June 23, 2026

Summer is short and sweet in Canada and understandably, people go crazy to make the most of their vacation time. Boat owners and cottagers want to show their guests a great time and a memorable experience out on the water. While you may have a thorough knowledge of all of Canada‘s boating regulations, what about your customers or for that matter, the rest of your people? Is their knowledge up-to-date? Can they explain the finer points of Canada’s boating regulations? In these precious weeks of summer, your customers are sure to be taking friends and relatives out on the boat for a special party weekend.

So, do they need to be wearing lifejackets or PFDs when they’re out on board your boat? You know they won’t want to. They want to be out in the sun in a bathing suit and having a great time. We rely on the fact that nothing‘s going to go wrong and 99% of the time everyone arrives home safely however, every year, accidents do happen and more likely, the authorities may stop your boat and do an inspection of your safety equipment. Those moments can go well or badly. Having knowledge of what the regulations actually require, and sharing information with your customers, is a great way to ensure that they have a positive experience.

So, do you need to be wearing a lifejacket or PFD when you’re in your boat? The answer to that is not straightforward.

Take a minute to read the CanBoat article (BELOW) in this week’s Boating Industry Canada News Week Digest where boating safety authority, John Gullick, explains what is and isn’t required under the current PFD and lifejacket regulations.

While I realize that you probably know the answer yourself, when one of your customers asks a member of your crew the question, you want to be certain they have the correct answer.

The CanBoat organization, formerly called the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, is providing you with important Boating Safety information to help you keep your team informed and confident when it comes time to answer those customer questions this summer.

This information is also available for you to download and to use in your own customer promotions, your Public Relations material and on your website at NO CHARGE.

We hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity. CanBoat is Canada‘s number one authority on boating safety and these brief stories are yours to use for free, as long as you acknowledge the source.

Here’s wishing you and your customers a summer of safe boating!

Andy Adams – Editor