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Boating safety touted as long weekend begins
Avery Davin, age 3, with her mother Jenny, demonstrate how a child should properly wear a life jacket during a presentation for Safe Boating Awareness Week at The Forks on Friday. The province announced Safe Boating Awareness Week will run May 19-25. In the back row from left to right are Healthy Living, Seniors and Consumer Affairs Minister Jim Rondeau with Lifesaving Society members Jon Sorokowski and Kassandra Webster. (SARAH O. SWENSON / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
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WINNIPEG — The provincial government wants safety to be top of mind for Manitoba boaters, so it’s proclaiming the next week — May 19 to 25 — Safe Boating Awareness Week.
"Boating is one of our most popular summer pastimes...," Healthy Living Minister Jim Rondeau said Friday. "But we need to think safety first, and we’re proclaiming Safe Boating Awareness Week today to remind boaters to take simple steps to ensure a safe day on the water and avoid needless tragedies."
Carl Shier, chair of the Manitoba Coalition for Safer Waters, said statistics show one-third of all drownings are boating related. And people not wearing their lifejackets is a contributing factor in 80 per cent of drownings.
"They (lifejackets) don’t work if you don’t wear them," he added.
Here are some of the key steps to safer boating:
— Wear a lifejacket, appropriately sized for each passenger;
— Always supervise children when they’re in and around boats and docks;
— Avoid drinking alcohol while boating, which is illegal and irresponsible;
— Complete a boating safety course;
— Ensure your boat has all required safety gear and sufficient fuel for your day of activities; and
— Be aware of cold-water risks.
murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca
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