By Vanessa Broadbent

Osoyoos Times

RCMP in Osoyoos are hoping to make boating on Osoyoos Lake safer with the creation of life-jacket borrowing stations.

Sgt. Jason Bayda shared plans for the stations with town council at their committee of the whole meeting on Sept. 16.

The stations will loan life-jackets for day use to boaters heading out on the lake. Bayda plans for the stations to operate at the town’s boat launch and marina, as well as sẁiẁs Provincial Park (Haynes Point).

The initiative is similar to the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue’s Kids Don’t Float program at dozens of marinas across the province. However, Bayda wants to market to adults as well, and offer adult-sized personal flotation devices.

The majority of fatalities on Osoyoos Lake are adult drownings, Bayda said.

“What I’m finding is it’s mostly adults that don’t have their life jackets on,” he said. “As an adult we often think ‘well, I can swim, maybe my child can’t,’ so we’re more concerned about our children and we provide them with a life jacket and not ourselves.”

Along with life-jackets, Bayda plans for the stations to include Transport Canada safety guides, as well as information about lake safety.

“What I want to actually do is a bigger, all encompassing thing around boating safety,” he said.

“I want to have it done in a gazebo, a really nice facility or outdoor building that could cover that people can access at the boat launch.”

Bayda will present to council at a future date to ask for council’s approval to use town land to host the station at the boat launch and marina. BC Parks will also need to grant permission to use land at sẁiẁs Provincial Park (Haynes Point).

Main photo courtesy of cheapsurfergear.com