Advocates are expressing concern about boater safety in B.C.’s Lower Mainland following the death of a 10-year-old in North Vancouver on Saturday evening.
North Vancouver RCMP said a boat was towing an inflatable tube carrying two children when the tube was hit by a speedboat just before 6:30 p.m. PT on June 7. One child died at the scene, and the other was airlifted to hospital in serious condition.
The driver of the speedboat, a North Vancouver man, was taken into custody, police said. The man has not been named by police as of Monday afternoon.
North Vancouver RCMP said Sunday that alcohol and speed may have been factors in the crash.
1 child dead in boat crash at North Vancouver’s Cates Park
Bruce Hayne, executive director of the Boating B.C. Association, said the rules are clear when it comes to alcohol on boats.
“A typical day boat, a bowrider or a pontoon boat, boats that people would be most familiar with for day trips, alcohol is not allowed to be open and on board,” he told CBC’s The Early Edition.
But people still do it.
“We really have stressed over and over again that alcohol and boating is a bad mix,” Hayne said. “Leave that for the dock.”
Transport Canada’s safe boating guide says boating while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is illegal.
It advises boaters to operate at a “safe speed,” which can vary depending on the location.
According to Transport Canada, boaters in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia should observe the unposted speed limit of 10 km/h within 30 metres from shore, except where other limits are posted.
Local residents say safety concerns on the water are not new. Mehdi Bahrami frequents the area and said he’s seen speeding and reckless behaviour from some boaters.
“They don’t pay attention, they try to show off and speed it up,” he said.
Hayne of Boating B.C. said despite information being readily available, education is critical to ensuring safety on the water.
He said the advocacy association is running a campaign around safety and sharing waterways like the ones in North Vancouver.
But he said enforcement is just as important.
Tsleil-Waututh Nation Chief Jen Thomas said the community wants to see more active enforcement at the boat launch, particularly to ensure people are properly licensed and operating safely.
“This community is only growing and that’s all you see is boats. So I would like to see more enforcement,” she said. “It will probably be a busy summer. And I really hope people think about what happened yesterday and take it to heart.”
Ian Gilson with the Canadian Safe Boating Council said more enforcement is needed in all jurisdictions, but in his experience, marine safety is first to go during policing budget cuts.
“I’ve found over the years that when police forces are asked to cut back on their budget, they tend to take it from the marine budget because they want to maintain their presence on the highways.”
He said most people know the rules, but “throw caution to the wind” when they’re out on the water.
“They’re out there recreating and saying, ‘You know what? I’ve worked hard all week long. Now I can get in my speedboat and put the hammer down and just cross the lake and then just sit back and let the wind go in my hair.'”
District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little said there’s periodic enforcement in the area. More frequent rule enforcement would require a shift in the deployment of resources, he said.
“We’re all under pressure [in] our police departments to make sure we have adequate resources for the challenges in our community, and we’d have to see if that is a priority with them,” Little said.
He encourages people on the water to contact police if they see someone operating a boat recklessly.
