Border city boaters wish CBSA's reopening of small vessel reporting sites happened sooner
Docked at the Sun Parlour Boat Club in LaSalle, Ont., where watercrafts of all sizes can be found along the Detroit River, Sam Zlotnik says one of his favourite things to do is visit the U.S. by water.
"We went to the U.S. quite a bit. We like a lot of the ports there. There's probably 10-to-one of what we have over here in this area. So we utilize that boating," he said. "It's a social thing. It's about enjoyment."
That enjoyment was put to a pause after the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) closed nearly all of its small vessel reporting sites in Canada because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the Windsor-Essex region, just two sites were left open.
That meant boaters who left Canadian waters could only return to Windsor-Essex through Lakeview Park Marina in Tecumseh and Scudders Marina on Pelee Island.
But Friday, the CBSA announced the reopening of most small vessel reporting sites in Canada, permitting 26 others in Windsor-Essex to welcome boaters from the U.S.
"All the boaters are very ecstatic about it. But it should never have happened anyways," said Zlotnik. "With the rules that they put out, it was almost like non-boaters were making decisions for boaters. They didn't understand the impact on this area — not to mention safety concerns."
Those safety concerns, he said, are what prompted the cancellation of a weekend trip to Detroit, Mich. Along with 29 other boaters, the plan was to take their vessels into the U.S. all at once. But with the closest Canadian point of entry being Lakeview Park Marina, Zlotnik decided the process of 30 boats attempting to check in all the same time was not safe.
The manager of the Holiday Harbour Marina says limiting Canadian entry points in Windsor-Essex to just two added 'three and a half hours' to a boater's trip from the marina to the U.S. and back home. Pictured in LaSalle, Ont. on Friday, May 22, 2022. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)
"It's not like on a road where you can stand in line and wait. You're floating in the harbour there. If you put 30 boats out there, something terrible is going to happen sooner or later,” he said.
In front of the Sun Parlour Boat Club sits the offices of Holiday Harbour Marina.
Manager Brianna Laking, who estimated the restrictions on reporting sites added about "three and a half hours" for boaters who left her marina, entered the U.S. and then tried to come back, said the rules could not have been relaxed at a better time.
"We are absolutely ecstatic that Americans can come over and enjoy some of the events that we have going on, like the Blessing of the Fleet going on [next week]," said Laking. "It's so much better when there's more people from the U.S. Especially with the support of the boat club, they're always going back and forth."
But for other marinas, the CBSA's move is happening a little too late.
"This makes for a great summer ahead for all boaters," said Walter Argent, vice commodore of the LaSalle Mariners Yacht Club. "The only thing is, for our Shakedown Race, we had to cancel it because we needed to give them 10 days’ notice."
"It's just the timing. We wish that they would have done this around the first week of May, at minimum, so that everybody could plan their sailing and racing calendars for the season."
According to the CBSA, the only small vessel reporting site that will remain closed in Windsor-Essex is on Pelee Island's West Dock.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.