It’s the latest chapter in a controversy over how the Shuswap River is used that has been quietly brewing in the North Okanagan for years.
The regional district announced last week that’s it’s not going to pursue additional boating regulations on the river after all.
The Regional District of North Okanagan had been looking at whether it should apply to Transport Canada for enhanced boating regulation on the river for around seven years.
It considered several controversial proposals that would have banned motorized boats on certain parts of the river or put boat speed limits in place.
The idea was to prevent conflicts between different user groups and protect the natural environment, but the ideas were very unpopular with boaters who argued they were unnecessary, and in some cases, counterproductive.
The RDNO even went as far as to engage in a mediation process it hoped would “identify consensus and support a strong application to Transport Canada.”
However, with “no solid agreement on what the added rules should look like on the entire river,” and a lack of outside help, the regional district has decided to drop the initiative.
“To be honest with you we are really kind of running out of resources,” said board chair Kevin Acton.
“It’s a very labour intensive process. We haven’t really gotten a package together. We don’t really have community consensus.”
Opponents of the proposed restrictions, including the suggested speed limits, are happy to see the regional district drop the idea of enhanced boating restrictions.
“There is no need for it if everybody respects everybody else. We’ve got to be on-plane on our boats to get up. Otherwise, we are dragging bottom and just digging up the bottom,” said Pat Weaver, who fishes on the river.
However, the news the regional district won’t be applying for additional regulations is leaving others with questions about how the river and other recreational groups will be protected.
“I believe everyone should have access to the water. The challenge with the lack of boating regulation is the damage to the shoreline. There is a group of us, we’ve been paddling the Shuswap River here for over 20 years, and we do see it. Especially in the upper sections, when the boats come up it can do a fair bit of damage,” said paddler Brad Clements.
Boaters dispute accusations that their wakes are the primary cause of erosion.
“Freshet causes more erosion when the water is high than any boat will ever going up the river,” Weaver said.
The RDNO now feels any shoreline issues are outside its jurisdiction and the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment.
Instead, the regional district will focus on non-regulatory initiatives to protect river users.
This spring, the regional government spent $17,000 on a new boat for the Conservation Officer Service to help them increase patrols the river.