'1 lake, 1 boat' policy intended to keep invasive species out of Pelican Lake sparks concerns from businesses

Chelsea Kemp · CBC News

· Posted: May 23, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

New boating regulations astatine Pelican Lake are raising concerns among some business owners, who accidental the changes whitethorn thrust visitors distant from the southwestern Manitoba region during the important summertime tourism season.

Dorothy Bright, who co-owns a state presumption in Ninette, says her concern has already taken a deed since the Rural Municipality of Prairie Lakes introduced caller rules aimed astatine preventing the dispersed of aquatic invasive taxon similar zebra mussels. She said she's seen a 31 per cent driblet successful income compared to this clip past year.

If things proceed to get worse, she doesn't cognize if her concern volition survive.

"They've locked up our lake," she said. "The tourists aren't coming due to the fact that they've heard."

The RM's new "one waterbody watercraft" bylaw means boaters who privation to usage Pelican Lake can't usage their watercraft in different bodies of water without inspection and decontamination. 

The municipality's aquatic invasive taxon prevention program includes a $100 seasonal interest for motorized watercraft and $25 for non-motorized vessels for residents, who volition person a decal that volition "confirm that the watercraft is declared a one-waterbody watercraft," the bylaw says.

Visitors volition person to wage a $40 inspection interest earlier they're allowed to motorboat boats on the lake.

To enforce the caller system, which officially came into effect May 5, more than 20 water entree points person been blocked, and an inspection presumption has been acceptable up successful Ninette. Boat motorboat gates are present unfastened regular from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The municipality says the rules are indispensable to support the lake's ecosystem and the semipermanent viability of tourism.

But Bright worries the fees will drive radical to sojourn different lakes, wherever they tin entree the province's free aquatic invasive taxon inspection program.

"None of the different lakes are locked down," she said. "We are the lone ones with this exorbitant fee."

Lake wellness a priority: reeve

Prairie Lakes Reeve Darren Seymour says the RM has spoken with different regions impacted by aquatic invasive species, and recovered that prevention is key.

"We surely don't privation to interaction our businesses locally. We don't privation to deter travel," Seymour said.

"But if we were to declaration [invasive species], that would beryllium detrimental to our businesses arsenic well, and it would beryllium detrimental to the ratepayers astir the water who ain the cottages."

Invasive taxon similar zebra mussels person go a interest elsewhere successful the province. North of Pelican Lake, Parks Canada has banned the usage of motorized watercraft connected Clear Lake this year, successful an effort to curtail the dispersed of the invasive species, which was archetypal discovered successful the state in 2013. Zebra mussels person since been recovered successful Cedar Lake and Lake Manitoba, arsenic good arsenic Clear Lake.

Seymour said there's nary motion of zebra mussels successful Pelican Lake yet, but the RM is monitoring for them.

He said there's been buy-in from the Prairie Lakes assemblage connected preventing the dispersed of invasive species successful Pelican Lake, with 219 permits for motorized watercraft and 182 for non-motorized vessels sold locally.

The programme is presently being paid for wholly by the fees paid by water users, and volition outgo an estimated $120,000 to $140,000 for inspections, staffing and infrastructure, including a recently built inspection shed and obstruction installations, said Seymour.

The archetypal enactment to get the programme disconnected the crushed has relied connected a unpaid group, Friends of Pelican Lake. Seymour says the members of the radical person not been publically named owed to idiosyncratic attacks connected societal media.

"We're doing everything we tin to support the outgo down for the fisherman that's travelling here, to support the businesses. We're doing everything to support the outgo down for the section ratepayer arsenic champion we can," Seymour said.

But not each municipalities astir Pelican Lake are connected committee with these plans.

The RM of Killarney-Turtle Mountain, which borders astir a 3rd of 1 broadside of the lake, has declined to enactment successful the entree power program. Two vessel launches autumn on the bound betwixt the 2 municipalities, but Seymour says the hazard of non-compliance is minimal.

"Is 1 oregon 2 boats going to get in, oregon a fewer boats going to circumvent the programme and get successful astatine those locations, possibly?" Seymour said. "One oregon 2 boats is simply a tiny fraction of the boats that are adhering to the programme and going done it."

The RM of Killarney-Turtle Mountain said successful a statement it supports aquatic invasive taxon acquisition and prevention, but is not prepared to instrumentality entree restrictions connected the lakes wrong its jurisdiction.

Economic fallout

Meanwhile, businesses similar E&J Bait accidental they're feeling the effects.

Owner Eric Evans says concern has dropped dramatically compared to past year.

From May 1 to May 20, income of seasonal vessel motorboat passes were down 85 per cent, regular passes were down 89 per cent, and wide sales dropped implicit 80 per cent, helium said.

"With the chains and gates up, it has a atrocious outlook connected the town, and it's perchance keeping radical distant and causing them to spell elsewhere," Evans said.

He believes education, alternatively than restrictions and fees, would beryllium a much effectual solution.

"I conscionable consciousness similar this, the full mitigation plan, is going to impact the municipality much than I deliberation they realize," Evans said.

Bright agrees, saying the municipality should find a mode to marque the programme escaped to promote much radical to enactment and larn however to forestall the dispersed of invasive species. She wishes the assemblage had been a bigger portion of the speech earlier the programme was implemented.

"The assemblage arsenic a full is, they're supportive, they recognize that the water is important, but we besides recognize that economically this hurts," Bright said.