OTTAWA — The mother of an 11-year-old boy, who died in a boating accident on the St. Lawrence River last summer, says it should be mandatory for children to wear life jackets while they're on boats.
Cara McNulty's son, Josh, died this past Labour Day weekend after his father's speedboat capsized near Rockport. Josh and some family members had been returning from a trip to get ice cream.
"They hit two waves, and (the boat) capsized; it was a freak accident," said McNulty. "Everyone on the boat resurfaced, except for Josh."
Current regulations require boat operators to have enough life jackets for everyone on board, but there's no federal requirement that the life jackets be worn.
"All the life jackets were on the boat, in compliance with the existing small vessel regulations," McNulty told 1310 NEWS, describing her son's accident. "Josh usually wore one; I don't know why he wasn't wearing one for that short trip."
McNulty has started a petition, addressed to the federal transport minister and the prime minister, calling for the regulations to be changed to require children to wear life jackets while on boats.
