OPP launch new boat to police increased traffic on James Bay

Police in Moosonee say they finally have a boat capable of doing the search and rescue work required in the waters of James Bay.

The new 25-foot Stanley twin engine police vessel replaces an old aluminum fishing boat that wasn't suited to the salt water environment, said OPP Inspector Mark Andrews.

Water patrols are becoming an increasing part of police work in the northern Ontario detachment because warmer weather is leading to a longer boating season and the Victor diamond mine near Attawapiskat has made the waterways busier, he said. 

"The Moose River is basically the highway between Moosonee and Moose Factory," Andrews said. "So to make sure its safe and make sure we can respond, we've needed a better cruiser for that highway."

Wheelhouse can accommodate stretchers

The provincial police previously had to borrow other boats in the area to respond to search and rescue calls, he said and at least once a year they'd get a call that they couldn't respond with the old boat.

"We usually have more than one a season, where somebody has pushed the season, they've gone out too soon, they've gone out too late," he said. "And we have had tragedies where we've lost whole families."

Police in Moosonee have been asking for a new boat for three years, Andrews said.

The wheel house of the new boat has been designed to accommodate a stretcher between the seats so people who have been rescued can be kept warm.

Andrews said other improvements in the new boat include: 

• more insulation, cabin is heated, windshield is heated, hull is thicker
• there is a generator on board so it's self-sufficient
• the twin engine can be removed for servicing
• better radar and communication system