May long weekend marks official launch of the Calgary police marine unit
'We are going to be out there every weekend,' says acting inspector
May long weekend is coming up, which means Calgary police are getting ready for rafters heading out onto the rivers.
The main message from police is about safety — which means wearing a life jacket and not consuming alcohol.
Acting Insp. Kyle Grant says officers will be out on the rivers this weekend and will be handing out tickets if necessary.
"This weekend is the official launch for the summer for our marine unit. We are going to be out there every weekend," he said.
Open alcohol fine increased to $115
"We want to get the word out and we want to see compliance and we want to do education. And the last step is enforcement, so should people not be understanding or heeding the advice from our officers we can ticket them."
Wearing a life jacket is mandatory for anyone of any age out on the river, and the minimum fine for not wearing one is $500 with a mandatory court appearance.
As for open alcohol, there's a no tolerance policy for that too. This year the fine has gone up to $115.
Calgary police handed out 1,410 warnings to boaters last year for improper equipment, or for consumption of alcohol.