FEDERAL BOATING RESTRICTION REGULATIONS
Will Saint-Sauveur finally understand?

In spite of FAPEL's numerous warnings to the fact that navigation is a federal jurisdiction, the municipality of Saint-Sauveur unfortunately choose to follow the lead of the government of the Parti Québécois who, in an effort to thumb its nose at its federal counterpart, adopted a Mickey Mouse Législation (Bill 106), autorising municipalities to adopt municipal regulations for the control of boating on lakes.

As was to be expected, the Superior Court has declared as absolutely null, the municipal regulation of Saint-Sauveur, as was to be expected. As a result, Saint-Sauveur and cottagers are back to square one, with nothing to show for past years of fighting! At that point la FAPEL would have thought that Saint-Sauveur, would have turned aroung and finally knock at the door of the Federal Boating Restriction Regulations.

Yet, in an article in La Presse intitled "Lac des Becs-Scie: une autre séance de médiation", (another round of mediation at lake des Becs-Scie), it is reported that Saint-Sauveur's mayor commented the Superior Court decision by stating that it did not prevent the Quebec Provincial Police, or any other police force, to implement federal speed limits on all lakes. Another unfounded declaration that litteraly had FAPEL jump up and down with indignation.

YES! The federal government did authorized the provinces to automatically establish a 10 km/h maximum speed in a 30-meter belt from the shoreline, on all lakes and rivers, and that, since 1992. But it is FALSE to say that said disposition can be implemented in Québec, since the Québec government has always categorically refused to sign that agreement, stating, as usual, that it was a renewed attack on its sovereignty. According to the last official update of the Federal Boating Restriction Regulations (June 2005), the only provinces where this special disposition can be implemented are Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British-Colombia. Not in Québec!

The mayor of Saint-Sauveur also said that he would change the authorized periods for navigation (54 hours). Yet, there is no mention of time periods alloted to navigation in the official list of possible restrictions within the Federal Boating Restriction Regulations. Bizarre!