Re: Canadian Long Weekend Tragedy
Missing Ont. boaters found dead<br />By LAUREN LA ROSE<br /><br />TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario Provincial Police are urging the public to take extra care before hitting the waters following a series of deadly accidents throughout the province over the Victoria Day long weekend.<br /><br />The bodies of three Toronto-area men were found after they were forced to abandon their vessel in blustery conditions on Rice Lake in southern Ontario.<br /><br />The men were part of a group of seven who were out fishing Sunday when their boat was hit by high waves and began to sink about 500 metres from shore, police said.<br /><br />The body of Holland Chow, 54, of Richmond Hill, Ont., was found Sunday by rescuers on the south shore near Harwood, southeast of Peterborough, Ont.<br /><br />Albert Chow, 51, of Stouffville, Ont., and Duylunong Diep, 54, of Richmond Hill were located by police Monday morning not far from where the vessel went down.<br /><br />Two men and two women ranging in age from 17 to 59 years old reached shore and were rescued.<br /><br />"We're always concerned this time of year because traditionally, on the long weekends, that's when people want to get out there and they go to cottages and camping," OPP Const. Dana Mellon said Monday.<br /><br />"Normally, you get out in the spring, the sun's shining, the air is warm, but unfortunately the water is still very, very cold."<br /><br />Elsewhere, the search continued Monday for a canoeist missing near Thunder Bay, Ont.<br /><br />Two men had failed to return after a short trip on Black Bay Sunday, but one of the canoeists was found in good condition shortly after an overturned boat was spotted Monday, officials said.<br /><br />In southern Ontario, a man is presumed drowned after a canoeing accident northeast of Madoc. The man's canoe overturned in Wolf Lake and he wasn't wearing a life-jacket, police said.<br /><br />Mellon said it is essential boaters take basic safety precautions before taking to the waters.<br /><br />"People get out in their boats and they're dressed in light clothing and of course, you don't want to have a life-jacket on because it's warm, so that's when people get into trouble," he said.<br /><br />"If you're going out in a boat and have a life-jacket on, you should have a whistle attached to your life-jacket to get people's attention because if you plunge in the water, certainly your cellphone, as soon as it gets wet it's not going to work anymore," Mellon said.<br /><br />"With a whistle you can get people's attention."<br /><br />In another incident, a 27-year-old man drowned late Sunday afternoon after swimming in rough waters in Lake Simcoe.<br /><br />Despite the series of mishaps, Mellon said it's business as usual and there are no plans to change the number of officers out on patrol.<br /><br />"Our marine patrols will be out there, and certainly we can't cover every inch of waterway. You can't be everywhere all at once," he said.<br /><br />"We cover the areas when we can as often as possible."
