o f f T h e t o N G u e
Dougie’s river, the Madawaska, will
not be considered navigable.
Photo scott mAcGreGor
Finding our VoiCe
fIghTIng chAngeS TO nAvIgABle WATeRWAyS AcT
TODAy IS cAnADIAn RIveRS DAy. At least it is for the next 15 minutes or so. that there has been ‘no pushback’ from the recreational paddling community.
It’s almost midnight and I just arrived home from the Paddle to Parliament hill Therefore the committee members feel that there is little concern from paddlers.”
vigil held in Ottawa. It’s tough to comment when you’re unaware of the process. last-minute submis-
It was an earnest affair. A gathering of 120 or so paddlers and a few journalists sions by les Amis and others where not included in the proceedings.
listening and clapping. celeste côté from the Sierra club called it the begin- The organizers of the Paddle to Parliament hill vigil handed every paddler a
nings of a grassroots movement. large sign that read, I SPeAK fOR cAnADIAn RIveRS.
In february, a Parliamentary committee began a hearing on proposed chang- With me at the vigil was my three-year-old son Dougie. Why didn’t I get some-
es to the canadian navigable Waterways Act, a law predating the constitution one in the group to take a photo of Dougie holding the sign above his head? Who
that provides navigation rights to citizens and a certain level of environmental will be more affected by proposed changes to a national waterways act than our
protection to waterways. children, the next generation of river paddlers?
The committee is proposing changes to the nWPA that would exclude what Arriving home tonight and unpacking I noticed that I still had the sign.
they call “minor waters” and require a nomination process to deem some- I can get the shot. And even better I can shoot it on our river. I will send the
thing navigable. picture along with a letter to my Member of Parliament.
“This essentially eliminates all forms of people-powered craft,” says Doug What if, I thought, every paddler, fisherman and person who cares about
Skeggs, the Director of River Protection of les Amis de la Riviére Kipawa and rivers sent a picture to their MPs? clubs and outfitters could educate their
organizer of today’s vigil. “no longer will canoes, kayaks and rafts be considered members and clients and spur them to action. Thousands of pictures from
watercraft used in navigation in canada.” hundreds of “minor waterways” sent to lawrence canon, the federal Minister
The second proposed amendment is even more fundamental. under the of Transportation, should be “push back” enough to show him who speaks for
proposed changes we’d have to fight through a government nomination and canadian rivers.
approval process for waterways to be deemed navigable—turning the right of I left the vigil three hours ago, encouraged by the speakers to take action, to
navigation on its head. navigable waterways in canada would be scarcer than do what I can for rivers. now in my loft office at 1:30 a.m. I feel like I’m sitting on
canadian heritage Rivers. a national grassroots campaign. I can’t sleep.
More than 70 stakeholder groups were invited to speak, only one was asked In the morning I’m rounding up the posse and creating a website where every-
to speak for the environment and navigation rights, and that was the lake On- one can find information about the issues, sign a petition, upload your I SPeAK
tario Waterkeeper. The deadline for providing input to the committee was May fOR cAnADIAn RIveRS pictures and write your Member of Parliament and the
28th, only eight days after erhard Kraus posted a note on the Wilderness canoe Minister of Transport.
Association’s
myccR.com environmental forum sounding the alarm. This copy of Rapid will be in your hands early July. I promise to have the site
These are only proposed amendments to the Act. however, paddler Jeff Totten up by then so that you can speak for canadian rivers. visit
www.ispeakforcana-
caught one of the final committee meetings and says, “The feeling was expressed
dianrivers.ca. I’ll send you a sign. —Scott MacGregor
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