OPP Report:

Sioux Lookout OPP charge impaired boater

Ontario Provincial Police

On Friday June 21 at approximately 11:38 p.m., the Sioux Lookout Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a report of an intoxicated male operating a canoe in front of a lakefront home on Ethel Street. Officers located the male paddling toward shore near a local hotel. He was not wearing a life jacket, with no lights on the canoe although in total darkness, and had no safety gear in the canoe. Upon further investigation, police determined the male had been consuming alcohol and was arrested at the scene.
 As a result of the investigation, a 36-year-old Sioux Lookout man has been charged with;
Operation while impaired - alcohol and drugs contrary to section 320.14(1)(a) of the Criminal Code.
Operation while impaired - blood alcohol concentration (80 plus) contrary to section 320.14(1)(b) of the Criminal Code.
He is to appear in Sioux Lookout Court on August 6, to answer to the charges.
The OPP would like to remind the public that drinking and boating is just as dangerous as drinking and driving a motor vehicle and the penalties for impaired driving also apply to impaired boating. Whether you are on a boat, kayak or personal watercraft, there are safety regulations that govern what safety equipment is needed in each vessel. If you would like to learn more, visit the Canadian Safe Boating Council at www.csbc.ca.
Members of the OPP will be conducting patrols of the local waterways, conducting compliance and sobriety checks over the summer. If you know of someone operating a boat or vessel while impaired by drugs or alcohol, call 1-888-310-1122 or 911.