Bow River Boating Regs?

[halcyonsancta]

Ladies and Gentlemen

 

I don't boat these days msyself, but I was on the Upper Bow one day between Canmore and Banff and a jet boat went by with three people in it. I had my cell phone and called the Canmore RCMP, since I was closest to Canmore and outside the Banff Park Boundary. It was agreed that there shouldn't be a jet boat on the river. They followed up a few days later, but I was out when they called me at home, and the Mounties spoke with my wife and said that these guys are nearly impossible to catch, as they "put in" and "take out" in an organized way that makes their trip pretty quick. In this instance, the boat was un-named and there were no registration marks either. A photo wasn't possible because I wasn't fast enough. By the way, it wasn't a Conservation boat, I've seen them before and they're easily recognized - this was definitely some outlaw action.

 

So, I started digging around and I can't find any regulations published anywhere on the internet which specify what the boating regulations are for the Bow River. I did some on-line inquiry and didn't get any fruitful leads.

 

So my question to my fellow fishers is: Can anyone direct me to where the regulations are please?

 

Thanks

[fegus]

Ladies and Gentlemen

 

I don't boat these days msyself, but I was on the Upper Bow one day between Canmore and Banff and a jet boat went by with three people in it. I had my cell phone and called the Canmore RCMP, since I was closest to Canmore and outside the Banff Park Boundary. It was agreed that there shouldn't be a jet boat on the river. They followed up a few days later, but I was out when they called me at home, and the Mounties spoke with my wife and said that these guys are nearly impossible to catch, as they "put in" and "take out" in an organized way that makes their trip pretty quick. In this instance, the boat was un-named and there were no registration marks either. A photo wasn't possible because I wasn't fast enough. By the way, it wasn't a Conservation boat, I've seen them before and they're easily recognized - this was definitely some outlaw action.

 

So, I started digging around and I can't find any regulations published anywhere on the internet which specify what the boating regulations are for the Bow River. I did some on-line inquiry and didn't get any fruitful leads.

 

So my question to my fellow fishers is: Can anyone direct me to where the regulations are please?

 

Thanks

 

are they not under Transport Canada Boating regulations

 

[Giovanne]

If they were outside of BNP they were legal.

 

If they did not have visible Reg# on their boat that is illegal, but very rarely enforced.

[EvilWeevil]

its legal to be boating there its just sad rcmp dont know the laws and as far as registration numbers i dont know about them but it seems very few boats of any nature have them and i have never ever been asked for it or questioned about them in 20 years of boating

[Tungsten]

Agreed the RCMP should no the laws.If you would have called FW they would have told you it was legal,they no.#'s are suposed to be on anything with a 10HP or greater.

I called the Strathmore RCMP once about 2 drunks doing donuts on the ice at Careland weir.They were also ripping up the road going down the hill.They had to call me back for directions to the weir as both of them were from out of province.

[Nick0Danger]

there used to be quite a few jet boats on that part, of the river. They most likely put in at the seebe dam there is a couple nice spots to put in there.

[halcyonsancta]

Well, I did a little more digging, encouraged to do so by the responses on this post, and learned that yes indeed one may operate a powered watercraft on the Upper Bow, essentially without restiction. I am pleased that I am now in posession of accurate information on these matters.

 

The Transport Canada website, as referred to above, and which I had previously scoured for information, contains some dead end links and links to schedules which are identified as repealed and this made it impossible for me to identify and read what I was seeking. That's why I posted here on this forum. Eventually, I wrote to the good folks at Transport and got a perfect response from a gentleman in Edmonton who provided me with a link which worked and I got what I was looking for.

 

The issue of markings of registration on a boat is a gray area. It depends on whether or not the boat is registered or licensed... ambiguity is the spice of life! In any event, the jet boat I observed, though irritating as hell for aesthetic and outdoorsman reasons, :derby racer: was not committing any transpressions iaw the law, therefore the point is now irrelevant.

 

The good link I got from TC is here for your reference:

 

http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/SOR-2008-120/

 

Safe and happy trails (hopefully quiet ones too)

[Giovanne]

Just read that registration of pleasure craft is voluntary?

[halcyonsancta]

My humble reading of the regs indicates the boat must be either "licensed" or "registered". Two different legal concepts. Registered boats have to have the letters, 3" high... etcetera. A Licensed boat has to have the name and port of moorage.

 

It is observable that most smaller boats tend to be registered. Larger ones tend to be licensed so that they may be named. Some are both, the case with my father's boat decades ago in BC.