As a way to encourage more people to wear lifejackets when they’re out on the water, Lifesaving Society Manitoba is in the midst of their annual Hooked on Lifejackets campaign.
Doctor Christopher Love, the Water Smart Coordinator with the organization, says Manitoba punches above its weight when it comes to boating fatalities compared to the rest of the country.
86 per cent of boating fatalities in the province didn’t have a lifejacket or personal floatation device, compared to the national average of 80 per cent.
About 50 per cent of all boats sold in Canada are purchased with fishing as the main use of the boat, and part of the reason why boating deaths involve a significant number of fishers is that those who fish don’t consider themselves boaters, so they don’t make boating safety top of mind when they’re out on the water.
