Please watch that mandatory lifejacket talk !!!! 8 deaths in Ontario versus how many people-hours on the water this year ? The percentage of deaths is way too small to calculate. At least two deaths of these deaths had nothing to do with a boat. At least one death was more likely due to high speed impact with the water or the hull rather than drowning. Not counting every single weekend on the boat, my wife (of 29 years) and I spend two weeks on Georgian Bay for our holidays each year. We are tied to a dock for about one hour every 5 days to buy groceries and gas. The rest of the time, we are anchored. If we are off the boat, it is to swim. I can’t imagine wearing a lifejacket the other 22 hours of the day. I don’t even wear pjs to sleep, let alone a pdf. Ron Witton Lowville, Ontario

I am against a mandatory life jackets. Especially on  Great Lakes where most of boaters stay ashore as soon as there is any possibility of stronger winds... However I would recommend to learn how to behave while on water, taking perhaps courses how to use the equipment (boats), learning what are the rules over there, and when to put the life jacket on... I also know cases when people drown wearing 2 life jackets! so it is not the solution. There is no regulation replacing old fashion THINKING. Mandatory life jacket is only another form of Tax, not real solution!
WW