Illegal buoys in Shuswap Lake continue to cause problems for the Columbia Shuswap Regional District.

At the May 27 electoral area directors meeting, Director Jay Simpson, representing the North Shuswap, once again brought up the issue of the buoys.

“Illegal buoys, it's one of those things that is a constant thorn in the side,” Simpson said.

“We have a number of residents who regularly comment that we're not doing what we should be doing, and absolutely we aren't.”

Simpson said he brought up the matter due to a recent incident where a houseboat has been moored on an illegal buoy immediately adjacent to the Scotch Creek water intake.

The CSRD routinely sends out staff to ticket illegal buoys, but does not have the manpower or equipment to regularly remove them. Instead, the regional district relies on Transport Canada’s Navigation Protection program that sporadically removes illegal buoys from the lake.

Simpson brought forward a proposal to see if the CSRD could institute a bylaw to ticket the companies or individuals who are installing the illegal buoys.

“As you well know, this has been such a challenge for staff,” said Gerald Christie, general manager of development services.

“The tools available to us on the enforcement side are rather limited, and I don't believe another bylaw would do the trick, to be very honest.”

He said the CSRD has ticketed illegal buoy-installers in the past, but it has not solved the problem.

"Unfortunately, over the years, some of our communication to those folks by registered mail has been declined," he said.

“We know who those actors are out there. The unfortunate part is the burden of proof still is on the CSRD when it comes to the enforcement end of things.”

A provincial or federal issue?

John MacLean, chief administrative officer, said illegal buoys are generally considered a type two priority for CSRD staff unless they are impacting important infrastructure such as a water intake.

He said the original bylaw was written as a partnership with Transport Canada and the provincial government, but the province has “been a non-player since the very beginning.”

He noted Transport Canada is only concerned with buoys if they are representing a danger to navigation on the water.

“We have this particular bylaw flagged in terms of bringing it forward to the committee and to the board for discussion,” MacLean added.

“We agree 100 per cent that we need to have a conversation in general about our enforcement policies or bylaws to ensure that we're focusing on those areas where we have an opportunity to be successful and impactful.”

He added staff has not been able to come up with a sensible path forward for the bylaw but agrees the proliferation of buoys on the lake is an ongoing issue.

“We do not have a marine bylaws unit, and it is unlikely that we will have the Miami Vice boat going around anytime soon,” said Director Marty Gibbons. ”This is outside of our wheelhouse.”

“One thing that jumps out at me is gee whiz, it's costing us a lot more to ticket than the tickets are worth,” he added. “So I think we should be looking at that. It's a losing money issue for the taxpayers when we have to go put a ticket on the end of Wild Rose Bay.”

Gibbons said he would be in favour of “significantly” raising the penalties on tickets for illegal buoys.

He added it is an issue that should be addressed by the provincial government rather than the regional district.

Marty Herbert, manager of building and bylaw services, said the CSRD has had success in the past working with Transport Canada to remove illegal buoys.

“We assist with the dump and removal of the buoys, and we help with those costs,” he said. “For the most part, that's been effective.

“The problem is they aren't coming up as much as they used to. They don't have resources and funds either.”

He alleged some of the contractors being used by Transport Canada to remove illegal buoys were the same people installing illegal buoys.

“The contractors that they hire to remove the buoys are the same ones that put them in,” Herbert said. “When we look at the results of the stuff on the barge that goes to the dump, we go, 'Why is the dump receipt way less than what they've taken from the lake?'”

Staff is expected to bring forward a review of the bylaw governing buoys in Shuswap Lake for review at some point in the near future.