Toronto, ON, April 30, 2006 -- Safe Boating Awareness Week will take place across Canada from May 20th to May 26th, 2006. The purpose of this initiative is to promote a wide range of safe boating practices to the estimated 7 million recreational boaters in Canada.

The media’s involvement and support is essential to getting the “Safe Boating” message out to the recreational boating public. To assist you with preparing your editorials, news coverage and special programming, the Canadian Safe Boating Council Web site www.csbc.ca contains valuable information and content for print, radio and television media. The prepared editorials are downloadable from the Print Media page and could be useful in developing your coverage.

This initiative is promoted by the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC), a non-profit organization and its members and partners from all areas of the marine community including boat and marine product manufacturers, boating education organizations, water safety and marine law enforcement sectors, and Transport Canada Office of Boating Safety. The goal is to ensure that the millions of Canadians who head out on the waters in canoes and kayaks, sailboards and sailboats, fishing boats, personal watercraft, power boats and cruisers are equipped with the knowledge for a safe day on the water.

Radio

As a member of the radio broadcast media, your station can play a pivotal role in getting the Safe Boating message out to your listeners. The CSBC has prepared 3 – 30-second PSAs that address key areas of safe boating practices (i.e. Personal Floatation Device (PFD) wear, Cold Water Immersion and Alcohol and Boating. The intent is that these be aired over the summer from the kick-off of Safe Boating Awareness Week onward.

TV

To help with the creation of good quality local and National television news segments and boating safety programming, the CSBC has compiled a broadcast quality master B-Roll of safe boating visuals. The footage has been accumulated from the extensive library of Dual Media Productions, producers of PowerBoat Television, MyBoat TV and a variety of other boating and boating safety related television shows.

Contained in the B-Roll is footage on a variety of safe and unsafe boating practices to be used for news features or in conjunction with studio interviews with a local safe boating expert. The footage has been catalogued complete with a cue sheet to provide easy access to specific footage.

In addition, the CSBC is making available 2 30-second PSAs, and a series of 26 - 1:50 minute vignettes on boating safety to be aired over the summer from the kick-off of Safe Boating Awareness Week.

Available on the web site are downloadable documents containing information about boating safety in Canada, drowning statistics, ideas on program creation and a reference to obtain important contact information for local boating safety professionals. The contact information is for local members of the CSBC and its partners who will be available for interviews and as content advisors for the boating safety program.

The CSBC encourages you to utilize these materials and:
• Include segments on Safe Boating and Safe Boating Awareness Week in your newscasts
• Develop a Safe Boating feature for your local talk or general interest shows
• Conduct pre-recorded or live interviews with our local safe boating experts for local interest
• Air the 2 30-second PSA ads over the summer, commencing during Safe Boating Awareness Week.
• Air the series of 26 safety vignettes where time allows in your broadcast schedule

Print

The print media can play pivotal role in getting the Safe Boating message out to Canada’s 7 million recreational boaters and your readers. To assist you in developing editorial content, the CSBC has prepared a series of informative articles for publication covering several of the key areas of safe boating practices, with a focus on education and training for all boaters. Photos and logos are also available to enhance your coverage.

PSA ads are available in colour and black and white.

In addition, content suitable for preparing a special Safe Boating Awareness Week newspaper supplement is also available, providing your newspaper with a revenue source.

The CSBC encourages you to utilize these materials and:
• Run the articles and PSA ads in a series commencing May 20 and run these over the week and throughout the summer
• Publish a supplement with the support of your community’s marine businesses and retailers

The CSBC has prepared a media package for use by daily and community newspapers. The package includes:

• Prepared articles / editorials (6 long and short versions)
• Supplement suggestions and prepared articles
• PSA Ads – Colour and B&W (2)
• Photos and logos
• Statistics and backgrounder on boating and accidental and drowning statistics
• Listing of Safe Boating Experts for local interviews and stories

Please help get the Safe Boating Awareness Week message out through print, television and radio to the Canadian public this year. You could very well help save the life of someone you hold dear to your heart.

Information, documents and graphics are available in electronic format for downloading from the Canadian Safe Boating Council’s Web site www.csbc.ca
TV PSAs are available from FastChannel.
B-Roll is available by request from the contacts provided below.

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For further information and details contact:

Susanne Simic
Simic Public Relations for the Canadian Safe Boating Council
Tel: (416) 622-3358
Susanne.simic@sympatico.ca

OR

Ted Rankine
Manager, Safe Boating Awareness Week, Canadian Safe Boating Council
Tel: (905) 989-0664
tedrankine@rogers.com