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
- 'I get goosebumps': Canadians across the country mark Remembrance Day 10
- Police confirm attempted murder case in Cobalt, Ont., was intimate partner violence 1
- Driver in ditch near Chapleau, Ont., charged with impaired
- Fifth young offender arrested for vandalism at Elliot Lake arena
- Northern Ont. mayors call for help with homelessness, addictions and immigration 1
- Bleeding and in pain, a woman endured a harrowing wait for miscarriage care due to Georgia's restrictive abortion law
- Remembrance Day ceremony in Sudbury 23
- Trump on Day 1: Begin deportation push, pardon Jan. 6 rioters and make his criminal cases vanish 20
- Newfoundland man electrocuted by downed power line, two women injured
- Northern Ont. police tased man to save him from himself, investigation concludes
- Crews quickly extinguish morning vehicle fire on Hwy. 17 near North Bay 1
- East Indian community in Sudbury united, despite tensions in GTA 1
- Who should lead the Liberals? 'None of the above,' poll finds 4
- Here are new guidelines for preventing stroke
Stories from around the region
North Bay
- Two Cochrane men fined $1,100 for starting rural grass fire
- New alliance calls on province to increase access to treatment for opioid addiction
- North Bay motion supports efforts by big city mayors to address homeless crisis
- Volunteers in northern Ont. knit poppies for highway bridge display
Sudbury
- Sudbury woman treasures her parent's wartime love letters
- Northern Ont. marks Remembrance Day
- Northern Ontario teen recovering in hospital after being attacked; ex-boyfriend charged with attempted murder
- Timmins band will attempt to unseat Sudbury group with new world record in underground mine