A new law set to be passed by the Ontario government looks to make it mandatory for children aged 12 and under to wear lifejackets on boats.
By law it is required that every watercraft must have a personal flotation device (PFD) or lifejacket per person on board, however it is not required that individuals wear the lifejackets.
The new law would require that children 12 and under wear lifejackets on boats nine meters in length or smaller, or on recreational water equipment being towed.
Anyone supervising children, parents or guardians, could be fined up to $200 if children in their care are not wearing a floatation device.
In the past year the Ontario Provincial Police reported 29 fatalities related to boating incidents, of those 29, only two were wearing floatation devices.
The bill is to be titled ‘Joshua’s Law’ in honour of an 11-year-old named Joshua who passed away in a boating accident in 2018 and is likely to pass in the fall of this year.
Written by: K. Milhomens
