Buoy police returning next spring to Okanagan and Shuswap lakes

Even after ripping out 68 illegal mooring buoys in Shuswap and Mara lakes earlier this fall, Transport Canada has more work to do.

“For the past seven years, Transport Canada has been removing non-compliant buoys in British Columbia’s waterways in response to public concern that many mooring buoys are non-compliant.,” states an email to iNFOnews.ca from Annie Joannette, Transport Canada’s senior communications officer.

“About 600 buoys were tagged with a notice in the North Shuswap area in May this year, and 68 buoys were removed from Mara Lake and Shuswap Lake.”

Those numbers vary a bit from what the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District announced on Nov. 4, which said 53 buoys were removed.

Since the buoys don’t contain owner information, Transport Canada cannot try to recover costs for removal.

“Transport Canada is planning trips for next year, and anticipates visiting the Shuswap area, as well as Wood Lake and Kalamalka next spring,” Joannette wrote.

“It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that their buoys meet the specific requirements of the Private Buoy Regulations, and non-compliant buoys can be removed at any time.”

Information on the regulations can be found here.

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