SPVM Nautical Brigade | “For us, it’s a big summer”

There are more reckless boaters than usual on the water due to the construction holiday. The Press followed the nautical brigade of the Montreal Police Service (SPVM) near the banks of the Old Port of Montreal to observe what is being done to ensure security during this peak period.

“There’s definitely going to be a lot of people,” says Jonathan Gagnon, a patrol officer in the SPVM’s water squad, just before boarding a black inflatable boat. This is the ninth summer that the officer has been cruising Montreal’s waterways and checking that all the boats are safe.

“It’s been a big summer for us,” the patroller continues, as he gently backs up his boat moored in the Old Port of Montreal. He explains that there have been twice as many boat collisions this year compared to last year. He also mentions the few accidents that have occurred on the river this year, including the river shuttle accident in June.

The nautical brigade plays the same role as the traffic patrollers, but on the water. It checks that boat drivers have the required safety equipment, measures the drivers’ blood alcohol level and intervenes if necessary. On average, it checks about 800 boats per season and issues 200 tickets for violations.

After checking a first boat where everything was in order, the police officers sped under the Jacques-Cartier bridge and spotted a second one. On board the Break timea 28-foot-long boat, three men were drinking non-alcoholic beer and proudly showing it to the police.

Pas de chance, il n’y avait pas d’extincteur d’incendie à bord. « C’est tolérance zéro », a expliqué Jonathan Gagnon. Le reste était bien en règle, le conducteur avait son permis, et il y avait des gilets de sauvetage à bord. Les plaisanciers ne buvaient pas d’alcool non plus.

« Je vais en avoir un la prochaine fois », a dit Richard Bissonnette, le propriétaire du navire, qui devra payer une amende de 200 $ en raison de l’absence d’extincteur dans son bateau, qu’il possède depuis un mois à peine. Il disait « ne pas savoir » qu’il devait en posséder un.

Jonathan Gagnon souligne que les gens ne sont pas toujours conscients des bonnes pratiques en bateau. « Certains comparent ça à de la conduite automobile », dit-il. Pourtant, il y a des différences entre conduire une voiture et une embarcation. En pointant un cargo, il explique que beaucoup ignorent comment interagir autour de ces gros bateaux et sont imprudents. « Parfois, les gens sont inattentifs », ajoute-t-il.

Même si un permis est nécessaire pour conduire une embarcation, ce n’est pas tous les plaisanciers qui sont conscients des règles de sécurité. « Parfois, les gens le font [le permis] “quickly, quickly on the Internet,” explains patrolman Jonathan Gagnon.

Boaters must have a host of safety devices on board. Among the most important are life jackets and fire extinguishers, which must be accessible, otherwise drivers are exposed to fines.

Prevention campaigns

The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) announced a national nautical safety operation on Friday. Its surveillance activities will be intensified during this weekend of July 27 and 28. “This operation particularly targets the behavior of boaters that jeopardizes their safety as well as that of others,” reads the SQ press release.

Boucherville also launched its own awareness campaign this week. The campaign encourages boaters to respect the laws, in order to ensure safety on the water.

For Jonathan Gagnon, the most important thing is to learn about the rules before taking the boat, so that the outing is safe. “A nice outing can end in tragedy,” he warned.

Navigate safely

• Stay informed about required safety equipment
• Keep away from large ships
• Avoid consuming alcohol while operating a boat
• Check the weather before going out
• Inform someone of the planned exit plan