Local business owner fears Parks Canada’s Clear Lake closure will scuttle biz

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A Manitoba business owner is blasting Parks Canada for its decision to close Clear Lake to boaters this summer, and now is wondering if the business she opened just last year can survive.

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“I’m more than worried, I’m devastated,” Ashley Smith, the owner of Turtle Village said on Friday, after Parks Canada confirmed Thursday they will temporarily ban all personal watercraft from Clear Lake, including motorized vessels and non-motorized items like canoes, and paddle boards.

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The decision comes as Parks Canada says they are looking at options to eradicate invasive zebra mussels from the lake located in Riding Mountain National Park, a popular summer destination for tourists, boaters and fishers. Evidence of the invasive aquatic species was discovered in the lake during tests conducted last summer and confirmed by further testing.

Smith opened Turtle Village last June, an Indigenous owned and operated business that offers “off the grid” Indigenous tourist experiences year-round in the area near Clear Lake.

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Parks Canada had previously warned they were considering the boat ban, and Smith said even before the decision was made this week, her business was already dealing with the negative impacts of that possibility that has now become a reality.

“Sales are already going down, and I have had cancellations because people are not sure what activities they can do once they get here,” she said. “People work hard, and when they get a chance to take a vacation, they want to do the things they want to do, but here we can’t promise a lot of things, so there is so much uncertainty.

“The worst thing for a business like this is uncertainty. As a business owner in this new economy, they’re making it impossible to plan and to operate.”

Smith said she also expects better communication because she is one of the only Indigenous owned and operated businesses in the area.

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“There has just been no communication and no attempt at building relationships, and then they go and talk about reconciliation?”

Business owners in the area are concerned about the evidence of zebra mussels in the lake and a possible spread of the species, according to Smith, but she said some wonder if a full closure of the lake to boats is the way to deal with the issue.

“We all want to protect the lake, but what that looks like for each of us differs,” Smith said. “There should have been more of a proactive plan to prevent the zebra mussels, but now they are here so it seems they are just reacting.”

Adult female zebra mussels are known to have a prolific rate of reproduction, as they can typically produce 30,000 to 40,000 eggs in each reproductive cycle, and over 1 million eggs in a single year.

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The mussels are harmful to Manitoba waterways, as they can deplete native fish populations and they are sharp and can be a nuisance when they wash up on shores and beaches. They can also cause damage to boats and other aquatic vehicles, as they clump and can clog engine parts and machinery.

Smith is now asking that Parks Canada create a long term “environmental management plan” to address the health of the lake while at the same time addressing how businesses in the area can be better supported.

“We need to plan for the future; for sustainability,” she said.

The decision is also being criticized by the Tourism Industry Association of Manitoba (TIAM) and Indigenous Tourism Manitoba (ITM) as the groups said in a joint media release they are concerned that the ban has been announced without “complementary supports” to address impacts to visitor experiences, local businesses, and local jobs.

“The impacts from this decision are already being felt, including by new Indigenous tourism operators,” the organizations said.

The Winnipeg Sun reached out to Parks Canada for comment but has not received a response.

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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