Published July 18, 2024

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

A horrible boating accident that claimed the lives of 12 children 70 years ago off the shores of Île Bizard was commemorated last weekend. But the event also served to call attention to how the tragic incident sparked lasting change that has improved safety protocols for all boaters in Canada ever since.

The accident occurred on July 13, 1954, when a group of 62 children – ages six to 11 – from a day camp run by Montreal’s Negro Community Centre along with counsellors travelled from Little Burgundy to Île Bizard for a picnic and outdoor fun. That was until a local man offered to take the group out for a spin around the Lake of Two Mountains on his 12-foot motorboat.

The boat made two trips with groups of children without incident. The third trip saw 17 children and a counsellor embark on the watercraft, which was designed to hold around seven adults.

While on the lake, the motor stalled. The crashing waves sent the children into a panic and the boat eventually overturned. None of the children aboard were wearing life-jackets. Twelve of the 17 children aboard drowned.

“It’s a very sorrowful event,” said Île Bizard borough Mayor Doug Hurley in an interview with The 1510 West. “Any parent would be sorry that this happened.”

But the disaster, Hurley explained, went beyond being felt by the families affected. It “changed (boating) regulations in Canadian history.”

The loss of so many young lives led to authorities looking at how to improve boating safety. And that, in turn, led to new safety regulations being put in place for recreational boating, including cracking down on overcrowding watercraft and requiring that there be a life-jacket for everyone under the age of 12 on board a boat.

As Île Bizard and Montreal are surrounded by water, Hurley said, it is paramount that boaters familiarize themselves with and follow the safety regulations. Especially given what he described as a “very limited personnel” of police boat patrols.

Now, 70 years later, it is important that people remember the story of the lives that were lost off the shores of Île Bizard, and recognize the importance of boating safety so that an event like this will not be repeated, Hurley said.

A plaque honouring the 12 young victims of the 1954 tragedy was unveiled at a memorial service last Saturday, the exact anniversary of the accident, at the Bois-de-l’Île-Bizard Nature Park.

Scroll to Top