CSBC Newsletter                             August 2015
Message from the Chair
Let me start by offering my sincere thanks to Jean Murray for her past three and a half years as the Chair of the CSBC. Jean's dedication to the CSBC and our mission and objectives has been awe-inspiring and a real pleasure to witness and learn from. Jean maintains a position on the CSBC Executive as Past Chair and has been re-nominated by the CSBC as Co-Chair of the National Recreational Boating Advisory Council (NRBAC).

As for the CSBC, we can congratulate ourselves and build on the following major successes: 
  • The CSBC has implemented many successful boating safety projects, research studies and cold water training workshops, and has accumulated many valuable educational materials, and activities that have brand equity. The CSBC has brought boating safety partners together through the Canadian Safe Boating Awards (CASBAs), the Symposium and newsletters and other communications activities. We have credibility through international partnerships and agreements and co-chairing key boating safety committees in Canada
  • We have secured funding for and are implementing our biggest boating safety project ever, the Canadian Safe Boating Campaign, which has enabled us to increase our reach, run multiple events during the boating season, develop new partnerships, introduce a new local grass roots initiative, conduct important new research and greatly increase our credibility as a unique national boating safety leader. The CSBC received by far the largest share of the Boating Safety Contribution Program funding when the program was expanded, and our financial management practices were found to be sound in the TC evaluation. This year, the last year of the project, we need to determine how to build on this success, and to develop proposals for future year funding
  • We have been successful in signing our first commercial joint promotion agreement, that is bringing in additional revenue over 3 years and we have secured increased sponsorships from significant partners. This is a major step forward in beginning to capitalize on the value of the CSBC brand and activities. There is significant potential for additional sponsorships, based on what we have to offer.
  • We have dedicated, competent and knowledgeable volunteers who serve on our Board and Committees but, despite being able to recruit four new Directors, we need more of them.
  • With Transport Canada reducing its OBS resourcing and footprint across the country, there is a need, and an opportunity, for the CSBC to play an even stronger leadership role but this would require significant additional funding, on a sustained basis. 
That being said, we do have our challenges. We have become a major business, but without the solid and sustainable paid administrative base required to support our range and volume of ongoing activities. The number of organizations and companies who are active CSBC members and serve on our board and committees has declined, putting our role as an 'organization of organizations' at risk. Individual membership numbers have also declined.
 
Our primary 2015/16 Action Priorities are to:
  • Increase business, sponsorship and other revenues to establish consistent and stable funding to fulfill the CSBC mission and run the organization.
  • Plan and complete the annual CASBAs and Symposium.
  • Generate revenues from cold water training and sale of CSBC products.
  • Grow membership.
  • Recruit new volunteer support.
  • Revitalize coordinated external communications.
  • Deliver boating safety and education projects like the Canadian Safe Boating Campaign.
  • Promote CSBC influence with stakeholders and partners.
  • Plan and deliver CSBC Volunteer Recognition Awards.
  • Review Board requirements for 2016 and future years, solicit interest and develop nominations for 2016.
  • Continue ongoing management of the organization.
For our future the Canadian Safe Boating Council aims to be Canada's leading boating safety organization. We are an organization of organizations. We are collaborative, bringing a wide range of partners and stakeholders together to promote boating safety. We have strong support from industry, government and individual members, and work closely with international partners. The CSBC has a sound management and administrative base and we carry out effective activities and offer valuable resources that save lives on the water.
 
I thank those of you who have become Directors and Executive members of the organization.
 
I encourage those of you who are not yet members to join us and to those who are members to provide active support to our various activities. Here is how you can participate:
 
Attend our annual Symposium by registering on line through our web site  www.csbc.ca. We lose our hotel block at a reduced rate by August 19, so book now.
 
Put forward a nomination for our annual CASBA Awards. The call for this year's awards, to be presented on January 10, 2016 is out now. Again, go to  www.csbc.ca.
 

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

Don't miss out - join us for what promises to be the best CSBC Symposium ever! The event will be held at the Sheraton Four Points hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia, just steps from the waterfront. You can be sure of a warm Down East welcome, starting with the opening reception on the evening of Sunday September 20 at the historic Keith's Brewery. Join fellow boating safety enthusiasts for presentations and discussions on a wide range of topics, including:
  • International speakers from Tasmania, New South Wales and New Zealand
  • Ocean racing: East Coast and Australia
  • Boating safety for anglers and hunters
  • Marine Animal Rescue Program
  • Alcohol and boating
  • Effective boating safety messaging: what we have learned from CSBC research
  • And much more!
And don't miss the on-water paddle sport activity on the afternoon of September 22! We're looking forward to welcoming you. For more information,  click here. 
Canadian Safe Boating Awards (CASBAs)

The 2015 CASBAs will be held on Sunday January 10, 2016. in the Civic Ballroom of the Sheraton Centre (123 Queen St. West in Toronto). Come join in the fun! Help us recognize those whose efforts have enhanced the recreational boating experience for us all. It's also an excellent opportunity to network with like-minded enthusiasts and professionals.

The CASBAs are an awards gala and dinner held in January each year to recognize the efforts of the general public, volunteers, professionals, agencies and organizations who have distinguished themselves in the fields of boating safety and environmental stewardship. What makes the CASBAs so very special is that these winners are chosen based on nominations provided by you, the general public. Winners are selected in a number of categories:
  • Stearns Rescue of the Year
  • Top Volunteer Dedicated to Boating Safety
  • Safeguarding the Environment
  • Marine Professional of the Year
  • Visible PFD Wear in Advertising
  • Marine Industry Award
  • Ontario Power Generation Best Boating Safety Initiative
  • Best Media Contribution to Boating Safety
  • Special Recognition Award.
So as you are out on the water this summer, keep your eyes open for someone you would like to nominate for an award! Plan to join us on January 10 in Toronto. For more details, including how you can become a sponsor, click here. 
Canadian Safe Boating Campaign

The CSBC appreciates the financial support of Transport Canada and the support of Pattison Outdoor and many other partners in making this campaign possible.

Boat Notes

Carnet de bord















Feedback received on the Boat Notes/Carnet de bord brochures has been extremely positive. The brochures are a handy reference tool covering the key regulatory and safety information you need to know when heading out on the water.  A total of 50,000 English and 10,000 French versions have been printed to date for distribution. Recipient organizations have also been offered electronic copies of the brochure to which they can add their own logos for local printing and distribution, extending the reach of this key safety information. The Ontario Provincial Police, for example, printed a total of 28,000 copies for their own distribution across Ontario.
2015 Billboard Campaign 

The posters and billboards developed in 2014 on the theme of impaired boating have been continued in 2015, and have been eagerly embraced by police agencies. Pattison Outdoor has placed posters at strategic street level and mall locations all across Canada.




















The posters and billboards developed in 2014 on the theme of impaired boating have been continued in 2015, and have been eagerly embraced by police agencies. Pattison Outdoor has placed posters at strategic street level and mall locations all across Canada.

Beyond the Pattison Outdoor placements, liquor board outreach within each province and territory in Canada continued, with even more interest than last year. Provincial Liquor Store head offices across Canada have been approached to carry these posters, in both electronic copies and physical copies, in their individual locations throughout the boating season. So far, posters have been mailed to the Yukon Territory, Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. In some cases, logos specific to some provincial/territorial liquor boards have been included. Since the Yukon Territory does not have '911', the poster was also amended to be more relevant to residents there. "Call 911" was changed to "Call the RCMP" and has been sent to the Yukon Liquor Board in both French and English.
North American Safe Boating Awareness Week 

Old Port of Montreal
Kick-off media events were held in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.  The Conseil Qu�b�cois du Nautisme and the Association Maritime du Qu�bec managed the Montreal event. In all but one of the events, provincial or municipal proclamations were read, officially designating May 16 - 22 Safe Boating Awareness Week within their jurisdictions. All of the events were well supported, with other boating safety stakeholder groups exhibiting as well.

The highpoint of the Toronto event, held at Queen's Quay, was an Impaired Boater Challenge where an operator would board a small RHIB with a 5 HP motor and try to navigate an on-water obstacle course while wearing goggles that simulated impairment.

Artificially Impaired Operator with  
Safety Officer
For the 'Ready, Set, Wear It' campaign, a total of 15 events took place across Canada, contributing to a new world record boasting 10,917 participants. 8,990 wore inherently buoyant lifejackets, 1,927 were inflated and 65 lifejackets were worn by pets!
Safe Boating Awareness Week Research

In late May/early June 2015, a quantitative online survey was conducted after Safe Boating Awareness Week, similar to previous years, to measure & track:
  • Awareness of safe boating messages communicated by the Safe Boating Awareness Week annual communication campaign; and
  • Boating safety attitudes and behaviours among Canadian boaters.
There were major increases in awareness, including:
  • Significant increase in overall boater awareness of SBAW boating safety campaign messages in 2015 - up to an all-time high of 69% of boaters aware of 1 or more campaign messages.  This is up sharply from 53-54% in each of the previous 3 years.
  • Significant increase to an all-time high 25% of boaters "highly aware" of SBAW campaign messages in 2015 (are aware of 5 or more of the 9 messages) - up from 20% in 2014, which in turn was up from 14% to 16% in the previous 5 years.
  • Highest message awareness, and large increases in awareness in 2015, for the SBAW campaign's highest priority messages:
    • Half (48%) of boaters aware of "Don't drink alcoholic beverages if you are operating a boat", up from 36% in 2014; and
    • 42% aware of "Wear your lifejacket; don't just carry it on your boat", up from 34% in 2014.
Hooked on Lifejackets

The Hooked on Lifejackets campaign ran from July 4 - 12, in parallel with National Fishing Week in Canada, and in collaboration with Provincial and Territorial Angling and Hunting Federations and Provincial Conservation Officer Associations. Two 15 and 30-second English and French radio PSAs recorded by renowned television personalities Bob Izumi and Paul Shibata respectively were made available for the 2015 season to promote lifejacket wear to anglers. Two new 60-second videos have also been produced with Bob Izumi (English) and Paul Shibata (French).  The videos have been made available to partner organizations for posting on their websites and links through their Facebook pages. In addition, the Hooked on Lifejackets print PSA has been included in 2015 provincial fishing guides.

Operation Dry Water

Took place over the 2015 August Civic Holiday Weekend. The findings of the 2014 CSBC Research Study on Motivating Change in Canadian Boaters' Safety Behavior  have been used to develop effective new messaging:
  • A new print public service announcement (PSA) has been developed with a message equating impaired boating to being impaired while operating an automobile. It emphasizes that in the eyes of the law both are equal and criminal.
  • Two new television PSA's have been created that also emphasize the fact that impaired operation of a vessel is criminal.  These PSA's are being produced in partnership with Saatchi and Saatchi and PlaySafe Productions.
Stretching the Season

The focus of this campaign is on those who most frequently boat late into the fall: anglers and paddlers. Watch for campaign messages during the 2015 Labour Day Weekend! 
Benjamin is a Hit

Our new CSBC Chair has a sidekick who has become a representative and advocate for boating safety and the wearing of lifejackets. Who knew the Chair still has a teddy bear?
 
Recently Benjamin the Teddy Bear has appeared in the city of Peterborough, Ontario's Canada Day parade, the Toronto Antique and Classic Boat Society's annual boat show in Gravenhurst, and the annual RPM show in Havelock, Ontario. He proudly wears his lifejacket and has become a favourite of kids young and old alike who are regularly heard to say: "Look, there is a teddy bear driving that boat and he is wearing his lifejacket just like me." "I hope he has his PCO Card."
 
This reinforces the need for all of us to wear our lifejackets when boating and to get the proper boating education.
 
Congratulations, Benjamin!
Did you know? CSBC Governance Improvements

When sponsors and members contribute money to an organization, they want to be sure that their money is used wisely, and that responsible business practices are in place. As a registered charity, the CSBC has to meet statutory legal requirements including approved articles of incorporation, appointment of the Board of Directors and Officers, approved by-laws, the holding of an Annual General Meeting, annual regulatory filings, and approved and audited financial statements. The CSBC by-laws were updated in 2014 to meet the requirements of the new Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act. Specifics of the Board of Directors, the by-laws and the financial statements are available on the CSBC website at www.csbc.ca.

Beyond this, in 2012 the CSBC Board decided it was time to undertake a review of the organization's business processes and policies to ensure they were efficient and effective, provided adequate levels of transparency and accountability, and supported the increasing scope of the CSBC's business activities. The Board appointed an External Business Process Review Committee composed of three senior executives with extensive private sector business experience, each of whom agreed to work on a pro bono basis.

Following is an extract from the Committee's report:

"In all of our contacts, discussions and interviews with CSBC Board members and major stakeholders, we were consistently impressed with the level of commitment and dedication exuded by all. We absorbed, repeatedly, an enthusiasm and determination to foster the CSBC's success in leading the way in recreational boating safety, education and messaging.

We were impressed with the scope of the current CSBC programs, safe boating messaging and general outreach. That it has been accomplished strictly with volunteers speaks highly to the CSBC's ability to organize and focus its members on the Council's goals. It also speaks highly to the dedication of the Council's volunteers. In our experience, we are not aware of an organization that has successfully evolved to this scope of operations, budget and programs without the support of full-time staff.

The CSBC have the primary governance and operating processes in place. A Strategic Plan has been created, primary polices are documented and there is a structure in place, through the committee chairs, to assign responsibility for each of the council's primary initiatives."

The report went on to make specific recommendations to align policies and procedures with current best practices in the areas of:  Board size, ownership of intellectual property, legal documentation of management arrangements for delivery of boating safety projects, improved Board information, administrative support, banking arrangements and recruitment of new volunteers for key positions.

The CSBC Board and the Executive had in depth discussions on all the recommendations and appropriate action has been taken to address all of them.
Vintage Boat NOT for Sale!
By Michael Vollmer, CSBC Vice Chair

Chippewa was built by William Fontaine in Sandusky, Ohio as a work boat for the Bass Islands in Lake Erie.  She was launched in 1936 and is 36 feet overall.  In the late 70's Bob Kerr, the Chairman of IMAX, saw her having a new stem put in and loved the vessel's lines so he bought her.  I was retained to design new everything except the hull.  The hull had all her seams reefed out and splined and the hull was then coated in epoxy.  All the previous interior and upper works had been removed.  What resulted is an Edwardian Gentleman's Launch, with the exterior being clad in tongue and groove black cherry and the interior is panelled in black cherry.  With just under 2 � acres of varnish it's like riding on the Orient Express.  And yes, it is a wooden boat and I should know better!

Chippewa was relaunched in 1986 and was cruised extensively by Bob until the turn of the century.  Chippewa is currently berthed in Parry Sound and loves to go island hopping!
In brief

On July 24 the Ministers of National Defence, Transport Canada, and Public Safety Canada announced a number of investments that will contribute to improvements to search and rescue in Canada. The news release can be found at www.news.gc.ca. The responsibilities and functions of the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS) will be transferred to Public Safety Canada's Emergency Management and Programs Branch. The NSS will continue to focus on the management of the National Search and Rescue Program, including the management of the Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund.
  
Mario Pelletier has been appointed to the position of Deputy Commissioner of Operations, Canadian Coast Guard, effective June 1, 2015. He holds a Bachelor in Nautical Science from the University of Cape Breton after graduating from the Canadian Coast Guard College along with a Marine Engineering Certificate. He began his professional career with the Coast Guard in 1989. His most recent position was Assistant Commissioner, Central and Arctic Region.

Sara Anghel, Executive Director and Vice-President of Government Relations for the National Marine Manufacturers Association, was elected to the International Council of Marine Industry Associations Executive Committee in June.
                                 
The Canadian Safe Boating Council is in the business of promoting safe and responsible boating throughout Canada.


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