Boat inspections are back

Jul 6, 2019 | 4:00 PM

It’s a way to make sure you’re safe before heading out onto the water.

A marine vessel pre-check using RCMP and other volunteers is underway for another summer at the Paddlewheel Park boat launch in Vernon.

The check is voluntary for boaters, but allows operators to produce a document showing they meet standards, if stopped by Mounties on the water.

“This initiative will help speed up our checks on the water” Const. Tibor Baldoff, one of two RCMP officers patrolling the lakes around Vernon, said.

The pre-launch inspection will look at all the items required under the Canada Shipping Act, along with regulations governing pleasure craft.

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“This is a preventative measure that not only assists the RCMP but gives the vessel operator the opportunity to correct any deficiencies prior to getting on the water,” Regan Borisenko, crime prevention coordinator, said

Fines under the Canada Shipping Act have some bite.

An example is $250 for failure to have the required pleasure craft licence on board.

Operating a vessel with safety equipment not in good working order or not readily accessible and available for immediate use (not having enough approved life jackets on board) can cost you $200.

The pre-check station will also examine boats for zebra and quagga mussels.

“This initiative will help assist us in keeping our lakes free from this invasive species” said Staff Sargent Major Josh Lockwood with the Ministry of Environment’s Invasive Mussel Defence Program.

RCMP volunteers will work in conjunction with OASISS, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to working collaboratively to prevent, monitor and control the spread of invasive species in the Okanagan-Similkameen region.

“We will be using a questionnaire that follows Ministry of Environment protocols. If a boat is determined to be high risk for invasive mussels (based on the answers to those questions) or if the RCMP volunteers were to observe anything suspect, they will call the toll free reporting line (1-877-952-7277) or have the boaters call, ideally in their presence,” Lockwood added.

by Pete McIntyre

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