The tide of water enthusiasts flowing into Georgian Bay is causing some chaos in local harbours, leading harbour masters from towns and cities on the bay to take a closer look at what they can do to keep all users safe.
In 2020 and 2021, the volume of people arriving at Collingwood’s harbour has increased significantly, which is likely attributable to COVID-19, according to Dean Collver, harbour master and director of parks, recreation and culture for the town.
“We’ve had a bit of an exponential jump in use. More boats are launching and our marina is the biggest it’s ever been for tenant usage. There are more paddlers and swimmers in the water. It’s getting so much more use than it ever has in its history from a recreational perspective,” he said.
The increase in harbour visitors has led to more complaints about people disregarding the no-wake rule, leading the town to look harder at its bylaws.
“We’re trying hard to navigate around all of the various interests that have emerged really quickly in the harbour,” he said.
For the most part, Collver said users of the harbour are respectful of the wake rules that are posted, but notes there are bad actors and with the traffic in the area increasing, it’s necessary to look at ways the town can more effectively enforce the rules.
During Monday’s Collingwood Police Services Board meeting, OPP Staff-Sgt. Chris Maecker said about 40 charges were laid in the Collingwood Harbour and area in 2020. He didn’t have numbers on hand for 2021.
A wake of as little as 30 centimetres can disrupt a swimmer, paddle boarder, or an inexperienced kayaker, said Collver.
According to Transport Canada, in Ontario, there is a universal shoreline speed restriction of 10 kilometres/hour within 30 metres of shore, with certain exceptions, to prevent wake.
“With our harbour conditions, it can cause issues. Rowers are tremendously impacted by waves. Continuous wakes can have an impact on the habitats at the shoreline,” said Collver.
As an interim solution, the town has buoys in the water denoting a swimming area and an alert to the wake rules to ensure boaters are aware.
“It creates a buffer that adds safety for those who are swimming from the pier,” he said.
Long-term, Collver said conversations are ongoing between the town and Transport Canada to create a VORR (Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations) which would aid in stronger enforcement of wake rules, as Transport Canada is officially the oversight body for waterways across Canada.
“That’s the conversation we’re starting now to move beyond our harbour bylaw to a federal approach that helps us to create more authority for the conditions we want to be applied to the harbour,” said Collver.
A VORR allows any level of government to ask the federal government to restrict the use of either pleasure craft or commercial vessels on all bodies of water in Canada. Local authorities must submit a formal submission to Transport Canada under these regulations and, according to Transport Canada, they should only be used as a last resort.
Public consultation and a motion by council are both parts of the process for applying for a VORR, which would occur as the application process progresses.
According to Transport Canada data, there has been a significant increase in boating activity since the onset of the pandemic.
“As a result, there has been an increase in inquiries surrounding speed restrictions in Ontario,” Sau Sau Liu, senior communications advisor with Transport Canada, told CollingwoodToday.ca.
“It should be understood that all moving vessels will create a wake. The Canada Shipping Act does not include ‘no wake’ laws and therefore ‘no wake’ is not enforceable under the Act,” she said.
Further along Georgian Bay in Midland, their harbour is in the same boat as Collingwood.
Midland Harbour Master Rick Dalziel estimates that his harbour is also dealing with an influx of new users by between 30 and 40 per cent in 2020 and 2021. He said he will be looking into further enforcement as well this year during the off-season. As of now, he’s working with the federal coast guard to get buoys put out in his harbour as an interim solution.
“The way our harbour is situated, we do have problems with the wake. It makes things difficult for our boaters,” he said. “I am trying to get something happening, because when people aren’t behaving it makes things very difficult.”
Dalziel said Midland currently has no bylaws about wake, as their harbour is under federal jurisdiction. He said the police will come in to patrol, but they can’t enforce rules that aren’t on the books.
“There’s nothing posted out there, and there should be,” he said. “Numerous times I’ve been out at the end of our pier yelling at people to slow down. It’s disrespectful, and anybody that has a boat should realize that.”
The Meaford Harbour is a special case, as it is considered a small craft harbour through the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
“We do have a no-wake zone when entering into our harbour,” said Rod Willis, manager of parks and facilities with the Municipality of Meaford. “Honestly, we’ve never had to address any issues with this. It’s a small harbour and a small entrance. We’re fortunate because when (boaters) enter our harbour, they are facing the coast guard office.”
Willis has worked for Meaford for the last 33 years, and notes there has been a steady increase in traffic year over year in that time. In the past, Willis said they have had years when only about half of their dock spots are leased out. This year, he said the harbour is fully booked and has a waiting list of about 100 people.
“The boating industry has exploded in the past couple of years. If there were a wake issue, we would utilize the coast guard service,” he said. “Our harbour is not as busy as the Collingwood Harbour... but we have seen greater traffic.”
Meaford also does not have a VORR at this time.
Back in Collingwood, Collver said the process of looking into proper enforcement has been a sharp learning curve of navigating the different jurisdictions for harbours across Georgian Bay and beyond.
“Things are going faster than we ever imagined. We’re struggling a little bit. We had been leaning on the conscience of boaters to know they’re sharing the water with all the other entities and to look after each other,” said Collver.
