CSBC 1991-2021: 30 Years of Safe and Responsible Boating!
With thanks to CSBC Chair Joe Gatfield and Ted Rankine, Playsafe Productions
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On May 19 Chair Joe Gatfield welcomed members to the 30th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC). This is a significant milestone….30 years of Promoting Safe and Responsible Boating throughout Canada! We came together as an alliance of Members committed to preventing boating injuries and drownings. Our operating style is to be consultative coaches who are catalysts facilitating the successful efforts of our Members, and proactive advocates championing changes that will have a positive impact on boating safety in Canada.
We have come a long way:
1991
CSBC is organized to improve communications on safe boating issues between government departments, agencies serving recreational boaters’ interests, and private companies and organizations in the recreational boating field. Annual meetings are held, and expand into educational discussions and collaborative efforts to promote boating safety
1995
CSBC takes on Safe Boating Awareness Week (SBAW) by collecting and leveraging materials and outreach from member partners and engaging media (radio, TV, magazines, national and local newspapers) across the country to amplify the message to their audiences
1997
Canadian Safe Boating Awards (CASBAs) event is created by Playsafe Productions and taken over by CSBC 2 years later
1997
CSBC signs Memorandum of Understanding with U.S. National Safe Boating Council on creation of North American Safe Boating Awareness Week and additional collaboration. Agreement is signed at first CASBAs
1998
First annual Conference is held, evolving into the current Symposium
2001
CSBC commissions “Will it Float” study to investigate need and feasibility of mandating PFD wear
2003
CSBC receives direct funding from Transport Canada (TC) Office of Boating Safety to support SBAW messaging and outreach. Additional funding subsequently provided from TC Boating Safety Contribution Program to expand to Canadian Safe Boating Campaign, with four more specific campaigns (Cold Awareness, Operation Dry Water, Hooked on Lifejackets and Stretching the Season) and multiple venues across Canada. Without ongoing funding, Campaign events continue today with volunteer and partner support
2007
Partnering with Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht, CSBC conducts Cold Water Bootcamp, leading to Beyond Cold Water Bootcamp (both DVDs are available at www.csbc.ca), development of first responder Cold Water Workshops, and now Virtual Cold Water Workshops
2010
www.smartboater.ca, with funding from National Search and Rescue (SAR) Secretariat’s New SAR Initiatives Fund, is launched for educators and the public
2013
CSBC is founding signatory of International Lifejacket Wear Principles Agreement, together with Australia, France, New Zealand and the U.K.
2014
CSBC commissions Ipsos Reid Qualitative and Quantitative Research on boating safety behaviours and effective messaging, and shares findings with stakeholders across Canada
2016
CSBC holds first Annual Symposium ever in Yellowknife, kicking off increased engagement in boating safety projects in Northern communities, which continues today
2019
CSBC focusses on Shared Waterways theme at Port Credit / Toronto Symposium, generating a continuing conversation, including Transport Canada’s funding in 2021 of initiatives to increase the safety of small vessels that regularly interact with larger ships
2020
CSBC responds to COVID by refocusing boating safety campaigns on virtual activities, developing virtual Cold Water Workshops and Symposiums and offering virtual AGM access
Today
Check out www.csbc.ca for more information on our current programs and activities, as well as past newsletters for information on many more boating safety projects we have run.
All of our achievements are built on the hard work and commitment of our many volunteers and members, stakeholders and partners across Canada from coast to coast to coast, Transport Canada and Public Safety Canada who provide funding support of some of our boating safety projects, and our sponsors, who provide financial and in-kind support to our activities. A special shout-out to Stearns, who have supported us as a Presenting Sponsor since 2014.
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Why Become a Member of the CSBC? |
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CSBC is the perfect forum to join other boating and water safety advocates in sharing ideas and carrying the message of safety and responsible boating to Canadian boaters. Your membership will help maintain and grow CSBC events and activities, like the Safe Boating Awareness Week Campaign, the Annual Symposium, Cold Water Awareness programs, SmartBoater.ca and the Canadian Safe Boating Awards (CASBAs). As member of CSBC you are recognized as a supporter of safe boating in Canada and can be confident in knowing that You Can Help Make a Difference! https://csbc.ca/en/about-us/membership
Don't Miss This Opportunity! The Canadian Safe Boating Council and Stearns/Coleman Canada have come together to offer CSBC members and all members of their organization a 40% discount on the purchase of a wide range of outdoor recreational products from Coleman Canada and PFD and lifejacket offerings from Stearns.
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New Canadian Safe Boating Council Board Elected |
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At the CSBC’s Annual General Meeting on May 19, 2021, the following slate of Directors and officers was elected:
Chair: Joe Gatfield
Vice Chair: Ted Fortuna
Secretary: Ron Kroeker
Treasurer: Denis Vallée
Past Chair and Member at large: John Gullick
Executive members at large: Lawrence Jacobs, Jean Murray
Returning Directors:
Mal Blann, Barbara Byers, Rick Cassels, Ian Campbell, Bob Chabot, Ian Gilson, Peter Heard, Michelle McShane, Brenda Reeve, Steve Wagner plus above Executive
Ex-officio observer: Stu Gilfillen, Chair, U.S. National Safe Boating Council
Daniel Breton, Clara Reinhardt and Alain Roy are stepping down from the Board.
Director Emeritus: Michael Vollmer (CSBC Chair appointment)
CSBC Chair Joe Gatfield thanked the retiring Board members for their contribution and the continuing Board members for their ongoing commitment. The CSBC is a volunteer-based organization, and our growth as an influential and successful boating safety organization is thanks to the hard work and dedication of our Board, Committee Chairs and project leaders.
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New Cold Water Workshop Dates |
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Virtual workshops
When COVID-19 restrictions temporarily shut down the CSBC’s in-person cold water training last year, the CSBC developed a virtual cold water workshop format that can be delivered to a much wider audience, with no geographic limitations. The pilot offering last winter was immediately over-subscribed, and we held two more sessions in spring 2021. Attendees came from not only Canada but different parts of the U.S. as well, and participant evaluations have been high. At these wildly popular Virtual Cold Water Workshops, attendees learned so much about...
- How cold water affects our bodies
- What to do if they were to fall into cold water
- What to do to properly rescue and treat potentially hypothermic individuals.
These were facilitated by Doctor Gordon Giesbrecht (a.k.a. Professor Popsicle) of the University of Manitoba, who is a world-renowned expert in hypothermia and other cold injuries.
We’re planning to hold 3 more sessions this fall from 8 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. (Eastern time) on the following dates:
- Tuesday September 28 & Thursday September 30
- Tuesday October 19 & Thursday October 21
- Tuesday November 23 & Thursday November 25.
Whether you’re a professional first responder, someone who works or recreates on or near cold water or just want to learn more about how to stay safe – and keep others safe – around cold water, you can’t afford to miss these opportunities. At a cost of $75 per person, these dates are sure to sell out fast!
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In person workshops
And as COVID-19 is beaten back, we’re taking reservations for in-person 2-day instructor Cold Water Workshops, planned for this fall/winter. For more information about the CSBC’s in-person or virtual workshops, please contact Ian Gilson (igilson@rogers.com)
More cold water resources
We have plenty of cold water resources available on the CSBC website, including the Cold Water Boot Camp and Beyond Cold Water Boot Camp DVDs, available for purchase at https://csbc.ca/en/cold-water-dvd-s
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COMING SOON! Weather to Boat APP |
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Watch for the CSBC’s Weather to Boat App to be in the App store any day now. This free App will be a boater’s one-stop shop. In addition to up-to-date marine and local weather forecasts, Weather to Boat also provides lots of information that will help boaters enjoy their boating experience even more. Check on the legally required safety equipment for a particular vessel or review the pre-departure checklists to ensure everything is “ship-shape” before heading out on the water. For on-water reference, there is a comprehensive, geo-referenced list of marinas and boat launches close to where the boater is, or they can be accessed by location to find a new lake or river to visit. All these great features are available without having to create an account and logging in.
By creating an account, boaters can file an electronic trip/sail plan with emergency contact alerting. They will be able to save the key information about their boat(s), emergency contacts and details on their usual crew members including themselves to make each new trip/sail plan filing quick and easy.
Weather to Boat is also loaded with boating safety tips and videos to enhance the boater’s knowledge. Topics can be accessed independently or as a selection on specific boating safety topics.
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Transport Canada Announces Funding for New Boating Safety Contribution Projects |
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The CSBC did not secure any additional BSCP funding this year, but continues to work on the Better Boater multi-year project approved last year:
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Two New Polar Icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard |
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On May 6 the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, joined by the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, announced the construction of two Polar icebreakers, under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). In the context of rapidly expanding Arctic exploration and development, these new Polar icebreakers represent an important strategic asset for Canada and the Coast Guard. They will allow the Coast Guard to exercise year-round sovereignty in the high Arctic and enable ground breaking ocean science research in the north. They will also allow the Coast Guard to coordinate whole of government response efforts to Arctic emergencies. More information at Polar icebreakers and the National Shipbuilding Strategy - Canada.ca
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Consultations on the Blue Economy Strategy |
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Canadians depend on our oceans for leisure, sustenance, and their livelihood. Our ocean sectors contribute approximately $31.7 billion annually in gross domestic product and account for close to 300,000 jobs. Canada has an opportunity to harness its ocean growth potential by building back better—and bluer. Growing a sustainable blue economy requires a strategy to create jobs in coastal communities while ensuring our oceans remain healthy. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is conducting consultations on the Blue Economy Strategy, open until June 15. For more more information, and to submit comments, go to Blue Economy Strategy (dfo-mpo.gc.ca)
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Conceived during the initial dark days of the COVID-19 restrictions, this is an ongoing series in which CSBC Directors and project leaders share what they love about boats and boating. We are all a community, committed to staying safe on the water together. |
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Mary Nicoll, Project Manager, Playsafe Productions
Some of my fondest memories to this day are from my summers spent at Casablanca Tent and Trailer Park on beautiful Lake Vernon in Huntsville, ON. Back then, summers started on the last day of school – my parents would pack my siblings and I into the car and we wouldn’t head back north to Sudbury until the Monday of Labour Day weekend. My Dad would commute on the weekends once his holidays were up. My family were huge trailer enthusiasts and loved the community of friends and families that returned each year to the park. Despite not having our own boat there were plenty of boats that my friends and I had access to go out onto the water in. You could always find us on the water – that was our happy place, where we were free and where lifetime friendships were built. From the orange canoe we’d carry down to the beach in the mornings to tour around the shores, to the silver aluminum boat and motor we’d jump in, to cruise around the lake, or over to the boys YMCA camp across the lake (but that’s another story) or take into town to tie up at the town dock for the afternoon and get ice cream, to the red motorboat we used to waterski and tube ride behind in the afternoons. Summers spent boating at the lake growing up – ahhh…. those were the days!!
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Ted Rankine, President, Playsafe Productions |
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I am a very fortunate boater. Hosting Power Boat television for almost 20 years, I have had innumerable and incredible OPBs experiences (OPBs = other peoples’ boats). Over that time, I have water tested (or simply driven) so, so many boats … from a BC Ferry (under very close supervision) to the boat “cut in half” promoting Boston Whaler’s unsinkable design, from MoonRaker, a 125 foot super yacht by Eikefjord Marine to Hulk Hogan’s offshore Wellcraft Scarab…and pretty much everything in between.
I have also had the good fortune to boat almost everywhere in North America and beyond, including some fairly long voyages. Two that stand out were on board personal watercraft, with one trip from Miami to the Bahamas to compete in an offshore tuna fishing tournament and another trip on a Sea Doo from Nome Alaska, across the Bering Strait to Russia (and back).
However, in spite of having hundreds of OPBs experiences each year, I truly am a boater and didn’t just play one on TV. My personal boats have included a 16 and 18 foot Hobie Cat, both that I raced (quite successfully), my first power boat, which was an old Sea Ray Saratoga, and a Fairline 32 which served both as a camera vessel for the show and our family boat for more than 20 years.
So, what possibly could be the follow-up act to all that boating? These days I enjoy my time on the water at a more leisurely pace in my 16 foot canoe or my 10 foot kayak that I paddle a few times a week in and around Lake Simcoe. Oh ya, and there is also my Cub, which is both an airplane and a boat. Best of all, it allows me to (at least) float pretty much anywhere the wind takes me.
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Daniel Breton has been appointed to the position of Director General, Innovation, Planning and Engagement | Directeur général, Innovation, Planification & Engagement at the Canadian Coast Guard. |
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