Couple charged after crossing Lake Simcoe in inflatable kayak
The Ontario Provincial Police Marine Unit keeps a lookout on the water. (CTV News/Rob Cooper)
A couple faces charges after crossing Lake Simcoe without life-jackets over the long weekend in Orillia.
According to provincial police, the duo were crossing the lake by Grape Island in an inflatable kayak on Saturday afternoon when they were stopped by the OPP Marine Unit patrolling the lake.
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Officers charged the couple with operating a human-powered pleasure craft without a personal floatation device.
Before the Canada Day weekend, police urged residents and visitors to ensure their safety on the water by having the appropriate number of life vests available, whether on a boat, watercraft, or inflatable raft.
"Officers want to remind all waterway users that there is no one single cause that leads to drownings, but there are common contributors. Basic safety practices such as wearing a life-jacket or a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) while on a vessel or in the water can be the difference between enjoying the water or not," Orillia OPP noted.
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