Man charged when boat runs over canoe on busy Cultus Lake, B.C.

CHILLIWACK, B.C. – A motorboat driver has been charged with operating a vessel without due care after a crash with an Indigenous racing canoe on Cultus Lake in B.C.’s Fraser Valley.

RCMP in Chilliwack says they were called after the collision last Wednesday and found the lone occupant of the canoe on shore, but the boat and its driver gone.

The person who had been in the canoe was treated in hospital for injuries and released.

Police say their investigation later led them to the alleged operator of the motorboat.

A 67-year-old Langley man has now been charged under the Canada Shipping Act.

RCMP Cpl. Mike Rail says waterways are busy throughout the region and everyone is encouraged to remain respectful and aware of others sharing the area.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2020.