FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, July 27, 2015 12:10pm
(Ottawa)—Drinking and boating accounts for approximately 40% of boating-related fatalities on Canadian waterways. To raise awareness and reduce alcohol related deaths, the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC) and Ottawa Police Service (OPS) are launching “Operation Dry Water” during the August holiday weekend. Now in its third year, its goal is to discourage the dangerous practice of alcohol consumption and boating.
“With the summer boating season in high gear, we wish to remind boaters about the risks of drinking and boating,” said Staff Sergeant Kevin Kennedy, responsible for the OPS Marine, Dive and Trails Unit. “Exposure to sun, wind, waves and the rocking motion of the boat can greatly increase the effects of alcohol on the water.”
The CSBC and OPS continue, through this initiative, to bring attention to the problem of boating under the influence and to remind boaters not to drink and boat. Operation Dry Water will focus on the potential risks of drinking and boating, and laws that are currently in place to discourage it.
Under Federal statutes, you can be charged with Impaired Operation of a vessel under the Criminal Code of Canada if your blood alcohol level exceeds the .08 threshold, whether or not your craft is motorized. This means you can be charged even if you are impaired while operating a canoe and a judge is able to, upon conviction, suspend your boating privileges. But that’s not all; it can get worse.
In Ontario, driving any motor vehicle over the legal limit of alcohol in your blood will result in a suspended license for 90 days. This means you are prohibited from driving all motorized vehicles. Getting caught in your boat means you can’t drive your car.
Operation Dry Water is aimed at reducing the number of alcohol-related accidents and fatalities on the water while fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol use while boating.
“Ottawa Police marine officers will be out on the water this weekend, enforcing all Provincial and Federal statutes and the Criminal Code of Canada, to ensure that everyone can enjoy the water safely,” concluded Staff Sgt. Kennedy.
This initiative is made possible through support of Transport Canada’s Office of Boating Safety.
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For more information contact:
OPS Media Relations Section
Tel: 613-236-1222, ext. 5366