We hear don’t drink and drive, or drink and boat & this is why!

 Provincial Police are out in full force and with weather warming up… they’re turning their focus to people on the water.

  37% of boaters in Canada admit to consuming alcohol every time they boat.

  66% report they drink alcohol sometimes when boating.

  Alcohol is a factor in over 40% of recreational boating fatalities.

O-P-P is reminding all boaters that you can be charged with Impaired Operation of a Vessel if you’re blood alcohol level is above point-zero-eight.

Police also say rules for having alcohol in boats vary by province… but in Ontario… you can’t even transport alcohol unless your boat is classed as a home.

Under Ontario Bill 209, drunken boaters will be subject to the same suspension penalties that now apply to vehicle drivers. The Highway Traffic Act applies to “anyone operating or having the care or control of a vessel”. Anyone found operating a boat while impaired can face an on-the-spot vehicle driver’s license suspension, with additional suspension if convicted.

Under what circumstances is it illegal to transport alcohol?
It is illegal to transport beverage alcohol in a motor vehicle, a motorized snow vehicle or a boat unless the beverage alcohol is in a container that is unopened and the seal unbroken, or unless the beverage alcohol is packaged in baggage that is fastened closed or is not otherwise readily available to anyone in the vehicle. In a boat, the beverage alcohol must be stored in a closed compartment. (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario)

What boats may carry alcohol in Ontario?
A boat with permanent sleeping accommodations and permanent cooking and sanitary facilities, other than a boat used to carry passengers for hire, is considered to be a private place while the boat is at anchor or is secured to the dock or land. (Sec.3/7 Read Ontario Liquor License Act for more.)

For current information about the laws and regulations affecting boaters, visit the Office of Boating Safety and the Province of Ontario. You may also ask the Provincial Police who enforce the laws and regulations.

 Gordon Bay Marine Supports The Water On The Water Saying...Stay Safe & Happy Boating!!