Saskatoon RCMP to begin patrolling river in jet boat
Coming soon to the South Saskatchewan River - a new RCMP river patrol powered by a 17-foot jet boat.
“It’s designed to go into shallow water because the river is very low, so we can get out and check the boats for open alcohol, life jackets, impaired boating, issues like that on the water,” said Saskatoon RCMP Cpl. Craig Zwarych.
Until now the Saskatoon Police Service has been policing the South Saskatchewan, but the city’s police service has been limited with no watercraft.
This new to Saskatoon boat will take officers on the water and river users should be on the lookout.
For the past 12 years Captain Mike Steckhan has been at the helm of the Prairie Lilly and he said he’s seen his fair share of infractions out on the water.
“There are times we see drinking in boats and lots of it. We see people going down the river on inflatable pool toys and no life jacket or paddle, nothing to be seen, no way to maneuver, no way to get out of my way, no way to get out of anyone's way,” he said.
Last week a kayaker taking a break behind one of the bridge piers darted out in front of another watercraft, creating a risky and potentially deadly collision, he said.
“People aren’t purposely acting dangerously, they simply don’t know that what they’re doing not only affects them but it affects other people around them,” Steckhan said.
“Everybody should have a life jacket, you can’t have open alcohol on a boat or on a raft or anything like that, and there are speed limits you have to abide by,” Zwarych told CTV News.
This includes inflatable floats that have risen in popularity.
“It makes me shudder because there’s so many hazards in this water, that pool toy gets a hole in it and they’re in trouble,” Steckhan said.
The RCMP river patrol is outfitted with a mobile scanning and ticketing machine. Zwarych said education is the priority but they can and will write tickets.
Zwarych said once officers are trained the river patrol will be out on the water every weekend and long weekend and whenever it’s a hot sunny day and people are expected out on the water.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.