ninepointer Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 Can somebody educate me in regard to the rationale behind the Welland Recreational Waterway Corp's/City's decision to prohibit motorized craft? I remember hearing about a fatal Sea-doo accident, but why was a total ban implemented rather than an HP limit (such as max 9.9 HP)? I remember there was some heated debate about this during the crafting of the Master Plan, but I'd like to gain an understanding of what the issues were at the time. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captnn Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 One of the reasons was that speeding boats were erroding the shoreline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunder Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 I'm not aware of the reasons behind this and it may sound selfish but I see this as a good thing for shore anglers. Most small fishing boat anglers respect other's fishing from shore but jet skies are another story. Good, I say Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauly Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 Hi there. Great question. I drafted a letter and presented it to town council when the idea was on the table. PM me if interested. Too frustrating and lengthy to convey here. Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Chopin Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 And if your not from Welland your opinion doesn't count in the eyes of city council..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 Pm Richard. He was involved in the process. Long and short, the city already had an agenda, and would have only backed down if there had been a loud public stink. That did not happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninepointer Posted November 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 And if your not from Welland your opinion doesn't count in the eyes of city council..... I remember reading about those sorts of comments from Council. That's too bad, considering they'd like to develop the place into an attraction/destination. This past summer I tried to take my 5-year old son to some of my childhood shoreline fishing hotspots along the old canal (Man, did we ever catch & release a lot of smallies back in the early 1980's; all we did was fish all day!). Anyway, I found the entire shoreline choked with weeds and difficult to fish from shore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 All municipal councils act that way. That's their job. They should always listen to the taxpayer vs. the outsider. Unfortunately, the anglers in Welland did not make enough noise. If 40 angry resident anglers had filled council's chambers, the outcome may have been a little different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishstick Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 I remember there were a few posters from here who went to the meetings and they were very frustrated by the non-turnout to have their voices heard. I guess people either were too busy, didn't think much would come of those meetings or just didn't care. Maybe the higher ups in council drool over the money made form the Henley regatta, and thought we could do similar with the dragon boat races. I'm just speculating here, but from what I had read, council already had something in the works and their minds made up long before the open discussions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Andrews Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 Call John Levick 905-735-8673 Tell him I sent ya to ask about the Rec history. Or PM him. Here's the topic From 07 http://www.niagarafishing.net/forums/index...amp;#entry79719 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diltsy Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 I would just like to say that I am from Welland, lived here my whole life and always have seen people fishing from boats in the canal... now I'm old enough to own my own boat and find it frustrating that I cannot boat in the "recreational" waterway. I haven't followed the changes in the waterway but I remember them putting up a speed limit and then taking boats right out. Now this coming from someone who hasn't heard the debate of what has been going on... from what I have seen It seems to me one of the main reasons they aren't allowing boats is because of all the events that they have started using the canal for rowing being one of the big and main reason, but also further down Luminaqua ( they fill the canal with floating fire....and have the Niagara Symphony). I remember them talking about erosion which is why the made the speed limit which if I remember correctly was 10km. The rowing boats have to be going more then 10 km and sure they are ALOT smaller profile but 6 of them going at the same time has to be creating some kind of wake... I mean they are out there just about everyday and that's not to mention the little boats the coach's ride on. I could be wrong in the way I'm thinking but I still believe we have the right to boat in there. If someone could point me in the direction where I could read both sides of this that would be great, and I am all for fighting for our right to use the waterway and I know people that feel the same way so if there is anyone out there already trying to fight for this you can count me in as well as the others that I know. Hope to get more informed on this and make some actions towards this. Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diltsy Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 And don't get me wrong I am all for the events they hold in the Welland canal I think it's great to bring people here but there are ways to make it work so everyone is happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emenius Posted November 26, 2008 Report Share Posted November 26, 2008 when they have the boats in at end, near that new tower they are building/built. they all got motors on them, gas powered if my eyes haven't failed me yet. passed by many a time and seen em out and about in that end with those motors going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diltsy Posted November 26, 2008 Report Share Posted November 26, 2008 emenius, I have seen the same thing, I believe they are made for either the coach's to follow the rowers or maybe a referee? not fully sure but definitely have motors on them which leads me to believe that aren't totally concerned about erosion. Anyone else have any ideas on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted November 26, 2008 Report Share Posted November 26, 2008 emenius, I have seen the same thing, I believe they are made for either the coach's to follow the rowers or maybe a referee? not fully sure but definitely have motors on them which leads me to believe that aren't totally concerned about erosion. Anyone else have any ideas on this? The erosion question was only one issue. The only structural concern was for the concrete walls downtown on either side of the aqueduct. Huge dollars to maintain and repair. A lot was recently spent to rebuild the wall connecting Merritt Is. As for motor boats for the rowing clubs. These organizations have real financial clout. Anglers in Welland do not. Nor do they have a loud voice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 My own personal take on this.......That piece of water is a goldmine if used wisely for "recreational use" like canoeing , paddle boating , small sailboat events , all kinds of activities with food stands nearby etc. But you can't mix high speed power boats in that formula.... & no jet skiers ......an accident waiting to happen . Even a small tinny with a 9.9 can upset the small crafters . Maybe a small electric would be ok on a tinny ,not much wake with that & no noise .They had a ski club near Town Line Rd. but that went down & they use the canal for scuba divers ..... When the big lake ships rolled through there years ago some wakes were a good size .......I think they should stock some spekkies in there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Chopin Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 I think they should allow electic motors on there are least. I guess you could row a tinny. At one point they had big cement blocks blocking the ramps but that is gone now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 Tom ....do you mean the ramps off Lincoln St. behind Timmies on P.C. Drive ? That's where the scuba guys meet up & practice their diving there ....great bunch to chat with . They have been using those ramps for a few years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Chopin Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 Yes there, at one point there were big blocks of cement so you couldn't even drive down there. That was a while ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captnn Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 Time to stop beating a dead horse. How many of you guys fished the rec when motorized boats were allowed? Now that you can't fish there you think that you are missing out on something and want to do it. I fished it when it was allowed and only saw a few others doing it. Time to close the book. NIck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishstick Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 Hey Nick, I don't think these guys weren't on the site when this whole ordeal was happening a few years back, that's why they're asking a few questions. And if you weren't an avid fisherman even living in Welland, you probably had no clue about this either. Nobody is beating a dead horse. Look at how many times the same topic pops up in the fishing forums time and time again.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captnn Posted November 28, 2008 Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 fishstick, you are right . wasn't looking at it that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diltsy Posted November 28, 2008 Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 bigugli, correct me if I'm wrong but was all the work done on the river side? When I was there the canal side didn't look like it had any work done to it. Also.. whats's up with this topic? It isn't showing that any activity is going on inside, and I was hoping to hear from some Wellanders to hear their opinions..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diltsy Posted November 28, 2008 Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 Its a large stretch of water, If enough people were interested in making it a nice fishing spot there is plenty of room to accommodate all of the activities everyone has mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captnn Posted November 28, 2008 Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 You don't need any work to make it a nice fishing spot. You just can't fish with a motorized boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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