Boozy boating on the rise and OPP plans to crack down

Residents in the Mitchell's Bay area have been sending in a lot of complaints about drinking and boating to Chatham-Kent OPP, and the force has decided to conduct stricter patrols.

Const. Jay Denorer said people are saying it's "an ongoing issue."

"We haven't really seen this type of behaviour in the past. So what's happening now is we're starting to notice it."

Police have received requests for more monitoring on the waterways. And as a response, they will be making sure to check for alcohol on board in addition to doing the regular safety check.

"We're going to be out on the waterways now enforcing that a lot more," Denorer said.

'It causes fatalities'

Dorit Jirash, a boater from Leamington, is happy to see more patrols, but she hopes they will be effective in actually reducing the number of accidents.

"There is unfortunately too much drinking and boating, and it does cause accidents. It causes fatalities," she said.

People need to consider the weather, waves, their course while they're out on the water, and it scares her to see people drinking and boating, something she said she sees everyday.

"There's a lot you need to know in order to be a successful boater, and drinking has no place on a boat whatsoever," said Jirash.

Steve Manweiler who moved to Windsor a few years ago said this past weekend was the first time he saw OPP patrols on the waterway since he moved.

He said he wants police to remind people what the safety rules are.

"I like to see them out there a little more often," he said. "They need to be out there enforcing those rules."