Council has thrown its support behind a counterproposal to Parks Canada's plan to hike fees for boaters using the Trent-Severn Waterway.
The initiative, which offers a lower-fee alternative to Parks Canada's planned changes to the waterway's operations, is being spearheaded by Quinte West Mayor John Williams in concert with a group of MPs that includes Rick Norlock (Northumberland-West) and Marc Ackert, from Ontario Waterway Cruises Inc.

The stakeholders' proposal calls for a 10-per cent increase per foot across the board in lockage fees for boats in 2014, compared to increases of 33 per cent and higher Parks Canada is considering.

A table put together by the group compares the two user fees proposed for a 25-foot power boat (Parks Canada's is in brackets): single lock return $24.75 ($30); six-day pass $139 ($180); seasonal $242 ($375).

The 10-per cent increase would also apply to moorage fees, which would rise from 90 to 99 cents a foot for overnight stays, compared to the $2 Parks Canada wants to charge pleasure boaters.

Trent Hills Mayor Hector Macmillan told council Feb. 5 that Parks Canada's plans to cut operations "will just kill the canal" because the changes are "absolutely too much, too fast."

The Trent-Severn and Rideau systems are national heritage sites that generate millions of dollars in economic activity and "to gut them is just criminal," he said.

http://www.northumberlandnews.com/news/art...kes-for-boaters