Ayer’s Cliff, October 12, 2023 – Today, the Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau, Member of Parliament for Compton-Stanstead, the Hon. Pascale St-Onge, Member of Parliament for Brome-Missisquoi and Élisabeth Brière, Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke, informed local elected officials and representatives of the region’s lake associations on behalf of Canada’s Minister of Transport, the Hon. Pablo Rodriguez, that it will now be much easier for municipalities to regulate boating on their bodies of water.

Marie-Claude Bibeau, Member of Parliament for Compton-Stanstead, recalled how far she has come since she consulted with the same stakeholders seven years ago. Touched by the residents’ heartfelt cry, she was committed to doing everything in her power to better protect our bodies of water, which for many are also our drinking water reservoirs.

Over the years, Transport Canada has recognized that the current process (Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations (VORR)) was too long and too complex and recognized that not only boat safety issues should be considered, but also environmental impacts. The Local Authority Guide was simplified. The National Recreational Boating Advisory Council was created and studied the issue from all angles. Bleu Massawippi was also the first environmental organization to receive funding from Transport Canada to gather evidence on the impact of shipping on lake health.

More recently, Transport Canada proposed legislative amendments to the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 to modernize the UBVRP, which received Royal Assent on June 22, 2023. The regulatory amendments that will be developed following the consultation aim to make the role of municipalities even clearer and to authorize their applications quicker once they have adequately consulted their citizens and users.

Until all these changes come into force, the Minister of Transport can, by order, issue authorizations to municipalities.

Given that the federal government has constitutional authority over navigation, these improvements do not require a transfer of authority, and will be implemented in a regulatory manner over the next year.

Details of all 2021 VORR measures can be found in the Canada Gazette online at: Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 157, Number 24: Regulations Amending the Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations.

Quebec municipalities who have questions or wish to discuss the restriction application process are invited to contact the Quebec Boating Safety Regional Office by phone at (418) 648-5331 or by email at [email protected].

Contact information for all other regional boating safety offices is also included below.

Quebec Region (Quebec)
Marc Racine
Email : [email protected]
Generic email from BSN : [email protected]
Cellular: 418 446-2645

Pacific Region (British Columbia)
700-800 Burrard St
Vancouver BC  V6Z 2J8
Telephone: (604) 666-2681
Email: [email protected]

Prairie and Northern Region
(Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut)
344 Edmonton St
P.O. Box 8550
Winnipeg MB  R3C 0P6
Telephone: 1-888-463-0521

Ontario Region (Ontario)
100 Front St, South
Sarnia ON  N7T 2M4
Telephone: 1-877-281-8824
Email: [email protected]

Atlantic Region (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador)
45 Alderney Dr, 11th Floor
P.O. Box 1013
Dartmouth NS  B2Y 4K2
Telephone: 1-800-230-3693
Email: [email protected]

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Information :
Manon Bureau, responsable des communications
[email protected]  / 819-574-5291