IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE

Stay Safe on the Water This Summer : Toronto Police Service

Abdur Rahman Khan

With the Victoria Day weekend being viewed as the informal beginning of summer, Toronto Police Administration’s Marine Unit are reminding individuals to avoid potential risk on Lake Ontario.

“This isn’t a bungalow type lake,” said Constable Stacy Kellough who is the Marine Unit People group Administration official. ” We want people to remember that it is more like an inland ocean. Many visitors think it’s not very big when they come down here. It is a Great Lake, and its significance cannot be overstated. That implies you could need more endurance gear on your boats.”

She gave several safety suggestions:

Be careful of cold water and wear a life jacket. Check your boat’s safety gear. Stay sober. Visit the Toronto Police Department’s Water Safety webpage.

In the previous season, 90% of drowning deaths in water were the result of not wearing a life jacket.

Kellough, who has been with the Marine Unit for 14 years, stated, “Wearing lifejackets makes a huge difference to safety while on a boat or watercraft like a paddleboard.”

She also reminded people that Lake Ontario’s water is always cold.

Kellough stated, “If you fall in, you will get cold water shock.” Accordingly, “we want people to respect the lake and know the water they are going to be in.”

To work a marine vessel in the Port of Toronto, boaters are expected to have a harbor grant and comply with speed limits.

Kellough stated, “We have enforcement officers out this weekend using laser technology to ensure that boaters adhere to those limits when operating in certain zones.” At 150 meters, or approximately 10 kilometers, from the shoreline in the Port of Toronto, it is moving at five knots. The maximum speed above that is 19 kilometers, or 10 knots.

The purpose of North American Safe Boating Awareness Week, which runs from May 20 to 26, is to educate the 14 million Canadians who participate in summertime recreational boating about safe and responsible boating practices.

For additional safety advice, go to the Canadian Safe Boating Council’s website at www.csbc.ca.

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