OTTAWA – The Ottawa police Marine, Dive and Trails (MDT) Unit was on the waterways during the May long weekend, marking the beginning of the boating season.

While most marinas and boat launches were not yet open for the season, many boaters took to the waterways with their pleasure crafts.

More than 121 boats/vessels were stopped by MDT and 57 tickets were issued under the Canada Shipping Act  including:

•       No life jacket
•       No paddle or anchor
•       No vessel license
•       No Pleasure Craft Operator card (PCOC)
•       Failure to transfer vessel license
•       Speeding
•       No fire extinguisher
•       Failure to control wake

“The boating season has just begun, and it is a good time to remind everyone that water safety rules should always be top of mind and at play,” Marine, Dive and Trails Unit Staff Sgt. Marc-Andre Sheehy said. “Critical safety equipment, like life jackets, were absent from some pleasure crafts we encountered this long weekend. Tickets are expensive and even more costly are boating incidents that can harm you or your loved ones. Don’t trust your luck when it comes to boating, please wear your life jacket.”

“People need to have their documents in order before leaving the shore,” Sgt. Walter Lushman said. “Most documents can be obtained on the Transport Canada website. Speeding close to shores and jumping waves close to other vessels can be dangerous and will not be tolerated. Be a responsible boater on our great waterways.”