Operation safe and sober is making a come-back this summer with an eye on enforcement and education.
The Hamilton Police Marine unit will be patrolling the waterways looking to speak with boaters about safety measures that can be critical in the event of an emergency.
Constable Ben Rushton says often when people jump into their boat on a beautiful weekend, items like life jackets and whistles get left behind.
“Across Canada there’s about one hundred boating deaths every year and roughly ninety per cent of those are due to either not wearing a PFD or not properly wearing it.”
“If you can just take those extra few minutes to think about safety, think about what to do in an emergency it can go a long way” Rushton stresses.
This year in particular, he points out, the water levels are high, meaning boaters need to watch out for hidden hazards.
Hamilton Harbour Master, Vicki Gruber says its also important for recreational vessels to keep their distance from commercial traffic.
“They can’t stop on a dime” she said.
“Commercial vessels need about a kilometre and a half to fully stop their vessel so we really want them to keep that in mind when transiting the harbour and also on to the lake.”
With close to 600 large commercial vessels moving through Hamilton Harbour each year, Gruber says it’s important to steer clear.
As for impaired boating, Rushton says it hasn’t been too much of an issue.
“Last year we had seven charges under the liquor licence act and we had one impaired boater that was charged as well.”
Rushton says he would like to bring that number to zero and is asking anyone who suspects impaired boating to call police.
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