Boaters and cottagers in the Clear Lake area got a huge piece of good news for their spring and summer plans from Parks Canada. After two seasons of a prohibition on watercraft on the lake, Parks Canada announced today they were allowing watercraft to return to the lake in 2026.
“The decision to allow motorized watercraft and to implement additional management measures follows several months of public engagement, consultation with Indigenous partners, ongoing environmental monitoring, and a comprehensive third party review,” Parks Canada said in a release.
According to the release, there will be some new rules (still being finalized) in place for this season. These include an expanded no-wake zone to help protect shorelines, two weekly days for non-motorized craft, and dawn and dusk quiet hours for non-motorized watercraft only.
The Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) program will still require all watercraft (whether motorized or not), fishing equipment, wetsuits, and inflatables to be inspected by Parks Canada staff. A full list of regulations as they stand is available here.
Parks Canada also said they intend to introduce a launch fee structure in the future to “support the implementation of lake management activities”.
