OPP stepping up patrols on the water this long weekend after recent boating deaths
Transport Canada now studying whether to make life jackets mandatory
It's a message we've heard for years: life jackets or PFDs save lives, but for some reason, police say, it doesn't appear to be sinking in.
Ontario Provincial Police are beefing up boat patrols across the province this last long weekend of the summer, after several recent boating deaths.
Eleven people have died on the water so far this year. Eight were not wearing their life jackets properly, if at all.
"They may not feel they need to, they're good swimmers, they think they can just swim back to the boat," said Kerry Schmidt, media relations officer with the OPP.
"But if you're involved in a collision or some kind of incident, you may not be conscious when you go in the water," he said.
"If you're face down, you're not going to make it out alive."
The OPP have released few details about a crash that killed two people last Saturday night, and involved TV personality and businessman Kevin O'Leary.
- Kevin O'Leary confirms he was passenger in boat involved in double-fatal crash
- The Kevin O'Leary boat crash: What we know and what we don't
It happened on Lake Joseph near Emerald Island in Seguin Township, a destination in the region about 215 kilometres north of downtown Toronto. Whether speed or alcohol were factors in the crash remains unclear. It's also unknown whether anyone was wearing life jackets.
Transport Canada studying life jacket use
Under current federal law, there must be a properly fitting life jacket for everyone on board, but you don't have to wear it.
However, Transport Canada told CBC Toronto in an email it's taking a closer look at the issue.
"Transport Canada has … recently initiated a research project that will assist both the Department and various boating safety partners. This will improve lifejacket/PFD outreach efforts and help evaluate the need for mandatory wear."
Earlier this year, an Ottawa mother petitioned the government to change the law for children, after losing her 11-year-old son in a boating accident.
It's like insurance, Lifesaving Society says
It's something the Lifesaving Society supports, especially when it comes to smaller vessels that are under six metres, which it says are most often involved in deadly incidents.
"If you think you can reach and grab your life jacket when you're going to be thrown in the water, well you're probably wrong, because you're not," said Barbara Byers, the group's public education director.
"That's like thinking when you're driving a car, 'I can put my seatbelt on if I'm about to get into a head on collision.' You're not."
She says there are plenty of new, less bulky options on the market, including lightweight inflatable vests. They come equipped with small carbon dioxide canisters that can trigger automatically or by pulling a tab.
"You barely notice you have it on," said Byers. "What a life jacket does is it buys you time to get rescued by someone, buys you time to make a plan and get back to safety."
