‘Completely blindsided us'
Cottagers and business owners are angry after Parks Canada flip-flopped and announced a motorized boat ban on Clear Lake this summer to help prevent the spread of zebra mussels.
Parks Canada said Friday it made the 'difficult decision' to restrict the use of motorized watercraft in the Riding Mountain National Park lake in 2025.
'This approach is a continuation of Parks Canada's attempts to reduce zebra mussel spread in Clear Lake and the potential damage that may be caused to downstream water bodies and related infrastructure,' the government agency said in a bulletin.
TIM SMITH / THE BRANDON SUN FILES
Kayakers paddle through the cool water of Clear Lake while a boat passes behind them in Riding Mountain National Park on a hot Thursday in 2023. Scenes like this will not take place this summer as the federal government has banned boats from Clear Lake for the 2025 season.
The federal government said in January watercraft, including motorized vessels, would be permitted, as long as they were only used in Clear Lake. That edict was reversed Friday.
People are allowed to use non-motorized watercraft — including kayaks and canoes — provided they have an annual permit for use only on Clear Lake or other bodies of water in Riding Mountain National Park. The bulletin said all non-motorized watercraft, fishing equipment, wetsuits and inflatables would have to be inspected.
The lake was closed to all watercraft in the summer of 2024.
In January, the federal government announced a 'one boat, one lake' policy for Clear Lake, the same policy that was adopted in 2023.
Parks Canada said at the time that decision was made after determining it was no longer feasible to attempt to eradicate zebra mussels because they had spread past the lake's marina.
The policy change prompted anger Friday.
Kelsey Connor, president of the Clear Lake Marina, which offers boat rentals and cruises on the Martese ship, said Parks Canada told him about the reversal an hour before the public release went out.
'This news has completely blindsided us,' he said. 'We were planning to open our business in the coming days. We've hired dozens of excited, eager staff for the summer, made bookings and reservations for families and groups on the Martese, and spent significant sums of capital preparing to reopen the business for 2025.'
Connor said his company lost money when the lake was closed in 2024, and they were hoping to bounce back this year.
'Parks Canada managers and staff have straight up lied to and misled me over the phone, face to face, and eye to eye leading up to this announcement,' he said.
'No warning. No heads up. No reasoning. Now what… I must ruminate on this until Tuesday when Parks Canada staff are back at work. I sure hope that they have a great long weekend. Frankly, I'm disgusted with the Parks Canada organization and those who conduct it.'
A local Parks Canada official referred questions to officials in Ottawa. No one from Ottawa responded before deadline.
Tory MP Dan Mazier, who represents the Riding Mountain riding, which includes the park, called the decision unacceptable.
'Earlier this year, Parks Canada indicated the ban would be lifted, yet now, with no warning or clear explanation, they've reversed course during one of the busiest weekends of the year…. the constant flip-flopping has created chaos and deep uncertainty in a community that deserves timely answers — not surprise announcements buried on a holiday weekend,' Mazier said in a statement.
Mazier vowed to bring the matter up with newly appointed federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin.
Cottager David Bastable said he held off paying thousands of dollars to buy a boat until Parks Canada announced motorized watercraft would be allowed this summer.
'They said one boat, one lake and literally the next week I bought the boat,' Bastable said. 'We were so excited. The kids couldn't even use the kayaks and paddleboat we bought last year.
'I probably spent six grand on accessories alone to go with the boat, including insurance for the boat and the trailer, and then they changed their decision. Now I'm wondering if I'm going to sell the boat. It is so ridiculous — the zebra mussels are already in the lake.'
Bastable blames Parks Canada for helping to spread zebra mussels last summer because, at first it told people they could swim and use flotation devices only around the marina — where the aquatic pests were first found — before telling people that was the only place they couldn't use them.
'So people ended up going all over the lake. This couldn't have been managed worse.'
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Another cottager, Kyle Bazylo, said he doesn't own a boat, but he empathizes with people who do.
'People last year with boats didn't even come back to their cottages last year,' Bazylo said. 'People thought this year it would be back to normal, but it isn't.
'It was disappointing last year, but at least we knew what was happening so we adapted to it, but this has come at the last minute… between last year and now this, you lose complete faith in the park and the government.'
Parks Canada had said it engaged with stakeholders, Indigenous partners and the public on how to best manage water activities at Clear Lake in 2025.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin RollasonReporter
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press's city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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Data Verification For further information regarding the Project and the mineral resource estimates referenced herein, refer to the technical report summary titled "S-K 1300 Technical Report Summary Initial Assessment for the Whistler Project, South Central Alaska" with an effective date of September 12, 2024, and the technical report titled "NI 43-101 2024 Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Whistler Project, South Central Alaska" with an effective date of September 12, 2024, available under the Company's respective profiles at and Rock samples referenced herein consisted of approximately one kilogram of rock collected over a small area surrounding each sampling site collected with a rock hammer. The sampling location was located using a handheld GPS unit and marked in the field with a metallic tag. Descriptive information about the geology of the sample was recorded and aggregated into the project database. Soil samples were collected along traverses as part of multi-kilometre reconnaissance programs, generally at 100 meter spacing. Soil samples were collected from the surface soils (generally the B-horizon) by extracting approximately one kilogram of soil, usually with a hand auger. Each sampling site is located using a GPS unit. Descriptive information such as sample depth and physical attributes were recorded and aggregated into the project database. Typically, field duplicates were collected at a rate of one in every twenty samples. Historic rock and soil samples were predominantly submitted to Alaska Assay Laboratories for preparation. Pulps were then submitted to ALS-Chemex by the preparation laboratory for assaying. Gold was assayed by fire assay and atomic absorption finish (Au-AA23) on thirty gram sub-samples and for a suite of 33 elements (including copper and silver) by either aqua regia digestion or 3- or 4-acid digest, followed by ICP-AES (method code ME-ICP41) on 0.5 gram sub-samples. Elements exceeding concentration limits of ICP-AES were re-assayed by single element aqua regia digestion and atomic absorption spectrometry (method code element-AA46). The Company's 2024 sampling utilized Bureau Veritas for sample preparation at their lab in Fairbanks, Alaska, and analysis at their laboratory in Vancouver, BC. The analysis utilized FA430 fire assay method using 30 grams of material for gold, and MA200 multi-acid digestion with an ICP-ES/MS analysis on 0.25 gram sample for base metals. Technical Information Tim Smith, Chief Executive Officer of U.S. GoldMining, has supervised the preparation of this news release and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained herein. Mr. Smith is a "qualified person" as defined in Canadian National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. About U.S. GoldMining Inc. U.S. GoldMining Inc. is an exploration and development company focused on advancing the 100% owned Whistler Gold-Copper Project, located 105 miles (170 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A. The Whistler Project consists of several gold-copper porphyry deposits and exploration targets within a large regional land package entirely on State of Alaska mining claims totaling approximately 53,700 acres (217.5 square kilometers). The Whistler Project Mineral Resource Estimate comprises 294 Mt at 0.68 g/t AuEq for 6.48 Moz AuEq Indicated, plus 198 Mt at 0.65 g/t AuEq for 4.16 Moz AuEq Inferred. Visit for more information, including high resolution figures. Forward-Looking Statements Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States federal securities laws and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Such statements include statements with regard to the Company's expectations regarding the Project, potential exploration targets, future work programs and the Project's exploration potential. Words such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", estimates" and "intends" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on U.S. GoldMining's current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of future exploration may not confirm expectations, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation or realization of mineral resources, the availability of capital to fund programs, accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry including, without limitation, those associated with the environment, delays in obtaining governmental approvals or permits, title disputes other risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral properties and the other risk factors set forth in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at. and Canadian Securities Administrators at Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of this date, and U.S. GoldMining does not undertake any duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.
