Premier Wab Kinew is urging Parks Canada to not ban boats at Clear Lake this summer after live zebra mussels were found at the lake late last year.
A letter sent from Parks Canada to Riding Mountain National Park business owners earlier this year, which was obtained by CBC, says it is considering options to prevent the spread of the invasive species in the western Manitoba national park — including the possibility of closing the lake to all watercraft in an effort
“We’re concerned that the federal government appears to have taken a unilateral decision here, so we’re making the case to them to hold off and to keep Clear Lake open,” Kinew told CBC News earlier Tuesday.
CBC has asked Parks Canada for comment. The federal agency’s website says it’s still deciding how the lake will be used this year.
“Due to the complexity of the situation and ongoing research efforts, no decision has been made regarding the use of Clear Lake for 2024. Parks Canada remains committed to making the best decision based on available scientific evidence in combination with input received from stakeholders,” its website says.
The letter sent to business owners, dated Jan. 26, 2024, says if the watercraft ban option is followed, outside beach toys would also be banned, but those items would be provided at no cost through a lending program.
The letter also lists two other options for the lake’s use. One would provide an exemption for watercraft that do not leave the lake for any period of time.
The other option would allow the use of self-propelled vessels like canoes, or closed floatation equipment like paddleboards and catamarans, as well as non-inflatable beach toys.
Parks Canada officials found live zebra mussels in Clear Lake at Boat Cove in Riding Mountain National Park last November, the agency’s website says.
Since then, it’s conducted two sets of water sample tests — one between Jan. 8 and Feb, 2, and another set between Feb. 2 and Feb. 20.
Though both sets of tests came up negative for zebra mussel environmental DNA, Parks Canada’s website says the invasive species could still be present in the popular tourist destination despite the negative test results.
“A potential infestation of zebra mussels in Clear Lake presents a real threat of significant and irreversible ecological damage to the lake and downstream waterbodies,” its website says.
Kinew’s plea comes after Parks Canada drafted a detailed impact assessment report in February 2024, which was emailed to CBC News from a Riding Mountain National Park spokesperson.
That report was open for public comment up until March 29, the spokesperson told CBC.
According to the report, the federal government is considering how it could eradicate the invasive species from the lake, including the use of potash molluscicide, a chemical registered for pesticide use in open bodies of water in Canada.
The report says Parks Canada could use the chemical in small, isolated parts of the lake. It could also use physical control methods, including manually removing the mussels or using benthic mats — thick large tarps anchored to the bottom of the lake used to smother and kill the mussels.
The report says Parks Canada could also use a combination of these methods.