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SMP - June 27, 2025

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South Mountain

Press

BEACH TIME

Friday, JUNE 27, 2025 Vo lum e 17 N um b e r40

FREE TAKE ONE SERVIN G ERICK SON , ON AN OLE, SAN D Y LAK E, ELPHIN STON E, W ASAGAM IN G, ROLLIN G RIVER, K EESEEK OOW EN IN & SURROUN D IN G AREA

DAR R E L L N E SBIT T / SO U T H M O U N T AIN PR E SS Nothing beats packing up and heading to the beach for a day spent with loved ones, even if the weather hasn’t exactly been blazing hot quite yet as we enter the summer season. As this family, loaded with beach necessities, knows all too well, an adventure on the shoreline of Clear Lake never gets old. It’s a place where all worries melt away in the summer heat or during splash in the shimmering water. Truly, barefoot on a beach is happiness.

Group ch a llenges Clea r La ke boa t ba n F a irn ess for Clea r La ke coa lition files for judicia l review of P a rks Ca n a da ’s decision to m a in ta in w a tercra ft ba n RAC HEAL FLIN TO FT So uth M o unta in Pre ss

A coalition comprised of community groups and local businesses has taken a significant step to oppose the federal government’s decision to restrict watercraft on Clear Lake. Known as Fairness for Clear Lake, the coalition has filed

a legal application for judicial review of Parks Canada’s recent decision to maintain a boat ban for another year, citing concerns over community consultation, transparency, and economic impacts. In 2024, Parks Canada detected zebra mussels in Clear Lake and responded with a temporary ban on motorized boats, later expand-

ing it to all watercraft for the summer season. After consulting with scientists and Indigenous advisors, officials announced plans to lift restrictions in 2025 under a “one boat, one lake” policy. However, unexpectedly in May 2025, Parks Canada reversed its stance, extending the ban without clear explanation – an action that local stake-

holders say disregards scientific evidence and community input. Fairness for Clear Lake is a coalition of longstanding community organizations including the Wasagaming Chamber of Commerce, the Clear Lake Cottage Owners’ Association, the Clear Lake Cabin Owners’ Association, and the Clear Lake Country Desti-

nation Enrichment Organization. They emphasize that responsible boating access has been vital to the community’s identity and economic well-being, and that recent decisions – like extending the ban – are seen as arbitrary and detrimental.

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