By Megan Chase, Editor
WHITEWATER REGION (Cobden) —
Joe Kowalski, Founder and Owner of Wilderness Tours, gave the opening presentation at the council meeting for the Township of Whitewater Region last night. He hopes to enter into an agreement to be able to assist the Whitewater Region Fire Department in whitewater rescue on the Ottawa River.
Thanking council for allowing him to present on 24 hours notice, Mr. Kowalski stated, “I don’t like to take advantage of council, but felt that this was a very serious situation.”
Mr. Kowalski explains he has had to make alternate arrangements with the City of Pembroke to conduct rafting trips on Muskrat River because of the present blanked boating ban on the Ottawa River for safety.
Mr. Kowalski explains how he and his staff have capabilities, skills and equipment the emergency services in Whitewater Region do not. A major point stressed is the 30 to 50 years of experience Mr. Kowalski and his team bring to the table.
“My son Joel is behind me and he’s our River Manager now,” explained Mr. Kowalski. “His skill level is way, way beyond mine, having grown up on the river … with Joel and our team training last week on the Petawawa, they were aware there was a missing teenager … having that expertise, they knew where to look and they found her.”
The rescue craft at Wilderness Tours is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Mr. Kowalski believes this is an asset in making them the official training partner for the Whitewater Region Fire Department on the rough whitewater sections of the Ottawa River.
“If someone falls into the river, there’s no way to rescue them. We’re not setup,” stated Mr. Kowalski.
He told the story of how last June near the river his son Joel got a text about a missing solider at what is known as the Lorne Rapids. Mr. Kowalski described how Joel took the rescue ski-doo and his river gear down-river to meet up with his sister, Katie Kowalski. She runs the kayak school at Wilderness Tours and organized all of their kayakers. They then swept the river, searching up and down both sides in the dark.
Following the presentation, a motion was passed to formalize the agreement after seeing if the boating ban will be lifted by the weekend. If the ban is not lifted, a temporary court order may be issued to consider members of the Wilderness Tours team, members of the Whitewater Region Fire Department for whitewater rescue.
Wilderness Tours is located in Foresters Falls and has been a part of the community for 45 years.
