Summer hasn’t officially begun yet, but we’ve already had two (2) boating accidents on the waterways of the Collines-de-l’Outaouais.
– The first occurred on May 31, at around 9:40 p.m., on Lac Bernard in La Pêche. A kayaker was injured in a collision with a motorboat. The driver’s vision was obstructed by passengers seated at the bow of the small fishing boat. The 17-year-old kayaker escaped with lacerations which, fortunately, were not life-threatening.
– A second incident occurred on June 4, at around 10:00 p.m., on Lake McGregor in Val-des-Monts, when the driver of a boat collided with a pontoon moored to a dock. A 56-year-old Val-des-Monts man was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
As a first step, the police would like to remind boaters that there are rules governing navigation, and that everyone must adhere to them. To find out more, please visit the following links: https://bit.ly/3RrBxEs (boating guide 2024) and the (list of equipment required according to boat type): https://bit.ly/3Ro0bpt
Secondly, if you’re using the docks or public landings, you’ll be able to see prevention posters displaying the police department logo, along with a QR code enabling you to quickly check the list of required equipment.
Thirdly, once again this year, our police officers will be visiting public wharves and landings to hand out prevention brochures and nautical whistles, all with the aim of keeping boaters well informed and preventing incidents. In the same vein, we’re also proud to mention that at the last ADPQ (Association des directeurs de police du Québec) symposium, we received a certificate of recognition for our 2023 boating prevention campaign “Sharing our lakes and rivers safely and harmoniously”. We share this award not only with our initial project partner, the municipality of Val-des-Monts, but also with all our other municipalities, which have also benefited from this campaign.