The federal government is seeking to bring about new changes that will make it easier for municipalities to regulate navigation on their bodies of water.
Marie-Claude Bibeau, Member of Parliament for Compton- Stanstead; Pascale St-Onge, Member of Parliament for Brome-Missisquoi; and Élisabeth Brière, Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke made the announcement in Ayer's Cliff late last week where they spoke on the 3 proposed legislative amendments to what is known as Canada's Shipping Act.
“It was a commitment that I took as a local MP back in 2016 after having a meeting and discussion with eight lake protection associations in the Eastern Townships. They told me, locally, our lakes were at risk and that it was really important to pay attention to how boating was allowed on our lakes,” explained Bibeau. “Actually, everything related to boating is under federal jurisdiction, under the Shipping Act. It’s a very, very old act that is particularly important for the St. Lawrence River, but when we’re talking about our small lakes it’s completely different with boating. Our municipalities don’t have the capacity to regulate the speed for example, so they have asked us to facilitate the process.”
Bibeau continued to explain to CIDI that a process did exist for municipalities wanting to implement navigation regulations on its waterways, but it was extensive and there were long waiting periods for approval from the federal government.
As a result, Transport Canada proposed legislative amendments to the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, which received Royal Assent on June 22, 2023. These regulatory amendments will be developed following a national consultation, according to the official press release.
In the meantime however, Bibeau noted that municipalities will not have to wait on the thorough national consultation process to make changes on their waterways. Instead, the Minister of Transport can issue the approval of the municipality’s suggested navigation regulations through decree until these new changes officially come into force over the next year. These expected changes essentially aim to help “fast track” a municipality’s application once it reaches Ottawa and it will make their role more clear when it comes to regulating navigation on their bodies of water.
“We have shortened the process significantly,” Bibeau explained. “Now, the municipalities have to do serious homework. They have to clearly identify whether there is a security issue or an environmental issue. They have to identify the problem really well, then they have do consultations, try to make citizens aware of the issues, and try to find a solution,” she said. “If they come to the conclusion that it must be done through regulating boating, then they have to pass resolution at the city council and send it to Transport Canada.”
Bibeau mentioned that these changes were not only asked for by the lake protection associations in the Eastern Townships, but by the Union des Municipalités du Québec, which “wanted to have more say in the decisions on their territory.” She emphasized again however that municipalities need to take the process “seriously.”
“It (the regulation) has to be necessary to solve a problem, including an environmental problem, because we want to protect free access to our lakes. But, we may want to slow down in some fragile zone of a lake, for example. As long as the problem has been well identified, there’s been consultation, there’s been awareness campaigns, and so on, then the Minister of Transport will look favourably at the request coming from the municipality or the municipalities,” she said.
Bibeau said that the Eastern Townships was a major player in bringing the conversation to the federal table as a region that recognizes the value of its lakes and water bodies.
“In the Eastern Townships, we know how important our lakes are in terms of the environment and the ecosystems, but for many of us it’s the drinking water source as well. It’s also an economic source for our region and across the country. (…) I would say it’s thanks to the Townships’ leadership that we got this through and that our lakes across the country will benefit from our efforts,” she highlighted.
CIDI reached out to Minister St-Onge for comment but she was not available for an interview. CIDI also reached out to Conservation Lac-Brome but they did not get back to us before press time.
Listen to the full interview with Bibeau below: