No. A007/06
For release - May 4, 2006
BADDECK, NS — A Nova Scotia Provincial Court judge has fined a Pleasant Bay tour boat operator $10,000 following guilty pleas on a number of charges including overloading a vessel during whale watching tours off Cape Breton.
Mr. Wesley Timmons Jr., of Pleasant Bay, recently pleaded guilty to five charges under the Canada Shipping Act (CSA) including overloading a passenger vessel, operating a passenger vessel without a safety certificate and operating a passenger vessel without a certificated master, engineer or radio operator. The CSA prohibits passengers on board or in any part of a vessel in excess of the number allowed as stated in the vessel's inspection certificate.
On August 11, 2005, Transport Canada inspectors observed a group of 29 paying passengers taken on board Mr. Timmons' vessel, the Highland Dancer, for a whale-watching tour of Pleasant Bay. The vessel was certified to carry 20 passengers. A subsequent investigation by Transport Canada led to a number of charges being laid against Mr. Timmons on February 10, 2006.
Transport Canada is committed to prosecuting illegal tour boat operators as a deterrent against potentially unsafe operations. Marine Safety inspectors actively monitor activities of tour boat operators and inspect small commercial passenger vessels throughout the tour boat operating season.
In addition to its monitoring and inspection activities, Transport Canada is currently carrying out a safety promotion campaign that encourages paying passengers to share the responsibility for their own safety by verifying, before they board any tour boat, that it has been certified by Transport Canada. All tour boats should be showing a decal demonstrating they are operating with a Marine Safety Inspection Certificate. Paying passengers should verify that the tour boats they board show this safety decal or ask to see the operator's Inspection Certificate or Notice of Inspection. Tour boat operators operating without certification should be reported to the nearest Transport Canada Marine Safety office. For added safety information, people planning to take a paid boat tour in the Atlantic Region are encouraged to visit the Transport Canada website at www.tc.gc.ca/tourboats.
Tour boat excursions are a growing part of the tourism industry in Atlantic Canada, and are a good economic generator for coastal regions during the tourist season.
Transport Canada encourages safe and responsible commercial marine operations and works in cooperation with other federal agencies, the tourism and travel associations, and specifically the tour boat industry, to promote the safe operation of tour boats in Canada. It is imperative thattour boat operators meet Transport Canada standards to ensure safety for their passengers.
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Contact:
Steve BoneTransport Canada, Communications(902) 426-7795
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