Inquest resulting in new law in Ontario? Bill 87

[skypuppy 1]

Barrie Ontario Local Paper
Published Friday June 4th 2004.

Check Bill 87 before jumping....
MPP introduces new rules to make parachuting safer....

BY AMY LAZAR

Gareth Rodgers had skydived before, but he never expected his jump on that sunny August day would be his last.

On August 25, 2002, the 38-year-old was skydiving out of a small plane above Baldwin, about an hour north of Toronto, when his parachute did not open.

It was his sixth jump that year and his parachute had a double malfunction. This was brought forward during an inquest into his death that concluded in April.

"He loved extreme sports and adventure," said his sister, Melanie Tetlock, an Innisfil resident organizing a rally for the introduction of the Gareth Rodgers Act for Sport Parachuting (GRASP bill).

"Gareth took the ultimate leap of faith and we must honour his memory by ensuring that this faith and trust will never again be unwarranted."

Bill 87 is an act to regulate those participating in free falling in Ontario and it was introduced at Queen's Park by local MPP Joe Tascona.

Currently, there are no government regulations for skydiving in Canada, including the instructor qualifications or the packing of parachutes and no one could be held accountable when Rodgers died.

"This act will ensure that persons involved in, or experiencing, the sport of parachuting can rely on the fact that they are protected," Tascona said in a press release, noting the act will require free fallers to hold a permit, which will be issued after an examination.

The Canadian military parachute riggers are in support of the act and were consulted throughout the drafting of the bill.

Tascona will be attending the event on Saturday at Heritage Park at Barrie's waterfront to raise awareness and initiate a petition to call on the Ontario government.

Also expected to attend is regional supervising coroner Dr. William Lucas, who was involved in Rodger's inquest. The inquest concluded: "The positioning of a competent regulatory body... must become a paramount consideration for both the skydive schools and the federal government."

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[diverdriver 5]

What was the cause of the double malfunction?

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

[skypuppy 1]

Quote

What was the cause of the double malfunction?

Try
http://dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1029206;search_string=Gareth%20Rodgers;#1029206

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[riggerrob 561]

This bill is doomed because it infringes on federal jurisdiction and it is far too vague about pre-levels.

[diverdriver 5]

Damn. I watched a static line student (1st jump) go in after exiting the 182. His pilot chute assist came under his arm and he grabbed it and held it CONTRARY to all education in the FJC that day. His AAD fired on time but the reserve entangled with the main and streamered. It is the most helpless thing you will ever friggin watch.

The FAA regulates that a piece of velcro much go around the base of a pilot chute assist to make sure it does not container lock when the static line pulls the pin. That requirement caused the PCA to come under the jumper's arm and when he felt it he grabbed it contrary to training.

Even when the government does regulate it doesn't mean you are always going to live. We ARE jumping out of airplanes for crying out loud.

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

[diverdriver 5]

Quote

This bill is doomed because it infringes on federal jurisdiction and it is far too vague about pre-levels.

I hope you are right.

[Andrewwhyte 1]

Quote

This bill is doomed because it infringes on federal jurisdiction and it is far too vague about pre-levels.

I am not sure that is true. What more likely dooms it is the fact that it is being forwarded by a Conservative member of a legislature dominated by a Liberal government. Private Members' Bills almost never make it into law in Canada; especially Opposition Private Members.

[pchapman 262]

For what it's worth, the content of the bill (which is available online at a gov't web site) is very generic, giving the provincial government the ability to set standards for parachuting equipment and issue permits for freefallers who use parachutes. Completely open ended, with no mention of exactly what they might require.

Some trivia from the bill:

Freefallers using parachutes would have to carry their permits with them.

Freefalls of less than 10m (33 ft), into water at least as deep as the freefall, would be exempt.

It all reads like a joke, and has little hope of passing for reasons previously mentioned. It does continue to attract the media's attention in Canada to skydiving, given that there were a couple skydiving inquests earlier this year in Ontario and Alberta.

One inquest finding (which has no weight of law) stated that all student operations should cease until new regulations are in place. I've heard of drop zone owners occasionally being asked by whuffos in the past months, "So I guess you guys are shut down?".

Although usually any publicity is good publicity, that's taking things too far, and doesn't help DZs here in Ontario which are already suffering from reduced business due to poor weather this spring.

[tinfoil 0]

Almost all inquests suggest an immediate halt to whatever they were investigating.

And this thread is becomming quite similar to one that was started earlier in the safty and training forum here

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