The stated intention of this…

The stated intention of this proposed change is laudable and many of its component parts make a lot of sense. The new condition prohibiting camping on water within 300m of a developed shoreline is unreasonable. Numerous popular wilderness cruising destinations, be it the northeastern short of Lake Superior, Georgian Bay, the North Channel, the Trent-Severn Waterway, the Bay of Quinte or the Thousand Islands. Almost no protected anchorage in the province is so large as to afford anchoring farther than 300m from the shoreline and the very presence of any development along the shore of any anchorage will cause overnight use of the anchorage to be prohibited.

This causes two major problems. First, the safety of boaters will be impacted because of the reduced number of places they can legally stop their boats during rough weather or an on-board emergency, and second it is giving de-facto control of water adjacent to any privately-owned property, clearly a benefit to a privileged few property owners at the expense of the safety and enjoyment of boaters everywhere who have had the privilege of making use of safe anchorage since the beginning of time, and who will continue to enjoy the same privilege outside of Ontario waters.