The first unofficial long weekend of summer has arrived in Ontario, and provincial police are advising boaters and paddlers to "be prepared" when they are out on the water.
Safe Boating Awareness Week begins Saturday until May 24 and police urge everyone who is on the water to wear a lifejacket.
"In the last 13 years, we've lost 270 people out of 312 that were not wearing a lifejacket in our marine fatals, and that's 87.6 per cent," according to Sgt. Dave Moffatt, provincial marine coordinator for the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
There were 23 marine fatalities on OPP-patrolled waterways last year and 17 of those who died were not wearing a lifejacket, and in 21 cases, their vessel either capsized or they fell overboard. Police say about half of last year's marine fatalities involved kayaks, canoes and other non-motorized vessels.
There is no provincial law that requires a person to wear a lifejacket while boating.
"You have to have a lifejacket on board the vessel that is properly fitting, and it has to be accessible," Moffatt told Barrie 360 news. "Lifejackets don't work if you're not wearing them, so wear a lifejacket."
The long weekend will feature summery temperatures, though boaters need to keep in mind that if they enter the water, it's going to be a chilly splash this time of year.
"Hypothermia is a real dangerous piece," explains Moffatt.
He references the one-10-one rule.
"If you capsize, you have one minute to control your breathing and get rid of the panic, and after that, you have 10-minutes of active movement and then you have one hour to survive, and that's only if you are wearing a lifejacket. After 10-minutes of being in cold water and you are not wearing a lifejacket, you're going to sink and you'll drown."
Moffatt recommends boating not too far from shore.
"If it's cold water and you capsize, and you're 10 feet off the shore in a paddleboat, canoe or kayak, then you can rescue yourself if you are wearing a lifejacket."
Police say alcohol/drug use and collisions with over vessels or fixed objects remain other leading contributing factors in marine deaths on OPP-patrolled waterways.
The OPP Marine Program has a fleet of 152 vessels and 365 marine officers committed to enforcing boating laws and the safety of Ontario boaters on more than 110,000 square kilometres (95 per cent) of Ontario's lakes and rivers.
Safe Boating Awareness Week is an annual, national campaign led by the Canadian Safe Boating Council.
Banner image: OPP Marine Unit, Southern Georgian Bay OPP/File photo - Barrie 360
