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The CSBC is marking the start of 2015 with a relaunch of our newsletter. We normally publish 4 issues a year, plus shorter News Splashes relating to specific events, but lack of volunteer resources resulted in fewer issues last year. The CSBC newsletter is an important way of connecting with our members and supporters. Fortunately, we now have a solid team in place and are planning great things for the coming year, starting with this special bumper issue!
First up is a report on the Canadian Safe Boating Awards (CASBAs), which were held in Toronto on January 11, 2015. This is a wonderful opportunity to recognize excellence in boating safety, and our judges always have a hard time selecting the winners because of the incredible contributions made by so many organizations and individuals. We are very grateful to our sponsors who make this event possible, and to everyone who takes the time to attend, during the busy Toronto Boat Show, to help us celebrate.
Also in this issue are updates on our major Canadian Safe Boating Campaign project, exciting research, the CSBC Symposium in Ottawa last September, international news and ...well, you'll just have to read on to find out!
Lastly - it's time to renew your CSBC membership, or to join as a new member. Among the most rewarding things about being involved with the CSBC are knowing you are making a difference in saving lives on the water, and being connected to many different organizations and people, who have one thing in common: we care about boating safety. Go to our website at www.csbc.ca to see how you can support boating safety through becoming a CSBC organizational or individual member, making a charitable donation, being recognized as a sponsor, or simply participating in our activities like Ready Set Wear It, cold water workshops or our boating safety campaigns. And if you are interested in discussing sponsorship opportunities further, Ted Fortuna and Rick Cassels would be pleased to hear from you! They can be reached at ted.fortuna@bell.net and rcassels@mustangsurvival.com.
Coming in our next newsletter: paddle safety in Tasmania, a profile of the new CSBC Treasurer, Denis Vallée, and more ......
Jean Murray
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Canadian Safe Boating Awards (CASBAs)
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Across Canada, five individuals and four organizations stand out for their efforts in 2014 in support of recreational boating safety and environmental stewardship. And now the Canadian Safe Boating Council has recognized them with awards for their heroism, dedication and outstanding accomplishments.
The Canadian Safe Boating Awards (CASBAs) are like the Golden Globe awards of safe boating. On January 11th the Canadian Safe Boating Council hosted the annual CASBA gala to recognize the efforts of the general public, volunteers, professionals, companies, agencies and organizations that have distinguished themselves in the fields of boating safety and environmental stewardship during the 2014 boating season. The winners were selected from a host of nominations received from the public at large, covering boating safety stories from British Columbia to Quebec.
The CASBA awards span a number of categories and the winners who displayed their dedication and heroism in 2014 are as follows:
Safe Guarding the Environment: Eco Alkaline Batteries
Boaters require batteries for a variety of on board applications. Eco Alkalines™ is the world's first battery range to achieve Carbonfree® product certification, demonstrating a wide commitment to environmental responsibility. The Eco Alkalines ™ are affordable without sacrificing quality or the needs of the boating costumer.
Marine Professional of the Year: Thomas (Ernie) Parolin
Ernie is the manager of the Canadian Forces Floatation and Life Support Equipment Programme., whose contribution can best be summarized by an associate from Transport Canada, "Ernie Parolin has done far more for water safety than people appreciate and I suspect, far more than he realizes. He has brought the experience, safety concerns and support of the Department of National Defence to the Canadian boating community at large".
Special Recognition Award (posthumously): Raymond John (Jack) Kruger
Jack Kruger has spent his life committed to the safety and wellbeing of those who live and visit Canada's far north, specifically through-out Northern Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. During his tenure, Jack increased Coast Guard Auxiliary presence by 700 %, managed over 700 SAR incidents and trained more than 100 Auxiliary and 500 RCMP officers in SAR and boat operation.
Marine Industry Award: Boating Skills Virtual Trainer: The United States Power Squadron (USPS), and Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons (CPS-ECP)
The USPS in conjunction with US Coast Guard created a boating simulator to teach boaters docking, working lines, open water operation and more and provide the opportunity to practice those skills before getting out on the water. CPS-ECP took the base virtual trainer, modified it for Canadian to be multi lingual (French and Chinese) and are now putting it into training across Canada.
Ontario Power Generation Best Boating Safety Initiative: Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons CPS-ECP Emergency Equipment Education and Pyrotechnic Disposal Program
An ongoing challenge is what to do with expired pyrotechnics (flares). CPS-ECP developed a disposal program and leveraged that activity into safe handling courses. The program was rolled out during the summer of 2014 across Canada, almost 10 thousand flares were collected (some dating back to 1965) and numerous boaters trained. The program is expected to continue in future years.
Volunteer of the Year: Dan Wright Coxswain RCMSAR
Dan is typical one of those thousands of volunteers who work tirelessly to promote boating safety and keep Canada's waterways safe. As a member of RCMSAR for 8 years Dan qualified to operate RCMSAR rescue vessels, has participated in numerous training sessions, countless scheduled patrols and is on call weekends, days and evenings throughout the year in the event that a someone needs help on the water. Dan represents the spirit of RCMSAR, an all-volunteer organization on the west coast with 1000 volunteer members participating in more than 800 calls every year.
Special Recognition Award for Media Outreach: Brent and Sarah Morrison, CPS Burnaby Squadron
Brent and Sarah are being recognized for leveraging local television program, Breakfast Television in July 2014 to do a spot on boating safety. They solicited the interest of City to create the feature for Breakfast Television, then developed the content, recruited spokespeople from their squadron and secured the vessels needed for on camera presence. The result was more than 8 minutes of compelling boating safety information delivered to thousands of Canadians.
Media Contribution to Boating Safety
City has consistently assisted the CSBC and many other agencies to deliver boating safety messaging to their audience, Canadians all across Canada. They include their support both in scheduled programming (e.g. Breakfast TV), in their news programming, where they include boating safety segments and tips and coverage of safe boating week launches across the country.
Stearns Rescue of the Year: Gavin England
Gavin England, is a 13 year old boy who was prawning in BC with his 77 year old grandfather. Their boat sank and Gavin, refusing to let his diabetic grandfather give up, started pulling him to shore. After reaching shore, Gavin walked over an hour on gravel trails, finding a stick shift truck, (never having driven before) drove to get help to save his grandfather.
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Canadian Safe Boating Awards Recognize Those Who Make Boating Better for All
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The safety and enjoyment of some 15 million Canadians on our waterways every year is due in large part to individuals and organizations like these. Recognizing them is important, and telling their stories will inspire others.
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Canadian Safe Boating Campaign Update
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2014 was the second year of our Canadian Safe Boating Campaign project, and we continued to expand our reach and forge new partnerships. Some highlights:
- North American Safe Boating Awareness Week campaign activities, focussing on not drinking and boating, achieved an all-time high 102 million media impressions
- Hooked on Lifejackets , coinciding with National Fishing Week, involved partnerships with angling, hunting and wildlife associations from almost all provinces and territories across Canada
- Operation Dry Water in August was more successful than ever, with 21 major police and other partners, and
- Stretching the Season in October included 11 joint releases with partner organizations, and magazine articles directed at the marine industry and boating public
- Our new Boat Notes brochure, a handy and much-needed tool for the boating public and compliance and enforcement activities, was welcomed with great enthusiasm
- The CSBC is rolling out our new Grass Roots contribution program, under which local groups can apply for up to $2,500 to support local boating safety initiatives. The first projects will be approved to start in April 2015.
Research is a key element of the Canadian Safe Boating Campaign project, and the results of our work during the last several months are exciting. Objectives included understanding boater attitudes and behaviours, their triggers, and ways to develop more effective messaging. Looking at specific behaviours such as wearing your lifejacket and not drinking and boating, which have a high potential to make a difference in saving lives, the study examined several elements: message focus, barriers to overcome, motivators, emotional connection and persuasive supporting facts. This ground-breaking work will lead to more effective boating safety messages that have high potential to change behaviour. Attendees at the CSBC Symposium in Ottawa in September 2014 got a first look at the research results. We will be sharing the results and discussing the implications of the research more broadly in the coming months, so that all of us working to improve boating safety can take advantage of this new learning.
A key principle underpinning both our boating safety campaigns and our research work is to collaborate and share our work with other boating safety organizations, because the CSBC believes that working together, we can be more effective in saving lives.
Dancing in the streets at the launch of Safe Boating Awareness Week 2014. Come to the CSBC Symposium in September 2015 for more fun in Halifax!
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Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt supports the CSBC
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A major highlight of the CSBC's annual Symposium, held this year in Ottawa from September 21-23, was the attendance of the Minister of Transport, Lisa Raitt - the first time ever that the federal Minister has joined us! Speaking at the closing reception, Minister Raitt confirmed her commitment to boating safety and her support for lifejacket wear. She expressed appreciation of the work that the CSBC does in bringing boating safety stakeholders together to collaborate on promoting safe and enjoyable boating. The Minister was presented with two lifejackets by Ezio Sbrizzi, President of Coleman Canada, (pictured) and with baseball caps by fishing celebrity and keynote speaker Bob Izumi.
In Symposium evaluations, 88% of respondents reported that the Symposium met or exceeded expectations. Next year the CSBC Symposium will be in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from 20 - 22 September, and it's not too early to plan to join us.
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CSBC Volunteer Recognition Awards 2014
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The CSBC relies upon the hard work and commitment of volunteers to deliver our safety programs and events, and to run the organization. The annual Volunteer Recognition Awards recognize outstanding contributions to the CSBC. Congratulations to the following 2014 award winners, announced at the Symposium in September:
Bill Taylor
CSBC Milestone Award - In grateful recognition of your 23 years of dedicated volunteer service as a CSBC Director.
Irwin Doxsee
CSBC Distinguished Service Citation and Milestone Award - In grateful recognition of your 19 years of superior meritorious volunteer service as a CSBC Director, including 18 years as Treasurer and bedrock of the organization.
Ted Fortuna
CSBC Distinguished Service Citation - In recognition of your leadership and business acumen in securing new sponsorship funding, and your commitment and support in management of the CSBC.
Ian Gilson
CSBC Milestone Award and Certificate of Merit - In grateful recognition of your 6 years of dedicated volunteer service as a CSBC Director, and your leadership of the Canadian Safe Boating Awards.
Eric Williams
CSBC Milestone Award - In grateful recognition of your 5 years of dedicated volunteer service as a CSBC Director.
Dale Miller
CSBC Certificate of Service - In grateful recognition of your 4 years of dedicated volunteer service as a CSBC Director.
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New Zealand holds their first Safer Boating Week 17-24 October , 2014
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New Zealand's first ever Safer Boating Week set sail from 17-24 October, 2014. It is an initiative of the National Pleasure Boat Safety Forum, made up of government agencies, local government, the marine industry, water safety and recreational boating organizations. Key boating safety messages are:
- Wear your lifejacket
- Be a responsible skipper
- Take two waterproof ways to call for help
- Check the marine weather forecast
- Avoid alcohol.
More information: www.saferboating.org.nz
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Lifejacket Wear
Lifejacket wear by recreational boaters in France has increased, according to an observation study carried out in July 2014 by the National Marine Rescue Society (SNSM: Societé nationale de sauvetage en mer). 18% of adults and 60% of children observed were wearing their lifejackets, compared with 12% of adults and 53% of children in 2013. An observation study done by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in the U.K. in 2012 showed that 42% of adults and 75% of children were wearing lifejackets.
The SNSM and the RNLI, along with the Australian Recreational Boating Safety Committee, the CSBC and Maritime New Zealand, were founding signatories to the 2013 International Lifejacket Wear Principles Agreement, (FR Principes internationaux sur le port de gilets de sauvetage) aimed at international collaboration in promoting lifejacket wear. Find out more at www.csbc.ca, and go to www.lifejacketwear.com. to sign up your organization!
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In Brief
The Lifesaving Society was successful in their bid tohost the 2017 International Life Saving Federation's bi-annual World Conference on Drowning Prevention (WCDP) in Vancouver. Dale Miller, Executive Director, Lifesaving Society - BC & Yukon and former CSBC Director, will chair the Conference, which will be held October 16 - 19, 2017 at the Westin Bayshore.
Dreaming of sailing or 'tramping' in New Zealand? Interested in search and rescue? The NZ SAR Council has recently issued their 2013-2014 Annual Report, and it makes fascinating reading. Initially modelled on Canada's approach, New Zealand's system for coordinated planning, delivery and reporting on their National SAR Program has now evolved into a world-class model. And the report itself is a 'best practice' for communication with stakeholders and the public. It is available at www.nzsar.org.nz
Loss of life on fishing vessels remains a key safety issue on the Transportation Safety Board's Watchlist 2014. Click here to learn more.
As of August 21, 2014, the TSB has a new Chair: Kathy Fox. She replaces longstanding Chair Wendy Tadros, who has taken a well-deserved retirement. Click here to read more about Ms Fox.
Jody Thomas has been appointed Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard.
Nadia Bouffard has been appointed acting Deputy Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard. A personal note: Nadia and her husband are recreational boaters!
At Transport Canada, Richard Garber has been appointed as Executive Director of Marine Personnel Standards, Pilotage and Medicine, effective December 1, 2014.
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