York Regional police sound the alarm on lifejacket use

The York Regional police marine unit is educating the public on what to do before they go boating as a part of Safe Boating Awareness week.

It was a beautiful day to be out on Lake Simcoe Tuesday - sunny, blue skies and warm temperatures were the perfect recipe for boaters.

York Regional police are taking part in Safe Boating Awareness week. Now that boating weather has returned, so have the people and police, making sure everyone is prepared.

“Make sure you have all your safety equipment. Life jackets and PFDs - they have to be properly fitted and each person on the vessel requires their own PFD,” says Sgt. Frank Abreu with the York Regional police marine unit.

Adults don’t legally have to be wearing them, but it is strongly encouraged.

According to the OPP 83 per cent of people who have died in Ontario since 2016 were not properly wearing a lifejacket.

Over the weekend, the marine unit had to rescue 10 people on the lake. Most of those rescues were for people on inflatable rafts that have drifted too far away.

Police also warn the water is still very cold and dangerous.

People on the water say they appreciate having police out there with them taking a proactive approach to what will certainly be a busy summer ahead on lakes.

“We often see a lot of people out here and making sure we’ve got somebody patrolling and keeping everyone else safe on the lake is incredibly handy,” says Chad Tyler of Keswick, who was out fishing.

Police remind people many road laws are in effect on the water. Aside from a long list of required safety equipment, police urge boaters to always have a fully charged cell phone, just in case. Also, they say to always be aware of weather conditions as they can change without warning

“Lake Simcoe is notorious for the weather changing. The winds pick up because it is a shallower lake, the waves can be up to six to seven feet high,” says Sgt. Abreu.

Police are pleading with boaters to make sure they are prepared for anything while on the water this summer.

The marine unit is holding an open house Saturday at Jackson’s Point, ready to answer any questions from boaters.