to keep your eyes and ears open and please submit your nominations.

We will soon have Membership cards and I know everyone has been asked for some additional information. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter. Thanks to ESO John McMullen, Membership Chair Clara Reinhardt, Treasurer Denis Vallée and Cheryl Gallagher, Playsafe Productions for all of your efforts on this.

To our Sponsors and Partners, THANK YOU. We are not able to deliver our key messages without your support.

In closing, I would like to thank you for taking the time for being 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. Keep well and be safe.

Respectfully,

In the June 2020 News Splash we reported on new boating safety projects approved under the New SAR Initiatives Fund: Research That Floats/Boating Safety Speaks and SARSmart, both starting this year. We are now delighted to report that with funding from Transport Canada’s Boating Safety Contribution Program, the CSBC has been “green lighted”’ to create a 3 year program targeted at boaters across Canada with a special emphasis on the generally "under-reached" audience of Generation Y and Z.

Called Be a Better Boater, the program will focus on the CSBC’s 5 proven key messages: Wear your Lifejacket, Boat Sober, Be Prepared, Take a Boating Course and Be Aware of the Risks of Cold Water. The messages will be delivered though a mix of traditional advertising platforms and an extensive use of social media inviting boaters across Canada to engage and participate.

The first year of the program is primarily a building one that will focus on strategy, content development and a modest level of direct outreach and messaging. CSBC’s extensive library of boating safety videos and programming will be tapped to allow a quick start-up of the initial messaging and a content platform to enhance the development of a Better Boater on line presence and message outreach.

In years two and three Better Boater will move into high gear with messaging and boater involvement, through programs where boaters themselves are invited and encouraged to share their own experiences, knowledge and lessons learned about boating and boating safety.

One of the planned programs is “Boating Q and Eh’s” where the Better Boater community can ask questions about boating safely and receive responses in the form of simple answers, or for more popular questions, demonstrations or on-water experiments.

Another planned program is "I Learned about Boating From That!" This particular program will be developed to encourage interactive engagement from the boating community to share their own stories with others and help them learn from the experiences (good and bad) of others.

As with every CSBC program, partnerships are the key to help get the message out. During the initial proposal phase, members of the CSBC community - traditional and boating media, boating and other water-focused associations, marine enforcement and marine companies - stepped up to make their support known. Over the next 3 years the CSBC will be working with its extensive community to engage them all in helping make Better Boaters all across Canada.

This particular one focuses on the need for boaters to be more independent and be aware of how to ‘boat better’ during the current COVID-19 situation. COVID-19 has changed almost everything and that includes boating. To reduce pressures on rescue personnel and resources, you have to be more independent. Check your boat before you go, have sufficient fuel, load your boat properly and keep a weather eye out. Getting through COVID-19 is up to all of us, being a responsible boater is up to you alone.

If you are interested in sharing this information with your community, please click here to download and print the attached file.

For more tips on boating safety, visit www.enjoyboating.ca