This is unacceptable!!

[Gord]

This was sent to me by a friend who canoes, kayaks and dives. I was not aware of this!

The federal government is in the process of changing an act that has been protecting our right to enjoy our waterways. Take a gander at this website, notice all the supporting organizations and do what you can to help!

www.ispeakforcanadianrivers.ca

[Fish'n Buddy]

I don't like the looks of this at all...Makes me very worried, our rivers take enough of a beating as it is, this will give the developers way to much freedom to build wherever they want.
This is why being a member of groups like OFAH is so important, because its them that has the political influence, and resources to fight for us on these issues.

[joco]

there was a tread about this some time ago.

BIG Z a guy here that do a lot off kayak post that to.

http://www.fish-hawk.net/hawktalk/viewtopic.php?t=29494







this is sad to see what are creek and rivers are becoming.

we do have to care for it..



joco

[Pints]

For sure this is a dreadful change to our river system. It will give free rein to "individuals" to dam, destroy, restrict, use and abuse our rivers. All damage done to the smaller rivers, streams, creeks etc. will have a serious and long term effect on our larger rivers as well.
This change is becoming a trend with government, they don't want to be responsible with looking after anything, they just want to be in power and "govern"!

[Eli]

yeah but the OFAH seems to be completely silent about this

[eye-tracker]

I have read through this thing 2 or 3 times now and like any Government document I can not make head or tails of what is going on. Pro organizations say one thing, Anti organizations say another. Lets hope they cut through all the media spin doctoring and sit down at a table while placing our environment as priority one.

-sheldon

[Eli]

I don't like the looks of this at all...Makes me very worried, our rivers take enough of a beating as it is, this will give the developers way to much freedom to build wherever they want.
This is why being a member of groups like OFAH is so important, because its them that has the political influence, and resources to fight for us on these issues.

yeah but the OFAH seem to be keeping completely silent on this issue

[Relic]

The minister responsible is John Baird, a local Ottawa MP. I would suggest we flood his office with emails outlining our concerns.

Email: bairdj@parl.gc.ca

Pulled that from another site

Voice your concern, complaining about it here does nothing

[troutnmuskiehunter]

I have read through this thing 2 or 3 times now and like any Government document I can not make head or tails of what is going on. Pro organizations say one thing, Anti organizations say another. Lets hope they cut through all the media spin doctoring and sit down at a table while placing our environment as priority one.

-sheldon

I'm in the same boat as you Sheldon ...I have read this thing on other sites as well over and over again and I just can't make sense of any of it!!!

[bradford2]

I have read through this thing 2 or 3 times now and like any Government document I can not make head or tails of what is going on. Pro organizations say one thing, Anti organizations say another. Lets hope they cut through all the media spin doctoring and sit down at a table while placing our environment as priority one.

-sheldon

I'll third that. I have no clue at all.......

[slushpuppy]

Here is a link to a memo from the U. of Ottawa Environmental Law Clinic on the subject
http://e2ma.net/go/1728450126/1573036/5 ... clinic.pdf

[troutnmuskiehunter]

Here is a link to a memo from the U. of Ottawa Environmental Law Clinic on the subject
http://e2ma.net/go/1728450126/1573036/5 ... clinic.pdf

That's another great read Slushpuppy....can you please decipher all the googlygoo and possibly explain it to us in simple terms as you and Gord see it, in a sentence or two?????

[Fishboy]

The short and sweet version: if this Conservative Party plan goes through, you can kiss good-bye any hope of protecting your rivers and lakes if they get in the way of a developer's plans.

What it means is that any waterway could be destroyed either completely or partially by any developer who feels the waterway interferes with his plans to develop a piece of land. The developer would have the right to block, reconfigure, drain, or pave over any creek, stream, river, or lake without having to resort to and abide by environmental impact study.

This is basically a means for the Conservative Party Prime Minister to appease the oil companies in Alberta from whom he receives his marching orders. The oil companies are a little upset with our environmental laws because the laws force them to take responsibility for their actions. They destroy huge tracts of land and it is very costly for them to keep on cleaning up after themselves. The impact could be enormous since it lets every other developer off the hook for respecting the environment.

[slushpuppy]

Here are some of the points, taken from several sources:

- The act:

• - The NWPA is one of Canada’s oldest laws. It establishes the right of every Canadian to use the rivers of this country for transportation, recreation or commerce.
  
  - The NWPA reinforces our ancient right of navigation by placing legal obligations on anyone who wants to develop anything on waterways that would impede navigation. Under the NWPA, anyone who builds structures on, in or over waterways in Canada, must consider impacts on navigation and the marine environment, must consult with the people who would be affected by the loss of navigation and must apply for a permit from Transport Canada, which can then trigger an environmental assessment with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
  
  - As it stands, the definition of “navigable” under the NWPA means that any waterway that can be navigated in a canoe qualifies as navigable.
  
  - This act, as it is currently, is the only one, federal or provincial, that provides any protection for the public right of navigation. The public right of navigation, and the obligation under the NWPA to consider navigation when developing on a waterway, is one of the pillars of environmental protection for rivers in Canada.

- The proposed changes:

• - will eliminate a developer’s obligation to consider impacts on navigation when building dams, bridges, causeways or other invasive structures on thousands of waterways across Canada.
  
  - Will explicitly exclude “minor waters” from the NWPA, which would mean excluding the best canoeing, kayaking and fishing rivers – just in my end of town, I can think of the Carp or Jock rivers and Poole Creek as minor waters. This creates a tiered or class system for waterways, granting the Government a discretionary authority to identify waterways deemed worthy and unworthy of federal protection.
  
  - Will remove specific reference to “dams, bridges, causeways and booms”. Stakeholders told the committee these works were once significant obstacles to navigation, but that this is not the case today (what???) and that the naming of these works in the act slows down the permit process. So now they’ll be able to build that causeway to allow golf carts to cross the creek, or dam that could dry up wetlands and affect fish population, without the need to apply for a permit through NWPA (which is what triggers the need for an environmental assessment).
  
  - Will re-define “navigation” under the act that will strip all legal protection from recreational navigation.
  
  - Will ignore all whitewater rivers, all seasonal waterways and all vessels with less than a one-metre draft (canoes, kayaks).
  
  - Reduce transparency and accountability by eliminating the need for public notification and consultation on all projects that the Government determines not to “substantially” interfere with navigation.
  
  - Even if a work or obstacle completely obstructs a waterway, if it falls within a class defined by the Minister’s own criteria, no approval will be required, no environmental assessment will be triggered, and the public will not be consulted.

- The government doesn’t want your input on these changes, most of the invited stakeholders to the hearings were there to advocate for making development on rivers easier. NO paddling, fishing or outdoors groups were invited to make a presentation.

[troutnmuskiehunter]

Thanks Slushpuppy....it makes a bit more sense now, but I have a hard time thinking that a developer will be able to create obstructions in our waterways without being confronted by MNR or Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority .......

I can't even build a damn retaining wall on my waterfront property (which is 20' from the water) to stop errosion without having to apply and obtain several permits from the above...