MNRF backs off on changes to anchoring regulations

Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has done a major about-face on a controversial (to say the least) proposal to great restrict anchoring rights for cruising boaters. I’ve posted about this hot mess several times this spring. After a resoundingly negative response from the boating community and the marine industry, the ministry is axing all of the contentious items from a regulatory proposal that was supposed to deal with floating cottages. As the MNRF has stated on the ERO website:

“This proposal notice has been updated on March 16, 2023 to focus on proposed regulation changes related to floating accommodations. The following proposals have been removed and are no longer under consideration: reducing the number of days that a person can camp on water at one location in each calendar year from 21 days to 7 days, increasing the distance that a camping unit on water must move to a different location from 100 meters to 1 kilometer, adding a new condition to prohibit camping on water within 300 meters of a developed shoreline, harmonize non-resident and resident camping rules, and several other minor clarification proposals. Any further consideration of these proposals would be addressed by a new Proposal Notice. If you have already commented, we appreciate your feedback.”