In October, the Canadian federal government announced a streamlined process for imposing restrictions on the use of recreational boats on its waterways. Under this new process, the Minister for Transport has the power to issue interim restriction orders when he receives a request from other levels of government, including local authorities. The Federal Government is making temporary use of this authority and is conducting longer-term consultations on the Ship Operation Restrictions Ordinance (VORR).
Previously, any municipality or local government that wanted to pursue regulatory restrictions had to go through a lengthy process that included multiple consultation phases through the Canada Gazette process. With these interim measures, municipalities can submit their application – following a guide describing the consultation process to be followed – and receive an interim injunction for a period of two years.
Under these measures, municipalities and municipalities could work to implement restrictions on recreational boating much more quickly than before, including restrictions on speed, operating hours or access.
NMMA Canada has met with government officials and received assurances that the federal government will not delegate authority to local authorities in these matters. NMMA Canada was also advised that there is no coordinated effort to ban recreational boating on waterways outright, but that concerns are more related to issues such as noise at certain times of day, patrol zones and safety issues.
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