The federal government is considering how it could be “more proactive” and tighten federal law to protect lakes from the high motorized boat traffic that worries many citizens.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
This is what Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, said a few days ago when he was in Montreal.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change
At the start of last week, The Press published an article in which citizens denounced the large number of motorboats that end up on certain lakes, the environmental risks that this poses as well as the resulting noise. Residents at the head of lake protection associations also told that they felt very alone in trying to find solutions that are often out of reach.
Pleasure boating falls under federal jurisdiction and is governed by the Canada Shipping Act, even if they are only small boats. Only rare groups of citizens have obtained for 20 years that their lakes are not navigable or better protected from high traffic.
In recent years, municipalities and lake protection associations have nevertheless begun to impose significant fees for launching and, in some cases, to outright prohibit anyone not on the shore from launching a boat. In the past, this type of initiative was finally prohibited by the courts.
We also heard the demands of citizens regarding the use of motorized boats and their impact on blue or green algae, their impact on these environmental problems.
Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
He said he had “discussions on this issue with Minister Bibeau”. Marie-Claude Bibeau, who is Minister of Agriculture, is also the MP for Compton-Stanstead in Estrie, where she was strongly challenged by some residents who were worried about the number of boats on the lakes.
A polarizing topic
In this region, the health of certain lakes is of particular concern, such as Lake Massawippi, which is struggling with zebra mussels.
The publication of the article by The Press attracted a lot of readers.
On the one hand, there are those who worry about their overcrowded lakes or who crave a bit of quiet at home.
On the other hand, some denounce the fact that municipalities are beginning to limit the enjoyment of bodies of water to the sole owners of waterfronts, when they themselves do not have the financial means or the opportunity to buy a chalet in edge of a lake or a river.