Advertisement
"Unfortunately, we still have had, thus far, a couple fatalities on our waterways that we patrol," OPP Const. Phil Young told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca in a Zoom interview.
Consuming alcohol on a boat
Young said there are some circumstances where people can legally consume alcohol on a boat.
"We're not out there to ruin somebody's weekend or their day and cause them, you know, a hard time regarding this," he said.
"We get it, when you get back to shore, when you get back to your dock and you sit at your dock and you're not going anywhere and you're going to sit on your vessel and have a beer or a drink, so be it."
Three things need to happen to drink on a vessel:
- The boat must be tied up to a dock or shore or anchored somewhere
- Boat has a pump-out head for the black/wastewater
- Permanent cooking facilities
"What we are seeing more now are pontoon boats where the retailer has told them, 'well, all you need is a port-a-potty screwed onto the back of the boat or onto the front of the boat and a barbecue, or hibachi,'" Young said.
"So that doesn't fly. That's not the intention of the rules and the guidelines, according to Transport Canada."
Human waste must be disposed of properly and not just thrown into the water.
Cooking facilities need a stove, oven or microwave to be considered a permanent cooking facility.
While it may be okay to enjoy an alcoholic beverage after a day of boating, Young stresses public water safety.
"Please don't go out on that boat again after you've been consuming alcohol and or drugs too," he said.
Report impaired drivers
"If you suspect someone is driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. It is important to call 911 to report it," OPP said.
Young said not a lot of people want to get involved when they see a suspected impaired driver, but to think of the risk of not reporting it.
"They see that happen and they think … 'I'll let somebody else call or it's not a big deal, I'm just going to go home, mind my own business," he said.
"But think of that as one of your loved ones out on the water or one of your children out fishing or out kayaking, or your grandparents, or you're somebody out on the water, enjoying the waterway."
Top Story
- Ground search Wednesday for missing Manitoulin woman 1
- Students in North Bay learn about Holodomor genocide in travelling RV exhibit 1
- Nurse practitioners want to be part of the solution, northern MPP says
- Work underway in northern Ont. to attract and retain Francophone newcomers 1
- Sault man charged for flashing people 1
- Four charged in cocaine bust in northern Ont.
- Northern Ont. man, 18, charged with attempted murder in attack on ex-girlfriend 4
- Greater Sudbury begins search for a new CAO 1
- Harris concedes to Trump in post-election speech 6
- New homeowners find skeleton in attic 15 years after previous occupant disappeared
- Donald Trump wins U.S. presidential election, Harris concedes in speech about democracy 17
- Trump's second term will look nothing like his first
- Another crash involving truck, horse and buggy in northern Ontario 12
- Transport knocks out power to hundreds in downtown North Bay
Stories from around the region
Sault Ste. Marie
- Judge agrees $510M legal bill for Robinson Huron Treaty case should be reviewed
- Sault police charge man with child porn offences
- Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., fraud suspect arrested at Canadian border
- Man serving time for manslaughter wanted on Canada-wide warrant, has ties to Thunder Bay