SIOUX LOOKOUT – A man paddling a canoe under the influence in the pitch dark in Sioux Lookout is facing multiple charges.
Ontario Provincial Police say they received a report at about 11:38 p.m. on June 21 of an allegedly intoxicated man paddling toward shore near a hotel in the Northwestern Ontario community. The man was not wearing a lifejacket and there were no lights on the canoe, nor was there any safety gear on board.
With further investigation, police determined the man had been drinking and the 38-year-old was arrested.
The suspect was charged with operation while impaired, alcohol and drugs, and operation while impaired with a blood concentration over the legal limit.
He is expected back in court on Aug. 6.
The OPP remind the public that drinking and boating is just as dangerous as getting behind the wheel and the penalties also apply on the water.
OPP will also be conducting compliance checks on waterways throughout the region this summer.
