What happened to the motorboat ban in Gatineau Park

Jean-Paul Murray poses for a portrait at the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre in Chelsea, Que. Photo by Spencer Colby /POSTMEDIA

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Jean-Paul Murray says he has spent years waiting for motorboats to disappear from Gatineau Park.

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The National Capital Commission promised in its 2005 master plan to gradually eliminate motorized boats from park lakes by 2010, said Murray, a local activist.

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That deadline came and went.

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More than 15 years later, Murray said he still sees gas-powered boats on Meech Lake and La Pêche Lake.

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“The NCC has made repeated commitments to ban motorboats,” Murray said. “The boats are still there despite all the NCC commitments.”

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But there is currently no federal restriction prohibiting motorboats on Gatineau Park lakes, Transport Canada wrote in a statement to the Ottawa Citizen.

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That clashes with how the NCC has described the rules on its own website, describing motorboats as prohibited in the park: “For conservation reasons, the use of motorboats … is prohibited in Gatineau Park.”

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Asked by the Citizen about its motorboat rules, the NCC said Transport Canada has jurisdiction over navigable waters in the park and that it would fix its website.

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“We will amend our webpage to clarify our policy,” NCC spokesperson Maryam El-Akhrass said in a statement.

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Two fishermen cast from a motorized boat on La Pêche Lake on Aug. 28. Photo by Spencer Colby /POSTMEDIA

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The NCC said its boat launches do not provide access for motorized watercraft and are designed for non-motorized boats.

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Transport Canada confirmed Gatineau Park is not currently covered by federal vessel restrictions. However, Transport Canada said there is a process to change that.

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The federal rules allow governments to ask Transport Canada to restrict boats on a particular body of water for reasons including safety, environmental protection and the public interest.

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Transport Canada told the Citizen the NCC qualifies as a local authority, meaning it could apply for a restriction on an individual Gatineau Park lake.

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That is what Murray wants the commission to do.

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“The issue is, in my view, the NCC should be pressuring the Minister of Transport” to impose a restriction, Murray said. “The NCC has a fiduciary responsibility to fulfill its repeated plans, commitments, and it’s not acting.”

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A pair of motorboats were docked at La Pêche Lake on Aug. 28. Photo by Spencer Colby /POSTMEDIA

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Murray wants gas-powered recreational motorboats prohibited while maintaining exemptions for legitimate access needs and emergency, rescue and enforcement operations.

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Transport Canada said getting a federal restriction would require several steps, including identifying the problem, consulting affected parties, assessing the effects of a restriction and submitting an application. Transport Canada would then review the request before it could be approved by the minister.

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The NCC said it encourages non-motorized watercraft because motorized boats can contribute to shoreline erosion and affect wildlife. It said it continues to work with partners on measures to limit shoreline erosion caused by motorized watercraft.