Advocates from numerous organizations across the country are urging Transport Canada to speed up talks to introduce a federal lifejacket mandate.
Last year, Transport Canada proposed changes to current regulations for wearing personal flotation devices (PFDs) and lifejackets while on board recreational boats. The proposal included amendments to requirements for age, vessel size, and vessel type.
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The agency asked the Canadian Marine Advisory Council (CMAC) to weigh in on whether all boaters—including those in human-powered vessels such as canoes and kayaks—should be legally required to wear a lifejacket while out on the water.
Ian Gilson, director of the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC), says that official discussions with the department and other stakeholders keep getting delayed.
“There is significant statistical history to support regulations like this,” says Gilson. “It just has to escape this delayed position.”
Transport Canada attributes the lengthy process to statistical data collection and consultations with safety groups, enforcement partners, and industry associations. The agency says that preliminary feedback from these groups is being taken into consideration for the final proposed regulations. It expects to launch a 60-day public consultation on mandatory lifejacket wear through its Let’s Talk Transportation website this summer.
Since last February, the public has also been able to engage in the conversation by suggesting topics to be discussed at CMAC’s biannual meetings.
In Canada, federal law mandates that there must be well-fitting life jackets or PFDs available and accessible for everyone on board a watercraft. However, the law does not require boaters to wear them.
Ontario leads the country in the rate of boating fatalities
Ontario has the highest rate of boating and paddling fatalities across the country, and the majority of these accidents 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 personal flotation device, according to data from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). In 93 per cent of these incidents, the victim’s vessel either capsized or they fell overboard.
While the percentage of boating and paddling fatalities is slightly down from previous years, the rate of lifejackets to fatalities continues to be low.
“The water can take your life away in a matter of seconds,” says Sgt. Dave Moffatt, a marine coordinator with the OPP. “It’s important that people start respecting the water.”
He says that fatalities from accidents on motorized and non-motorized vessels are almost equal.
The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police as well as the CSBC advocate for mandating the use of lifejackets and PFDs while on board a vessel under 6 meters (the standard size of a recreational boat) for all ages.
Both organizations stress the danger of ending up in cold water without a lifejacket.
“It doesn’t matter how good of a swimmer you are, cold water is the great equalizer,” says Gilson. An unexpected fall into chilly water can affect breathing, nerves, and muscle strength; a lifejacket or PFD will keep you afloat and provide thermal protection.
Ontario is on its way to tightening regulations for children in the province. Bill 93, in its final reading at Queen’s Park, will require kids under the age of 12 to wear a lifejacket or PFD while onboard an operating pleasure craft.
But regardless of age, Gilson says there isn’t a good reason for boaters to not wear a lifejacket. Boaters can purchase purpose-based lifejackets that suit their lifestyles, including ones made for high-impact activities like water skiing or tubing, or angler vests with pockets for sinkers and hooks.
As more people continue to get out on the water, it’s even more important to be aware of water safety.
“You always have to be on your game on the water,” adds Moffatt. “There’s no reason why someone shouldn’t go home after a day of boating.”
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