Recreation

Safe Boating Week – Boating and Drinking: Know the Laws

Summer has arrived, marking the start of boating season! It is finally time to relax, unwind, and cruise around the lake with some friends. With the hot sun beating down, it is only natural that most boaters would reach for an icy cold beer. Before doing so, however, there are a few legal considerations to keep in mind.

In the province of Ontario, a boat is considered a ‘motor vehicle’, meaning it is viewed as an equivalent to a car. The implication of this is that all drunk driving laws that many are familiar with from driving cars also directly apply to driving boats. Section 253(1) of the Criminal Code states that anyone who operates a motor vehicle or vessel , or has care or control of a motor vehicle or vessel while impaired by alcohol or a drug, commits a criminal offense. To be considered “impaired” means to have consumed a quantity of alcohol that makes a person’s Blood-Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level exceed 80 mg of alcohol per 100 mL of blood (0.08). The punishment for driving a boat while drunk varies, depending on the frequency and severity of the offence. A first offence may result in a […]

Recent Posts

Scathing report released detailing Navy’s handling of Red Hill fuel spill

The Inspector General of the Department of Defense released some scathing reports Thursday over the…

5 days ago

Growing Food Instead of Grass Lawns in California Front Yards

Photo: Morgan Boone, a volunteer with Crop Swap LA, harvested lettuce at the La Salle…

2 weeks ago

LA River restoration connects us back to ‘the life force of our city’

Los Angeles residents at a section of the Los Angeles River cleanup in Los Angeles,…

3 weeks ago

LAist: New study raises questions about heavy metals in fire retardants

Over the past decade, about 67 million gallons of fire retardant have been dropped on…

3 weeks ago

Meadow and watershed restoration in the Golden Trout Wilderness

Photo: Golden Trout Wilderness Seeking blue, seeing gold The Kern Plateau features a chain of…

3 weeks ago

First sighting of salmon in 100 years marks key milestone for California dam removal

For the first time in more than a century, a salmon was observed swimming through Klamath…

4 weeks ago