Opponents push Parks Canada to scrap boat ban on Clear Lake

BRANDON — More than 2,200 people have signed an online petition calling for Riding Mountain National Park to let motorized boats back on Clear Lake this summer despite the danger of zebra mussels.

The petition was launched on the long weekend after Parks Canada announced the boat ban on Friday, reversing its decision in January to allow motorized boats as long as they were used only on Clear Lake.

“This blindsided visitors and devastated local businesses that rely on boating tourism,” says the petition, which urges Parks Canada to keep its original commitment and implement “fair and proven” measures to manage zebra mussels.

Brian McVicor, past president of the Clear Lake Cabin Owners Association and one of 2,267 people to sign the petition as of Wednesday afternoon, said Parks Canada has lost the trust of the public.

“Everybody was in favour of the one-boat, one-lake policy, so people are really upset over this because the issue has been misrepresented, and they’ve been lied to,” he said.

“With the surprise reversal about the motorboats, people don’t trust the plan — they don’t trust the park.”

McVicor, a Brandon resident who has had a cabin and boat at Clear Lake for 35 years, said he is worried Parks Canada has been influenced by “an increasingly organized group” that doesn’t want motorboats on the lake.

Having worked closely with past park administrations, he said, “I’m very familiar with a lot of that history, but I can also tell you that there’s always been an undercurrent of anti-boating.”

Bill Myers said he agreed with that assessment.

“I really do think the underlying agenda here is to ban motorboats for the foreseeable future, and maybe forever,” said Myers, whose Clear Lake cottage has been in the family for more than 80 years.

Opponents of the ban had a chance to vent at a meeting in Onanole Sunday that was hosted by the association, which drew about 200 cottage, cabin and business owners.

Association president Randy Brydges said Leanne Cooper, the park’s superintendent, attended.

“She stated it was her decision (to ban motorized boats),” Brydges said.

“We opened up the floor and our members asked questions. Our members were surprised, confused and didn’t accept the reasoning. We don’t support what they’ve done here.”

Don Kille, a longtime resident of Clear Lake, said attendees weren’t happy to hear that the decision to reverse Parks Canada’s “one-boat, one-lake” policy had been made two weeks before Friday’s announcement.

This timeline infuriated many in the crowd, Kille said.

“I truly believe this decision was not based on science, data or public input,” he said. “My grandson has been talking about getting back on the lake all winter. We respected the ‘one-boat, one-lake’ rules. This feels like a personal vendetta against boaters.”

Kille, whose pontoon boat has been idle since the fall of 2023, said the superintendent refused to disclose the results of a Parks Canada survey that he and many others participated in earlier this year.

“I believe the majority supported the single-lake restriction, and now we’re told it meant nothing,” he said. “It’s not too late for her to reverse this. There are thousands of signatures on a petition already.”

Cooper could not be reached for comment.

Asked why its single-boat policy was replaced with a complete ban, Parks Canada spokesperson Anisa Baker said the decision was based on “current scientific data and discussions with Indigenous partners and local stakeholders.”

“It has become clear that there is a lack of data about how motorized vessels will impact the spread of zebra mussels in Clear Lake,” Baker said in an email, adding the move is intended to “reduce the rate of spread of aquatic invasive species through water intakes and bilges.”

Parks Canada figures show an increase in visitation in 2024, when the motorized boat ban was in place.

In 2024, the park had 347,518 visitors, an increase of 8,536 from 2023.

Myers said the ban will hurt a large population that makes use of the lake.

“It’s a big part of lake recreational life, and it’s not just boat owners — it’s their friends and those who rent motorboats and go for a ride on the Martese (tour boat),” Myers said.

“It’s worrisome, because I don’t feel Parks Canada will reverse their decision,” he said. “I signed the petition, but I think it would be a loss of face for them to reverse this.”

— Brandon Sun