By Steve Sabourin Jul 3, 2022 at 6:25 am
Nine people had to be rescued from the waters of Georgian Bay over two days to kick off the long weekend.
Collingwood and Huronia West OPP say they were called to four separate incidents.
Several people were rescued on Thursday afternoon.
At approximately 1:30 p.m., while on general patrol, officers observed three elderly female paddlers waving for help approximately 2 km from the shores of Wasaga Beach. Only one of them had a life jacket and between the three they had two paddle boards. They were quickly blown off shore and were in trouble and unable to return.
At 2:15 p.m., officers received a water service call in the area of Beachwood Road. Two children, ages 12 and 13, were blown into the bay on a foam toy. Neither child was wearing a life jacket. As they traveled to help, police found a distressed child in the water trying to swim back to shore. The other child was positioned on the toy pad. Both children were extremely cold and frightened.
At 3:30 p.m., two elderly men were reported to be in distress after the inflatable toy they were on was swept into the bay by Northwinds Beach in Blue Mountains Township. The OPP Marines along with the Canadian Coast Guard coordinated their efforts and were able to rescue the couple, who were also not wearing life jackets.
On Canada Day, two females had to be rescued after being blown into the bay by Wasaga Beach on a large inflatable flamingo.
Police remind beachgoers that inflatable toys are not a substitute for life jackets or other life-saving equipment.
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