THE BRANDON SUN • Lake Life • SPRING 2026
15
allowed back on Clear Lake
BY CONNOR MCDOWELL, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Martese cruise ship sails into the pier at Clear Lake beach past a motorboat at the main beach in Wasagaming. (Colin Corneau/Brandon Sun)
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»Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article was first published in the Brandon Sun on April 9, 2026.
arks Canada has announced that motorboats will be allowed back on Clear Lake this season — but they will be banned two days each week and during “quiet” periods at dawn and dusk. The agency announced the return of motorboats under a mandatory tagging program in a bulletin issued this past April. The reinstatement comes after Parks Canada banned motorboats completely for the 2025 season. The news drew positive reactions — as well as some caution — from the area’s Conservative member of Parlia- ment and advocacy group Fairness for Clear Lake. “We’re pleased, but we also want to see how it will be implemented,” Trevor Boquist, the group’s spokesperson, told the Sun. “I would say we want to be part of the con- versation of how this will be implemented.” Parks Canada also announced that launch fees may be introduced at Clear Lake as early as next year in order to
recover costs of lake management activities in the future. The policy plan for this year includes aquatic invasive species management measures such as mandatory boat tags, inspections by Parks Canada staff, and clean, drain and dry protocols for water equipment. It also includes an expanded no-wake zone to help protect shorelines. The priority of the plan, said Riding Mountain National Park superintendent Tom Sheldon, is to uphold the eco- logical integrity of the lake in a balanced way that respects the diversity of ways the public uses the park. “As much as possible, what we hope is that when folks look at this decision, that they can appreciate how others connect with and value Clear Lake in ways that may be different than they do,” Sheldon said. “People care about Riding Mountain National Park so deeply, and care about Clear Lake so deeply in their own unique ways.” Sheldon noted that the newly announced measures — the expanded no-wake zone and motorboat bans two days a week and at dusk and dawn — blend the need to protect ecological integrity with user experience.
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