A recent boating event on Georgian Bay is reminding us of the importance of putting on your lifejacket or personal flotation device (PFD) before heading out on the water.
On the sunny morning of November 7, a 66-year-old man from Mono Township was boating on his small pleasure craft when he went overboard into the chilly waters of Sturgeon Bay. He immediately inflated his lifejacket and tread water for over an hour until he managed to pull himself onto a rock shoal—and out of the 10.5°C water.
Around 11:30 a.m., a retired OPP officer and his spouse noticed an unusual yellow object on one of the many rock formations near their lakeside residence. They immediately called the OPP, spurring the Southern Georgian Bay OPP Detachment into action. At approximately 2 p.m., police located and rescued the man, who was about 400 metres from shore and was suffering from clear signs of hypothermia.
“We credit the survival of the male to the fact of wearing a colourful lifejacket, which was inflated shortly after going overboard, and the good fortune of being spotted by the callers on shore,” said Provincial Constable David Hobson in a statement.
The man was taken to hospital where he received medical treatment.
Transport Canada, water safety experts working to implement lifejacket law
Boaters in Canada are not required to wear personal flotation devices or lifejackets while aboard recreational vessels, though water safety experts are pushing for this to change, including police.
Earlier this fall, Transport Canada held an online public consultation following a 2023 proposal to update its PFD regulations. The proposed criteria include changes to age requirements, vessel length, and vessel type. According to the agency, only 47.8 per cent of online respondents reported that they always wear a lifejacket or PFD while boating.
In contrast, a high number of water-related fatalities continue to involve individuals not wearing lifejackets. Of the 23 people who lost their lives in water incidents in 2023, 73.9 per cent were not wearing a lifejacket or PFD, according to data from the OPP.
Police are reminding the public to wear a lifejacket while on any vessel at any given time. For more information about safe boating and choosing a flotation device, check out the Canadian Safe Boating Council.
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