Tougher noise rules needed for boating
Motors operating at high volume damage environment, Diana Piquette, Rob Bosomworth and Gary Milne wrote.
In a time when we are prioritizing environmental action and supportive regulations more than ever, we must acknowledge that the well-being of Canadian lakes is at risk. In Canada, poor boating regulations are leading to negative impacts on our waterways from an environmental and human viewpoint. Updating regulations deserves our attention and our action.
Regulations are best when they meet two objectives. First, they serve and are viewed to serve, a beneficial and advantageous purpose. Second, they must be easily enforceable. Some federal boating regulations fail to achieve these objectives by being deficient, outdated, nearly unenforceable and often significantly lagging behind those in the United States and the European Union.
One example is the issue of excessively loud boat motors that over time harm the environment of our waterways. Current regulations require small vessels to have a working muffler. However, these same regulations lack decibel limits on the amount of noise an engine can make. Transport Canada, which is the regulatory body for Canadian waterways, has recently acknowledged what enforcement agencies have known for a long time: without clear standards that outline decibel limits, the current regulations are too difficult and expensive to enforce.
Canadians put high importance on bettering and protecting our environment, so it is natural that we should consider the impacts of boat noise on marine life and the environment. High noise-emitting motorboats disturb and scare small mammals and waterfowl, impacting the interplay of marine and wildlife in their habitats.
Research funded by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada shows that Canadian freshwater biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate. Further research also suggests the importance of mitigating noise pollution to help preserve biodiversity and aquatic life. Of the options we have to proactively help and preserve marine life in Canada, boating regulations are one avenue that is severely under-discussed.
The onus to control excessive boat motor noise should not be left up to citizens or local authorities who don't have proper resources. The solution is for Transport Canada to introduce objective, measurable decibel limits for boat motor noise applicable to manufacturers and operators. Combined with efficient, effective enforcement procedures, these enhanced regulations would give enforcement agencies the tools they need to do their job, to the benefit of both the environment and people who enjoy our waterways.
Thankfully, Transport Canada is actively considering options to update boat muffler and sound emission regulations. In March, they opened online public consultations, which closed Friday. They have presented five options; however, only option five will effectively address the issue: introduce noise emission performance standards (i.e. decibel limits) for manufacturers and vessel operators to follow.
The absence of clearer, enforceable regulations regarding noise emissions for motorboats raises opportunities for development and improvement of other boating regulations too. This includes examining very large wakes caused by boats that are designed to create unnaturally large and powerful waves. Studies are emerging that document how destructive these waves are to shorelines and shore-nesting waterfowl such as the loon. Dangers to the safety of swimmers and small boats, and damage to property are also risks.
Where some marinas and harbours have designated no-wake zones, most of Canada's lakes do not have these options, and at present, there are no federal regulations dealing with this. Once again, some U.S. states have begun to study this problem and are working to establish regulations. It is time Canada did the same.
We urge Transport Canada to bring outdated regulations in line with those implemented in other countries and that are proven to have positive benefits on some of the most visited and enjoyed areas of our country.