SYLVAN LAKE — Canada’s boating operator permits would mean more if they weren’t so easy to get, say people in the boating community.
Federal legislation came into effect last fall requiring that all boat operators carry the pleasure craft operator’s card, making this the first season that boaters have needed the permit to use their craft on Canadian waterways.
Applicants need to score at least 75 per cent on an exam required to get the permit.
“It’s a joke,” says speedboat owner Pat Felix, a crane operator from Fort McMurray who is camped at Sylvan Lake with his girlfriend and their baby boy.
Applicants can write the test online, meaning people who haven’t studied the material could always have someone else write the exam for them, said Felix.
He and six of his co-workers wrote their exams together. Felix got 98 per cent.
It’s easy enough to do by splitting the screen, putting the questions on one side and the answers on the other, he said.
Marina operator Gord Laurent echoed Felix’s comments.
“Go online and see how easy it is,” said Laurent.
Joke or not, people carrying the card have no more excuses for not knowing and following provincial and federal laws written to keep them safe on the water, including laws prohibiting booze on board and impaired driving, said Sgt. Duncan Babchuk of the Sylvan Lake RCMP.
Those laws apply to all motorized vehicles, not just the four-wheeled variety, said Babchuk.
Consumption of alcohol is by far the most serious safety issue police deal with on the lake, he said.
This summer, the Sylvan Lake RCMP have designated one member to work full time on boating safety. It’s part of a safety blitz now in effect that includes checking boats at the marina before they launch and checking boats that are out on the lake, said Babchuk.
People will not be allowed to launch if they don’t pass muster, including those who thought they could bring along a cooler of beer or a jug of wine.
Babchuk said he and fellow officers are fully aware that people turned away from the marina will often go down the road and launch from somewhere else. Found on the water, they face losing their booze and getting a stack of tickets.
It’s not unusual for police to ticket every adult on a boat if there is booze on board, even if the boat operator is not drinking, said Babchuk.
The only exceptions include the commercial craft that are licensed to serve liquor to their patrons and houseboats that are moored or anchored, he said.
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com