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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, July 3, 2013 | 6 Editorial Summer is here and the sails are moving up and down Oakville's two harbours -- along with the motorboats, jet skis, canoes, kayaks and other watercraft. Despite the ups and downs start to summer across Ontario, boaters will ock to their local lakes and rivers. Unfortunately, boating traf c often leads to accidents -- the Canada Day long weekend has become one of the deadliest weekends on Ontario waterways. In May, the Canadian government made boating safety a priority by practically doubling its investment over the next three years, committing more than $1.8 million in funding for boat safety initiatives. Two years ago, Transport Canada also introduced stricter boating exam standards to increase education and reduce boating fatalities. Everyone who operates a powerdriven boat in Canada needs proof of competency, a Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC), which is something that shows they understand the rules of the water and how to safely operate a boat. BOATsmart! educates and certi es boaters for their PCOC with a mission to promote a safe, enjoyable and environmentally-friendly use of Canada's waterways. It is accredited by Transport Canada and states the new rules seem to be working as the long-term trend in boating fatalities is down across Ontario, with a sharp decline in 2012 (18 deaths last year compared to 35 in 2011). That said, each year approximately 125 people are killed in boating accidents in Canada and another 6,000 are injured, while millions of Canadians continue to operate their boat without a licence -- something that's been required by law. According to the Lifesaving Society of Canada, here are some harsh boating statistics to remember: · There were approximately 18 boating fatalities in Ontario in 2012 · Eighty per cent of people killed in boating accidents were not wearing a life-jacket · Alcohol was a factor in 40 per cent of boating fatalities · Cold water played a part in 45 per cent of boating deaths · Half of boating deaths took place on a calm sunny day · Forty per cent of people involved in boating fatalities had their boats capsized and 25 per cent were those who fell overboard · Twenty-nine per cent died while boating alone · Fifty per cent of boating deaths took place on powerboats, 22 per cent on canoes, ve per cent on kayaks, and the remaining 23 per cent were a combination of sailboats, rowboats and other water crafts · Men were four times more likely to die in a boating accident than women Oakville is home to TOWARF (Town of Oakville Water Air Rescue Force), the Halton Regional Police Marine Unit, two harbours, numerous yacht and boating clubs, and many boating enthusiasts. Everyone must review, remember and most importantly practice and adhere to the rules so that a local boating fatality or other water tragedy does not nd its way onto this paper's news pages this summer. Boat safely. "Connected to your Community" G A T T A 467 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 51 | Number 78 Boat safely O A K V I L L E R E The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production SANDY PARE MARK DILLS It was clear sailing recently for the eighth annual Oakville Hospital Regatta on Lake Ontario near Bronte Harbour. Captains and their crews spent the day racing on the lake to raise funds for the Oakville Hospital Foundation and the new Oakville hospital. This year's regatta was hosted at the Bronte Harbour Yacht Club. photo by Steven Der-Garabedian ­ special to the Beaver MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Just when I thought I had seen it all... On Friday afternoon, June 28, a neighbour and I were walking our dogs heading south on Sandwell Drive, which is a relatively peaceful residential side street near Coronation Park. Looking ahead, we noticed one of our local young foxes (born this spring) walking up the street towards us -- perhaps 150 yards away. A white SUV with a bicycle rack on back passed us and then suddenly accelerated Sickening behaviour by motorist Letters to the Editor when the driver noticed the fox. The fox moved over toward the shoulder of the road and the SUV actually swerved over in an attempt to hit the animal. Over the years, I have seen cases of roadkill on our streets where the location of the animal makes you speculate that the fatal collision was not accidental. It was sickening to see this kind of ugly behaviour in action. Randy Droniuk, Oakville Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association How to get beach info and more this summer Halton has more than 25 kilometres of waterfront and recreational beaches at parks throughout the region. The waters at Halton's beaches are tested by the Halton Region Health Department to determine if the water quality is acceptable for swimming and for other recreational water activities. For more information on beach water monitoring and quality results, please dial 311 or visit www.halton.ca/beaches. If you have any Regional concerns or comments you would like to share, please email me at gary.carr@halton.ca. You can also nd me on Twitter @garycarrhalton and on Facebook at www.facebook.com. Gary Carr, Halton Regional Chair Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to: ablackburn@oakvillebeaver. com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.