Gatineau, Que. police inspect 50 boats, hand out 6 tickets during drowning prevention blitz

The Deschenes Rapids on the Ottawa River on Monday, July 21, 2025. (Kimberley Johnson/CTV News Ottawa)

Gatineau police say officers handed out six tickets during a two-day blitz on the region’s waterways during National Drowning Prevention Week.

A campaign took place July 25 and 26 to inspect boaters and raise awareness about proper water safety laws and regulations.

During the two-day blitz, officers inspected approximately 50 boats and issued six tickets for unspecified infractions, a news release said.

Since the start of the year, Gatineau police say they have issued 30 tickets to boaters, primarily for operating a pleasure craft without a life jacket or personal floatation device for each person on board.

“A life jacket is the best protection boaters can have to avoid an incident. They are therefore encouraged to comply with the laws and regulations governing the use of life jackets, depending on the watercraft they are on,” police said in the release, translated from French.

“Anyone operating a motorized pleasure craft, whether gasoline or electric, must hold a Pleasure Craft Operator Card or the equivalent.”

Police remind boaters that necessary safety equipment must be on board boats during an outing and should be properly maintained. Impaired driving laws that apply to automobile drivers also apply to boaters. An operator whose blood alcohol level exceeds the legal limit of 80 mg per 100 ml of blood or who is under the influence of a drug could be charged with impaired driving under the Criminal Code.

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