A quick response by a Tweed township resident led to the rescue of three young people whose canoe had capsized in Stoco Lake, police say.
Police were alerted at about 6:15 a.m. that the boaters were in distress.
The three out-of-town residents were staying at a rental in the area about 190 km southeast of Ottawa and took a canoe to watch the sunrise.
They lost a paddle and capsized attempting to grab it. The trio went into the water, with one of them not wearing a lifejacket.
A local resident heard the calls for help, jumped into his pontoon boat and motored out on the lake to rescue them. All three were pulled onto the pontoon boat and taken to shore.
OPP noted that 17 of the 23 people who died in boating/paddling incidents last year were not wearing a lifejacket.
“Police would like to thank everyone who assisted in this rescue,” the OPP said on social media.
“Swift action to call police and rescue these students may have saved their lives.”
