Feature Article July 24, 2002
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AGM, Boating Safety, and the Tay Watershed PlanSummer is the time lake associations hold their annual meetings. This article includes a shameless plug for our AGM. The Greater Bobs & Crow Lakes Association annual meeting will be held on Sunday, July 28, at the Bedford District Community Centre, on the Westport Road, approximately 5 km east of Highway 38. There will be exhibits and a complimentary lunch from noon to 1 pm, when the formal meeting will start. Exhibitors include the Friends of the Tay, Bedford Mining Alert, OPP, Big Rideau Lake Association, Tay River Legal Defence Fund, and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. There will be information on water quality, water levels, boating and cottage safety, boat safety courses, mining, and other topics.
The mayors from South and Central Frontenac, and BBS townships have been invited to address the group. The OPP will make a brief presentation on boating safety. In addition, Dave Ballinger of the Rideau Canal Office will discuss water level management. This will be of special interest, as Bobs and Crow Lakes are reservoirs for the Rideau Canal. As a result the lake water is used for canal operations during the navigation season, and the levels drop about 1.3 metres during that period. However, this season has been exceptional because of the heavy rains we experienced during June.
In the area of boating safety, the OPP was on Bobs Lake on July 14 to enforce boating regulations. This was partly in response to a complaint regarding unsafe boating practices in a narrow channel. The OPP issued one ticket for speeding in excess of 10 km/h within 30 metres of shore. That resulted in a $120 fine. Fourteen operators where warned for their actions. Still others were advised of the existence of the law pertaining to speed along the shoreline and the reasons for its existence, e.g., shoreline erosion; damage to loon nests and docked boats; swimmer safety.
In my view these statistics reflect an appalling record of irresponsible boating and ignorance. Throughout Ontario the boating speed limit is 10 km/h within 30 metres (100 feet) of shore, whether it is occupied or not, except:
(1) When water-skiing where the vessel follows a trajectory perpendicular to the shore,
(2) In rivers less than 100m in width, or canals or buoyed channels, or
(3) In waters where another speed is prescribed under the Canada Shipping Act or other regulations.
Finally, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority has just issued the final Tay River Watershed Management Plan. This is the culmination of more than four years of work. The plan presents a vision for the future of the watershed and outlines specific actions to attain that vision. The watershed is within six municipalities and includes the Tay River plus Leggat, Long, Eagle, Elbow, Bobs, Crow, Christie, Crosby, Pike, and Otty Lakes. In my view this is an extremely important document. It is essential for everyone who has an interest in the future of our watershed, and is vital for people on those water bodies.
