New Canadian Safe Boating Council Chair and Board elected

 

At the CSBC's Annual General Meeting on May 21, 2015, the following slate of Directors and officers was elected:
 
Chair: John Gullick

Vice Chair: Michael Vollmer

Secretary: Sue Daly

Treasurer: Denis Vallée

Past Chair: Jean Murray

Executive members at large: Ted Fortuna, Bob Minielly

Returning Directors: Mal Blann, Barbara Byers, Rick Cassels, Robert Dupel, Cynthia Hodgson, Sandra Inglis, Vahe Vassilian, plus above Executive

New Directors: Mike Dean, Blair Doyle, Karen Harrington, Larry Jacobs

Ex-officio observer: Chris Edmonston, Chair, National Safe Boating Council

 

Non-returning directors Kevin Monahan, Yves Paquette and Cathy Sandiford were thanked for their contribution. 

Portrait of new CSBC Chair John Gullick 


John Gullick is a well-known senior manager with over 40 years of experience in the not-for-profit and boating education fields. He has been Manager of Government and Special Programs with the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons since 1999; amongst his responsibilities has been managing the Pleasure Craft Operator Card and the Restricted Operator Certificate (Maritime) programs provided through 150 Squadrons, 400 independent Recognized Providers/Examiners and a number of Provincial Partner Organizations. He is Race Director and Past Chair of the Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival, which is now in its 15th year and considered to be one of the world's largest single day community events of its kind.

 

John has served as co-chair of the Canadian Marine Advisory Council (CMAC) Recreational Boating Standing Committee since 2007, and has wide experience as a memberof over 45 community volunteer boards, most as Chair or Executive member.

 

John has been extensively involved with the Canadian Safe Boating Council since 2001, as a Director, former CSBC Chair and co-chair of the CSBC Symposium.

Watch for John's first Message from the Chair in the next CSBC Newsletter, due out in August.

CSBC wins awards at International Boating and Water Safety Summit in Sandestin, Florida

 

Barbara Byers accepts the IBWSS Media Contest Award from Brian Westfall, National Water Safety Congress

Caption: Barbara Byers accepts the IBWSS Media Contest Award from Brian Westfall, National Water Safety Congress

The CSBC won two awards in the Media Contest 2015 at the International Boating and Water Safety Summit in April:

  • First place in the Posters/Signs category for the Help us catch an impaired boater poster
  • Third place in the Audio Public Service Announcement category for the Hooked on Lifejackets PSA.  


 

This is the first time that Canada has won first place! Kudos and thanks to the talented team at Saatchi and Saatchi who designed the poster, Barb Byers and Ted Rankine who managed the project, and Transport Canada for their contribution to the Canadian Safe Boating Campaign project.

CSBC Research: Making the Results Matter

 

The CSBC has continued to give briefings on the latest research on effective boating safety messaging, to ensure the broader stakeholder community benefits from our learning. During April and May Barbara Byers presented at the Canadian Marine Advisory Council (CMAC)  Recreational Boating Committee, the Golden Horseshoe Police group (GTA area), the  Lifesaving Society Management Team, and the Ontario Recreational Boating Advisory Council (RBAC). She and Ted Rankine gave a more in-depth presentation at the International Boating and Water Safety Summit in the USA at the end of March, John Gullick presented at the Safe and Quiet Waters meeting in Muskoka in April and Jean Murray included research highlights in a presentation at Marine 15 in Australia in May (see below).  There will also be an opportunity to discuss these issues in more depth at the CSBC Symposium in Halifax in September.

CSBC presents at Marine 15 Conference in Australia

 

Jean Murray, CSBC Chair, made two presentations at the Marine 15 Conference on the Gold Coast, Australia, May 3 - 6. The first was on Cross-jurisdictional and Cross-agency Collaboration, and the second, a joint presentation with Rachel Johnson, Executive Director of the U.S. National Safe Boating Council, was on Assessing the Effectiveness of Prevention Programs. Copies of both presentations are available on the CSBC website at  www.csbc.ca.
 

Jean also participated in a boating safety data forum, at which all participants agreed on the need for solid and cohesive boating safety data systems, and the Australian participants agreed on an initiative to pursue this across all jurisdictions in Australia (unlike in Canada, where Transport Canada has the responsibility for regulating boating safety, individual states have this authority in Australia).

Other Canadian presenters were Dr. Gord Giesbrecht, renowned cold water expert and instructor at the CSBC's cold water workshops, and Kerry Moher, Fresh Air Educators.
 

This conference was a good opportunity to reinforce the partnerships established in the International Lifejacket Wear Principles Agreement Cyndi - pls add CSBC web link, signed by the CSBC in 2013, and to promote international participation in the CSBC Symposium in Halifax and future years - for which there is considerable enthusiasm! 

New Zealand Search and Rescue Awards

By Jean Murray


I had the great pleasure of attending the New Zealand SAR Awards ceremony on April 21 in Wellington, New Zealand. The awards were presented by the Governor General at the beautifully restored Government House, and guests were invited to tour the building afterwards. The awards were presented in two categories: Operational Activity and Support Activity, and covered land, sea and air modes. On the marine side, awards were presented for the rescue of a surfer from gannet colony cliffs; the rescue of three fishermen; the search for a five year old boy who had been swept into the ocean; the rescue of the crew of a disabled yacht; for technical innovation in marine SAR planning and operations; and for services to marine SAR in a specific area. The ceremony was very moving, and the commitment, competence and humility of the award winners was striking. 

For details,click here. 

Join us for the CSBC Symposium in Halifax from September 20-22, 2015

 

The CSBC Symposium summons boating safety enthusiasts from across Canada and internationally at the Sheraton Four Points in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The agenda will include sessions on boating safety in Australia, ocean sailing/racing, anglers and hunters boating safety, CSBC Research on effective boating safety messaging, and much more. Featured this year is an on-water paddle sport activity for all delegates. A cold water instructors workshop (separate registration) will be held before the Symposium on September 19 and 20. 

 

For more information about the Symposium,  registration and accommodation information, click here.


For more information about the cold water workshop, click here. We're looking forward to seeing you!

In brief                              

 

The CSBC has a new phone number for enquiries. The CSBC website at  www.csbc.ca is a great resource for information about our programs and events, as well as about boating safety, and email contact addresses are there as well. But if you need to speak to someone about a specific query,  you can now call 1-416-840 8938 (bilingual).

 

Tim Meisner has been appointed Director General, Marine Safety and Security, Transport Canada. Tim joined TC's Air Transportation Branch in the Atlantic Region in 1981. He moved to the Canadian Coast Guard in 1995, but returned to TC in 2004 as Director General, Strategies and Integration and led working groups on a variety of projects, namely TC's Program Activity Architecture (PAA), as well as the reviews of both the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) Act, and the Railway Safety Act. Lastly, he became Director General, Marine Policy in 2008, a position he held until now.