Clear Lake boat ban faces backlash amid new scientific claims

CBC

4 days ago

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A group advocating for the return of motorized boats to Clear Lake says their scientific evidence suggests the ban may not be effective in stopping the spread of zebra mussels in the Manitoba lake.
Fairness for Clear Lake hosted a packed town hall Tuesday in Wasagaming that gathered to hear from an independent biologist they hired and discuss getting boats back on the lake, which is just inside the southern border of Riding Mountain National Park.
"You've got generations of people that have lived and been on the water … that their family members have [said] we're not coming home this year," member Trevor Boquist said.
"I have a son that's out in Vancouver. He says … 'If I can't go in the boat, I'm not coming home this summer.'"
Mark Lowden, AAE Tech Service senior biologist, said at Tuesday's meeting that zebra mussels are being spread in the lake by natural forces like wind and wave action — not boats. Fairness for Clear Lake hired Lowden to study the zebra mussels and their impact, how they move and the role boats play.
"Ecologically, those mussels are still going to move around that lake, with or without boats," Lowden told the crowd of around 400.
"It is just going to be a matter of time, in my opinion, that zebra mussels are going to essentially be all throughout the whole lake."
Adult zebra mussels were first found in the western Manitoba lake in November 2023, near Boat Cove on the south shore at Wasagaming, inside the park.
An effort to contain the invasive species with an underwater curtain in the summer of 2024 did not succeed. That fall, hundreds of live juvenile zebra mussels were found attached to docks and other structures outside of Boat Cove near the east end of the lake.
In January 2025, Parks Canada said it planned to allow watercraft on the lake on a "one boat, one lake" basis. However, Parks Canada later reversed that decision and shut down motorized boat access over the May long weekend, citing the urgent need to protect the ecosystem from further zebra mussel contamination.
The move sparked widespread backlash from cottagers and business people, who weren't consulted, Boquist said.
"I'm a boater myself, and I don't think it always has to be all or nothing," Boquist said. "We're even open to having those conversations about what that looks like. The problem is we can't get the other side to sit down and talk to us about it."
Lowden said the greater threat now is the spread of the aquatic invasive species to other lakes, something he said can be managed with strict controls.
He recommended the "one boat, one lake" policy, along with mandatory inspections and decontamination to prevent cross-contamination. This would allow boating to resume without increasing ecological risk, he said.
A Parks Canada official at the meeting said the ban was necessary, which brought on boos and questions from the audience.
Andrew Campbell, Parks Canada vice-president of external relations and visitor experience, told attendees that boat access to the lake needs to be approved by the park's superintendent, and during the initial consultation, they were told at least one group would challenge approvals in court if boats were given the go-ahead.
"We make decisions based on would we be able to, with the one boat, one lake, be able to survive a judicial review," he said.
"The courts could take the action to say they would immediately suspend the decision until the judicial review was done."
He declined to name the group threatening the "one boat, one lake" policy with court action. He did tell the crowd Parks Canada received the information at the beginning of May, and they believe it meant that no matter what, boats would not have been able to get on the water this summer.
Consultations had been taking place but were interrupted by the federal election in April, he said.
Now, Parks Canada is studying how boats affect the spread of zebra mussels, while addressing a judicial review filed in June by Fairness for Clear Lake. The group wants a judge to declare the ban invalid and let motorized watercraft back on the water.
Transparency
Wasagaming Chamber of Commerce president Jason Potter said many local businesses have felt left in the dark, because there's been a lack of communication with Parks Canada.
The uncertainty is discouraging investment, with business and property owners hesitant to spend money when the future feels so unclear, he said. He hopes the town hall is the start of mending the relationship with Parks Canada.
"Nobody wants to have a bad relationship," he said. "This is just a stumbling block right now."
Longtime cottager Judy Marvin said the meeting felt like the first time the community received clear information about the zebra mussels.
"We've been hearing little bits from various people, and we just really had no firm idea of what was going on, what's real," she said.
Marvin feels like the advocacy group is listening and has a plan, and the meeting gave her hope for the future of the lake, she said.
Attendee Brian McVicar said he feels better informed, but he questions Parks Canada's approach.
"The science basically says motorboats are not the issue," he said. "It begs the question as to what really drove the banned boat decision."
During the meeting, Conservative MP Dan Mazier encouraged attendees to sign a petition seeking the removal of the superintendent of Riding Mountain National Park and the return of motorboats.
Boquist said while the community's relationship with Parks Canada has eroded over the last several years, he's hopeful it can still be repaired through transparent conversations.
"Cottage owners, businesses, cabin owners, like, we all have vested interests," he said. "We're here because we want to be here."