No. H 133/08
For release - May 16, 2008
OTTAWA — The 2008 boating season will be kicked off tomorrow with the national launch of Safe Boating Awareness Week, an annual event organized by the Canadian Safe Boating Council, in coordination with Transport Canada's Office of Boating Safety, to promote safe boating practices to the estimated 16 million recreational boaters in Canada.
This year, Safe Boating Awareness Week will be held from May 17 to 23, and will include a number of volunteer-driven activities in local communities across the country.
In light of this year's Safe Boating Awareness Week, Transport Canada reminds you, before setting out on the water, to stay safe and responsible with the following tips:
Always wear a lifejacket or personal flotation device
Transport Canada's Office of Boating Safety promotes lifejackets as the best insurance against drowning while boating. Operators of pleasure craft should make sure their boat is equipped with enough Transport Canada-approved lifejackets or personal flotation devices that fit, for themselves and each of their passengers before heading out on the water.
Get your Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) now
If you were born after April 1, 1983, or if you operate a motorized pleasure craft less than four metres long, you must have proof of competency on board with you. By September 15, 2009, all motorized pleasure craft operators in Canada must have proof of competency. With the deadline fast approaching, Transport Canada reminds boaters to get their PCOC.
Be a green boater and protect the marine environment
Help ensure that our lakes, rivers and coastal waters remain in good health. For example, the discharge of untreated sewage into Canadian coastal waters within three nautical miles from shore, or into any inland waters, is against the law. Protecting the marine environment is a shared responsibility.
For more information on boating safety, how to get your PCOC and how to protect the marine environment, check out the new Office of Boating Safety's website at www.tc.gc.ca/marinesafety/debs/obs/menu.htm.
For more information on Safe Boating Awareness Week, please visit the Canadian Safe Boating Council's website at www.csbc.ca.
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