Protected waters in Canada

[Nipfisher]

This IS NOT intended to be a political thread. Please do not make it so.

 

This is about fishing and protected waters and shorelines. I live in North Bay and our city was in support of the changes that could now allow for development along the shores of many once protected lakes including some in Algonquin Park. The City of North Bay feels that this will increase tourism in this area. I do not support it.

 

The act now provides a list of federally protected waters — three oceans, 97 lakes and 62 rivers.

 

Here is the CBC article on it.

http://www.cbc.ca/ne...udget-bill.html

 

Lets have some discussion on how it can /will impact our favourite little lakes.

Edited December 7, 2012 by Nipfisher

[NAW]

I've been seeing these posters up on facebook.

 

Thanks for posting Blair. I was going to ask the question here about what the hell was going on.

[Billy Bob]

Money is the route to all the evils in the world...and this could be the next one...

[Rod Caster]

Yup. Sad stuff. Trading green for green

[kickingfrog]

Only our twenties are green.

[bushart]

Money is the route to all the evils in the world...and this could be the next one...

 

 

Give this man a Cigar----funny how sayings that are as old as the hills still ring true

 

Remember we did'nt lose our clean wild places-----we sold them

 

 

While we're on the environment topic cause it's not been mentioned and It's just an fyi here and not a hijack---and will affect our fishing

 

6 or so years ago--in that Inconvenient truth doc---it was shown what 2 degrees of the earths warming would do---it was ok cause 2 degrees was supposed to take near 100 years----well 6 or so years later---we're at .8 and the ice cap has shrunk to a fraction of itself

 

Good for open pit mining on Baffin Island though

 

OK back to how The Albany is also left unprotected---and many others

[Rod Caster]

Only our twenties are green.

 

Hahaha can't a guy turn a catchy phrase without being called out

 

 

A lot of rivers and lakes are now exposed to development.... I'm guessing the next step is to sell valuable crown land or increase township sizes.

[BillM]

This is just at the Federal level though, it says nothing about Provincial laws in place to protect the rivers or lakes.

[Rod Caster]

This is just at the Federal level though, it says nothing about Provincial laws in place to protect the rivers or lakes.

 

There goes all of Alberta's lakes and Rivers

 

 

Many watersheds are not bound by provincial borders...

[Nipfisher]

This is just at the Federal level though, it says nothing about Provincial laws in place to protect the rivers or lakes.

 

 

Agreed BillM. There is still red tape to cut through....just not as much.

[Billy Bob]

Give this man a Cigar----funny how sayings that are as old as the hills still ring true

 

PLEASE send CUBAN'S...they are hard to get down here....

 

And I mean cigars....

[fishindevil]

[fishindevil]

Thi is all over Facebook as well as the news !!! This is huge and the Harper govt just rammed it through !!!!! And no public consultation or anything !!!! This is bad for our resources another nail in the coffin

[dhickey]

I think certian parts of the world should be protected regardles of economic gain.

Central Afica/parts of South America/Northern Europe/North and South poles/ the list is virtualy endless.

 

I guess I am a Redneck tree hugger afterall???

[bushart]

 

 

Your good if you live in Tony Clement's riding (Muskoka)

 

What many do not get is these resource based projects being pushed in the name of the economy (aka shareholder bottomlines)

are finite jobs

 

ask the thousands of folks who used to work in the forest industry

[nofish4me]

Thi is all over Facebook as well as the news !!! This is huge and the Harper govt just rammed it through !!!!! And no public consultation or anything !!!! This is bad for our resources another nail in the coffin

 

So, I'm out of the loop again, exactly how is it that the 2.499 million lakes and rivers became unprotected?

Edited December 8, 2012 by nofish4me

[kickingfrog]

[bushart]

So, I'm out of the loop again, exactly how is it that the 2.499 million lakes and rivers became unprotected?

 

 

The republicans in power packaged it up nicely and stuck it into yet another omnibus budget bill

 

The environment just gets in the way of $$$ with these guys

 

Wonder why the First Nations Chiefs protested on Parliament hill the other day and attempted to force their way into the house of commons??

 

Next----question----now China buys Nexen--they'll want "Their" oil to the coast-----any bets on how it gets there??

[singingdog]

So, I'm out of the loop again, exactly how is it that the 2.499 million lakes and rivers became unprotected?

 

It has to do with the definition of "navigable waterway". According to the old law, any navigable waterway was protected under federal law. "Navigable" was such a broad term that pretty much any stream, river, or lake that you could get a canoe down was identified as navigable. The old law was rooted in the traditions that established the country: trapping and moving goods by canoe. Any development (culvert, bridge, wing dam, dock....) on those navigable waterways were subject to federal regulation, including environmental assessment plans.

 

What the Harper govt has done is redefine "navigable" to reflect current industrial reality: goods are moved via huge ships now.

 

The 2.5 million lakes and rivers are not "unprotected", they just aren't protected under the navigable waterways act. Provincial and municipal regulations still apply.

[bushart]

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2301164919/

 

 

If it was as simple as making a happy little cottage dock

[Rod Caster]

 

 

The 2.5 million lakes and rivers are not "unprotected", they just aren't protected under the navigable waterways act. Provincial and municipal regulations still apply.

 

Unfortunately, the MOE has already been cutback bigtime and is dealing with a young and inexperienced laborforce. A lot of what they learned over the years with regards to the Provincial laws and nuances has essentially retired or quit. They are stuck re-training and making a lot of amateur mistakes, wasting resources and essentially losing the ability to properly regulate affairs. Now that these previously Federal tasks are downloaded onto the provinces, it'll further dilute their ability to regulate.

 

The silliest thing is that many rivers and lakes are inter-provincial waterways which means the provinces, all with different environmental legislations, are stuck arguing between themselves with no overseeing powers. Who owns the Ottawa River? How the hell do you regulate that properly when Quebec and Ontario may have their own ideas of what is right. When they get into a big fight about this or that, who is gonna step in now?

As far as municipalities, they typically don't get into environmental issues because of the fear of crossing into Provincial or Federal legislation and getting into lawsuits. Hopefully, from these changes, if anything, municipalities will pick up some of the slack.... but I doubt the Feds intend to contribute funds for this.

 

Things that are beyond provincial borders should be regulated by the Federal government.....duh

 

I wonder how this will affect water access, whereas before if I could canoe a river, I could use it (unless special provisions exist).... not sure how that changes now. I don't think the provinces have water navigation legislation.

[capt_hooked]

Part .. is the current government.. I think we should catch and release Harper fish... they don't taste so good..

 

But years ago.. the City of North Bay and the North Bay Nugget.. ran a whole page article on tourism in North Bay... AND the word FISHING was never mentioned once...!

 

Now they want to open a Casino...!!!!

 

 

Idiots..!!!

 

 

but this is NOT political...!!!

 

 

 

[Roy]

Part .. is the current government.. I think we should catch and release Harper fish... they don't taste so good..

 

But years ago.. the City of North Bay and the North Bay Nugget.. ran a whole page article on tourism in North Bay... AND the word FISHING was never mentioned once...!

 

Now they want to open a Casino...!!!!

 

 

Idiots..!!!

 

 

but this is NOT political...!!!

 

 

 

 

I hear ya Kevin. I could really get into this one but you're right, this is not political.

[woodenboater]

Water is supposed to be the next oil, so is this part of the plan to make it easier to monetize ? I'm scurred for the environment.

[nofish4me]

It has to do with the definition of "navigable waterway". According to the old law, any navigable waterway was protected under federal law. "Navigable" was such a broad term that pretty much any stream, river, or lake that you could get a canoe down was identified as navigable. The old law was rooted in the traditions that established the country: trapping and moving goods by canoe. Any development (culvert, bridge, wing dam, dock....) on those navigable waterways were subject to federal regulation, including environmental assessment plans.

 

What the Harper govt has done is redefine "navigable" to reflect current industrial reality: goods are moved via huge ships now.

 

The 2.5 million lakes and rivers are not "unprotected", they just aren't protected under the navigable waterways act. Provincial and municipal regulations still apply.

 

 

 

 

Thanks, that seems to make sense.