Our annual stakeholder meeting is a unique opportunity to talk about solutions to boating
concerns. We bring together leaders in the boating industry, lake associations and government to share ideas, to learn from each other and to develop solutions. This year’s theme was Changing Boating Behavior.
Wakes and Regulations on our Waterways
Wakes continuously surface as one of the top issues of concern in Safe Quiet Lakes’ surveys. And for the first time, people have expressed a desire to add legislative and enforcement solutions to change boating behaviour.
At our 2022 stakeholder meeting held in November lake associations and other stakeholders learned of some major developments around wakes and boating legislation. Among the highlights:
Wakes research
Dr. Chris Houser, Dean of Science, and Interim Vice President of Research & Innovation at the University of Windsor, presented some of his ground-breaking research on wakes in Canada. One of his key findings: Speed of the boat, shape and the size matter when it comes to wake impacts, but there are several other important factors, such as water depth and shoreline characteristics. This matters because most wake regulations refer only to speed within distance of a shoreline. Read more about his studies, including ongoing research in Muskoka.
Sharing the lake space
Jasmine Northcott, CEO of Waterski & Wakeboard Canada, talked about their efforts to promote safe and respectful boating, including the launch of a new boat driver safety training program for the general public. Learn more.
Wake rules worldwide
Wake legislation to address safety and the protection of sensitive areas is a growing trend worldwide, but in Canada wake rules don’t really exist beyond speed and distance from shore rules. Diana Piquette, Chair of Safe Quiet Lakes, gave an overview of wake regulations worldwide.
Boating regulations coming to Canada
Dawn Colquhoun, Manager, Office of Boating Safety for Transport Canada, highlighted proposed changes to legislation governing recreational boating, including wakesurfing, PCOC licences and pleasure craft short-term rentals. Find out more here.
A case study on changing the rules
It’s been a five-year mission for the Township of Archipelago, on Georgian Bay, ON to get all community stakeholders onside in order to apply to the federal government for a VORR (Vehicle Operation Restriction Regulation) for speed reductions in congested sections of their waterways. Peter Frost, Councillor from Archipelago, discussed their journey.
Great progress on limiting excessive boat noise
Rob Bosomworth, Co-Chairman of the national Decibel Coalition, updated stakeholders on a major development on excessive boat noise from recent meetings in Ottawa at the Canadian Marine Advisory Council Meeting. Transport Canada announced they are proposing decibel limits be imposed on both manufacturers and operators -- a key win. Legislation could be introduced by the end of next year, with implementation by 2025.
Read a summary of the 2022 SQL Stakeholder meeting here. Or watch the full video of the two-hour session here.
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