I just had a great call from a young lady in Ontario. She was calling us from the office of an MPP, with regards to one of their constituents. It seems this lad has had a judgement issued against him for DWI. He is now required to have a breathalizer device attached to his vehicle's ignition. This doesn't happen after a first drunk-driving offense. This lad has been in front of several judges for the same crime.
She wanted to know that since this lad also owns a pleasure craft, if the judgement carried over to his right to operate a boat on our waters. She mentioned that he had a boating license and asked if this was also affected. I quizzed her about this "license" and it turned out she was refrerring to the PCOC. I duly informed her that it was not a license, but rather simply the proof that he had taken a boating safety exam. I then stated that since it was in fact NOT A LICENSE, it could not be revoked. I also had to advise her that unless the judge's decision specifically made mention of the offender's boat, his right to operate it was not affected. The judge would either have had to specifically ban him from operating pleasure craft in Canada, or insist that he have the same type of regulatory device installed on the boat.
As sad as it is, I know where this is leading. The judicial system has left this sick, sick individual with an out. An out, I might add, that he is going to exploit to the fullest. Practising alcoholics are really that insane. Our sense of right and wrong is just not operational. We don't give a shit about anything. You'll probably read about this character in the papers this spring or summer. It'll be under an innocuous title regarding a boating mishap. We'll discover that he killed himself while operating his boat in an 'unsafe manner' and that 'alcohol is suspected to be a factor' in the incident. If we're lucky...
If we're not lucky, we'll read about how this asshole was responsible for the deaths of several innocent people, aided and abetted by a judge who failed to exercise some common sense and/or the teeniest bit of farsightedness.
She wanted to know that since this lad also owns a pleasure craft, if the judgement carried over to his right to operate a boat on our waters. She mentioned that he had a boating license and asked if this was also affected. I quizzed her about this "license" and it turned out she was refrerring to the PCOC. I duly informed her that it was not a license, but rather simply the proof that he had taken a boating safety exam. I then stated that since it was in fact NOT A LICENSE, it could not be revoked. I also had to advise her that unless the judge's decision specifically made mention of the offender's boat, his right to operate it was not affected. The judge would either have had to specifically ban him from operating pleasure craft in Canada, or insist that he have the same type of regulatory device installed on the boat.
As sad as it is, I know where this is leading. The judicial system has left this sick, sick individual with an out. An out, I might add, that he is going to exploit to the fullest. Practising alcoholics are really that insane. Our sense of right and wrong is just not operational. We don't give a shit about anything. You'll probably read about this character in the papers this spring or summer. It'll be under an innocuous title regarding a boating mishap. We'll discover that he killed himself while operating his boat in an 'unsafe manner' and that 'alcohol is suspected to be a factor' in the incident. If we're lucky...
If we're not lucky, we'll read about how this asshole was responsible for the deaths of several innocent people, aided and abetted by a judge who failed to exercise some common sense and/or the teeniest bit of farsightedness.
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