By Trevor Greenway
Irene Halang was enjoying a paddle in her canoe on Canada Day when a speed boat came “roaring past.”
The boat created a large wake, and, unable to face the waves head-on, Halang and her partner capsized in their canoe. Halang peered across the water as they tried to get to shore and saw the culprit: An MRC des Collines Police boat.
“We had just gotten out into the bay from the bottom of Rockhurst and were rounding the corner when a police boat came roaring by us from behind,” Halang wrote in an email to the Low Down. “Next thing we knew, we were in the river; canoe upside down. Now, we are not p***ies, but we are seniors, and the canoe was heavy.” Halang and her partner both had life jackets on and said that the police boat did not notice that the canoe had tipped over, and they didn’t stop. A friend onshore saw the ordeal and called out to ensure they were okay. Two other boats stopped to help, and the two were able to get back into their canoe and “back on the horse,” according to Halang.
“We paddled home, wet but ok and maybe a little shaken,” added Halang. “The police had spent the morning patrolling the river for safety around lifejackets and booze, often targeting paddleboarders,” added Halang. “No judgement, but maybe their time would have been better spent ticketing the many speeders we saw that day on our journey home.”
Police wouldn’t say much about the incident, only confirming that “everything seemed OK” with the complainant – Halang’s partner – after he came and discussed it with officers on July 1.
“The person involved (Monsieur) came to our police station and talked with our staff Lieutenant Daniel Pariseau to talk about this event (on the same day),” said MRC des Collines Inspector Marc Dubé. “Following this discussion, everything seemed OK. I can confirm that we do not have an official complaint.”
According to police, officers were on the water on Canada Day to ensure that all motorized and non-motorized boaters were in compliance with the rules of the water – ensuring that everyone on board had lifejackets, bailers, whistles and ropes. Dubé told the Low Down that police have handed out 22 tickets this year for such violations but zero for speeding. He said it’s always been a challenge for cops to catch speeders on the water.
“Radar operations need to be stable to have an accurate reading, so on a body of water, it is very challenging, if not impossible,” explained Dubé. “Ideally, one would be capable of doing this on a riverbank; a portable radar is not made to be used while moving/wobbling.”