A number of Saskatoon recreational clubs are voicing safety concerns over the possibility of a motorized boat launch being constructed near an existing boathouse in Victoria Park.
In 2016, the City of Saskatoon began a river access study to identify where the best location for a permanent motorized boat launch would be. A temporary launch is currently located in Kiwanis Park, near the Broadway Bridge.
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On Tuesday, members of the Saskatoon Canoe Club and Saskatoon Rowing Club released a statement expressing concern that the city’s study would lead to the launch being built in Victoria Park where its members enter the South Saskatchewan River to paddle.
“On a daily basis, we have approximately 40 people going into rowing shells and that’s not including the marathon canoers and the kayakers who have in the range of 10 to 20 users a day,” Nicole Golden, a Saskatoon Rowing Club administrator, said Tuesday.
“We’re not against motorized users, but … how much more can that narrow body of water facilitate and still be safe for paddlers.”
Golden said the safety concern stems from the fact that paddlers and motor boaters would likely intersect if the launch is built in the park.
“Our concern is that this particular location is going to jeopardize our really nice safe zone where we teach all our beginner lessons,” Golden said.
“It’s going to call into question what we can do on the river.”
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However, the city’s special use facilities manager, Andrew Roberts, cautioned that no decision on a permanent motorized boat launch has been made, even though Victoria Park “checks off the most boxes” when it comes to having the appropriate infrastructure for the launch.
“From the research that we’ve gathered in 2016 we’ve determined that additional research, environmental research, public engagement and stuff, needs to continue,” Roberts said Tuesday.
“From there we’ll take a report to city council with the complete study and with that we’ll have some recommendations for a potential site or sites for our future boat launch.”
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Roberts added that a number of locations are currently being considered for the launch and the results of the city’s river access study won’t be released until the additional research is completed.
“It is preliminary, we don’t want to send any information out there that will be inaccurately determined or used to make assumptions that aren’t correct,” Roberts said.
However, Golden and her group are calling on officials to immediately release the report’s findings thus far.
“Why are we not seeing the many other pros and cons of the other locations,” Golden asked.
“Please tells us what the consideration is.”
Roberts said city council will likely receive their report in the fall of 2017. In the meantime, officials from the recreational clubs have started a petition to the city.
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