MARINE INSURANCE SERVICES PO BOX 224, MIDLAND, ONTARIO, L4R 4K8, (705) 526-9541, FAX (705) 526-1294
NEWSFLASH
On January 28, 2005, Michael Downer and Wanda Welsh were married. The happy couple were married in the Papagayo area of North-Western Costa Rica, at the Occidental Allegro Papagayo resort, and were joined by 20 guests…and several howler monkeys. The sweat seen here on their foreheads was entirely due to the 101 degree heat!
January 28, 2005
Wanda Welsh and Michael Downer
Proof of Competency... Are you aware that you need a licence to operate any boat (including jet-skis) less than 4 metres (13.2 feet) in length? Most people are now aware of the boat licence, but a majority of small vessel operators have not yet fulfilled this requirement. According to the Canadian Coast Guard, about 8 million people currently require this licence, yet only 514,000 cards have been issued to date! The new boat operators regulations came into effect on April 1, 1999. From that date, additional regulations were placed on persons operating pleasure craft fitted with a motor. What are these regulations? 1) If you were born after March 31, 1983, you must have proof of operator competency from September 15, 1999. You need your 'boat licence' in order to operate any vessel with a motor, regardless of size. 2) If you operate a power boat of less than 4 metres (13.2 feet) at the waterline (including personal watercraft), you must have proof of competency from September 15, 2002, regardless of your age. 3) All other power boat operators must have proof of competency by September 15, 2009. 4) From April 1, 1999, a person under 12 years of age must be directly supervised (by a person 16 years old or older) to operate a vessel over 10 horsepower. Also, a person over age 12 but under 16 must be directly supervised (by a person 16 years old or older) to operate a vessel over 40 horsepower. 5) In addition, you must be at least 16 years of age to operate a Personal Watercraft. Penalties What happens to you if you fail to have this proof of competency? Police are busy checking for operator competency on the waterways, and issuing hefty fines of up to $250.00. Police can also impound the vessel until proof of competency is provided. Perhaps more importantly, insurance companies have the right to deny any claim that you may have while operating a vessel without proof of competency, if required. The Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations (http://www.tc.gc.ca/Actregs/csa-Immc/csa108.html) are legal regulations. Operating a boat without a licence (if required) is much like driving a car without a licence. The Regulations also state that no owner of a pleasure craft shall allow a person to operate the vessel unless that person has proof of competency and proof of age on board--so clearly there are increased duties of boat owners as well as operators.
We are pleased to congratulate Angela Haskill on her recent fame. Angela joined us in May 2002, and was our secretary through the Spring, Summer and Fall seasons. Angela is a talented singer and songwriter, and plays many instruments. Angela currently has a CD on the market, called "Awakenings", available in some stores, or from her website, www.angelahaskill.com.
In June 2006, Michael Downer was elected Chair of the Insurance Institute of Canada—Georgian Bay Chapter, a two-year term position. From June 1999 through June 2006, Michael Downer served as Education Co-ordinator and Vice Chair Academic for the Georgian Bay Chapter of the Insurance Institute of Ontario.
Brian Downer continues to serve as a Director for the North Simcoe Development Corporation in Midland, promoting local small business growth. Brian is also the Secretary of the Ontario Marine Surveyors Association (OMSA).
RESUME for Michael Downer PHOTOGRAPHY of Michael Downer
Since 1994, Michael has instructed many Insurance Institute of Canada Associateship/CIP courses, including C11 Principles and Practice of Insurance, C13 Insurance Against Liability, C43 Specialty Lines and C35 Insurance Against Crime. Michael is quite active in teaching IIC courses throughout the year and proctoring IIC exams. In 2004, the Insurance Institute of Ontario presented Michael with an 'Outstanding Instructor' award. Periodically, Marine Insurance Services puts on Marine Seminars at our offices and other locations.
Marine Insurance Services has copies of Michael Downer's Summary Notes for Insurance Institute of Canada Associateship courses--available at no charge! These courses include C11 Principles and Practice of Insurance, C13 Insurance Against Liability, C35 Insurance Against Crime, C42 Principles and Practice of Marine Insurance, C43 Specialty Lines, C39 Fraud Awareness and Prevention, and C32 Property Damage Appraisal. These notes are now also posted on the internet in their entirety in internet (HTML) format, and are available to anyone who wishes to use them. You can download these notes by going to our Courses section.
Copies of The Associate Board Game, developed by our offices, are currently available for IIC Instructors for loan, with questions for several IIC courses! The Insurance Institute of Canada has recently produced this game, and sent copies to every institute chapter across Canada. Please contact us for more information about any of these free offers.
A prototype of The Associate Board Game
Michael B. Downer, A.A., B.Sc., C.I.P., President Brian E. Downer, A.M.S., Secretary of the Ontario Marine Surveyors Association Marine Insurance Services E-Mail downer@marineinsureservices.com HOME
MEMBERS: IIC, OMSA, ABYC, SCFPOA A Division of 1134935 Ontario Limited
