Protect our access to waterways
Right now, the federal government is reviewing the Navigation Protection Act — that’s the law that should give all Canadians the right to paddle up and down this land’s waterways. That right is very important to me.
In recent years, 99 per cent of Canada’s waterways lost navigation protection under the act. Unless our waterways have full legal protection we’ll all lose our right to enjoy and play in streams, rivers, lakes and oceans.
Even worse, when waterways are blocked by development or land owners, sensitive ecosystems are put at risk. There’s currently no law that makes it mandatory to evaluate environmental impacts on blocking and obstructing waterways, which can seriously harm fish, fish habitat and water.
Long lasting decisions are being made right now about our basic right to explore this country by kayak and canoe. Fellow outdoor enthusiasts, I hope you’ll join me in writing or calling your MP to tell them to make sure the Navigation Protection Act protects our environment, heritage and way of life.
Melissa McGlashan Welland
Sure there is uncertainty about what will happen in the future, but the wheels of government bureaucracy grind away so slowly.
You would think the owners of Hotel Canada would insist that non-persecuted clients must book ahead or at the very least come through the front door, but the staff seem content to treat backdoor gate-crashers with the same or even more deference than that given to clients who follow the official rules.
Even though there are over half a billion people (many of them living in politically unstable countries) below the U.S.A.’s southern border, nobody at Hotel Canada seems concerned that their hotel’s nonchalant access policy will be abused. In Europe people smuggling and human trafficking are out of control, which has added fuel to the right-wing populist movements. If you are convinced Hotel Canada is presently doing the proper thing, then open up your heart (and your wallet) and let the sun shine in.
Lloyd Atkins Vernon, B.C.