Northern Ont. boater charged with impaired driving during compliance check

Provincial police say a man was charged with impaired driving during a compliance check at a northern Ontario beach Sunday afternoon.

Officers were on general patrol at Rahill Beach on Highway 125 in Red Lake shortly before 2:30 p.m. when they stopped the boater, Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release.

"Through investigation, officers determined that the operator of the vessel had been impaired by alcohol," OPP said.

"The operator was subsequently placed under arrest and transported to the Red Lake OPP detachment for further testing."

As a result, a 48-year-old man from Balmertown was charged with impaired driving and having a blood alcohol concentration of 80 or more.

He was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 19.

Police treat impaired driving the same whether on the road or the water and the same penalties apply either way upon conviction.

"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:

1. The boat must be tied up to a dock or shore or anchored somewhere
2. Boat has a pump-out head for the black/wastewater
3. 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."