Canadian boating - Great Lakes and Atlantic region

[DougM]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Hmmm, what makes you say that?

But on a slightly more serious note Doug, do you know if NS has ordered recreational marinas closed? It seems your province is taking a pretty strict approach to physical distancing.

My current home port is on the east coast of Newfoundland (Lewisporte). Apparently there's still too much snow in the yard to get in, let alone all the ice in the harbour, so we're definitely closed for now.

I normally don't plan to get back to the boat till late May/early June anyway, so there's still lots of time. At this point our marina has not been ordered closed, but I suspect that's because the provincial government hasn't even considered recreational marinas yet.

Mike - There has been nothing specific about marinas that I've seen. The province's pulbic health order specifically closed specific types of business, such as eat in restaurants, theatres, etc, and intentionally allow the rest to operate if they follow the social distance rules (pretty sensible approach actually). But our premier has declared war on solitary recreational pursuits. He went after snowmobiling, for example - i guess those little viruses can chew through face shields?). Newfoundland, in contrast, saw snowmobiling as extremely low risk and a benefit in terms of psychological well being in this situation, so they increased trail grooming (i admire the newfoundlanders' practicality). So I think if our premier gets wind of sailing, he'll jump all over it. Just a guess.

The board of the yacht club clossed the bar, obviously, as required. The floating docks are out of the water, and boats on the hard and they haven't said anything about what's coming. I highly doubt the docks will go in until things change. And i bet a lot of individuals are too terrified to even consider boating.

But on the other hand, the travel lift operated a couple days ago, to put a fishing boat in the water (there are a handful of commercial boats kept at the club). Oh yeah, the ice in the harbour is pack ice, very little this year, and it blew out of the harbour within 24 hours of taking the picture when the wind changed, so he didn't sink (the evil north and northeast winds push the darn stuff in here, any other wind pushes it out).

So my plan, unless anything changes, is to get some bottom paint on (as soon as i feel like braving the cool spring wind) and drop the boat in the water. I will quickly take it around to the bras d'or lakes where i have a mooring in a cove in front of a piece of land i bought recently. Then I can sneak out there and try to enjoy life a little, outside my house arrest.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by DougM

Mike - There has been nothing specific about marinas that I've seen. The province's pulbic health order specifically closed specific types of business, such as eat in restaurants, theatres, etc, and intentionally allow the rest to operate if they follow the social distance rules (pretty sensible approach actually).

Reference Post #100.

The newest and highly detailed order is explicit as to marinas being closed except to allow for access to liveaboards. Which I presume would be very few year rounders given the cold weather and ice in Ontario.

[Mike OReilly]

Thanks Doug. I bet you're right about your Premier catching wind of recreational marinas.

In NL no orders have been made about marinas (as far as I know). Most ports and marina operations are geared towards commercial folk (not a lot of us recreational types on The Rock), so we may not got ordered closed -- just don't know yet.

Originally Posted by Montanan

Reference Post #100.

The newest and highly detailed order is explicit as to marinas being closed except to allow for access to liveaboards. Which I presume would be very few year rounders given the cold weather and ice in Ontario.

Thanks Montanan, but Doug is talking about Nova Scotia. Maybe you can dig up their official orders for us .

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Reference Post #100.

The newest and highly detailed order is explicit as to marinas being closed except to allow for access to liveaboards. Which I presume would be very few year rounders given the cold weather and ice in Ontario.

BTW - where are you Montanan? You'd be surpised about the number of year-round liveaboards here.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Thanks Doug. I bet you're right about your Premier catching wind of recreational marinas.

In NL no orders have been made about marinas (as far as I know). Most ports and marina operations are geared towards commercial folk (not a lot of us recreational types on The Rock), so we may not got ordered closed -- just don't know yet.



Thanks Montanan, but Doug is talking about Nova Scotia. Maybe you can dig up their official orders for us .

Ah yes, my oversight.

NS:

https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/al...tate-emergency

The following restrictions are in place under the Authority of the Health Protection Act:

Gatherings and social distancing
There are to be no non-essential gatherings of more than 5 people.
Any workplace or business that is not deemed essential (or not already required to be closed) can remain open as long as a two-metre (6 foot) distance can be maintained.

Schools and child care
Public schools will be closed until at least 1 May 2020.
All licensed childcare providers are required to close until at least 1 May 2020.

Restaurants, bars, and casinos
Restaurants are restricted to take-out and delivery orders only. Hotel restaurants can still provide room service and take-out, but their dining areas must close.
All drinking establishments, winery and distillery tasting rooms, and craft taprooms must close; private liquor stores can operate, and craft breweries, wineries, and distilleries can still sell their products from their storefronts.
Casinos in Halifax and Sydney are closed; bar owners can no longer operate VLTs.

Health professions
Regulated health professions can only stay open for emergency or urgent cases or to provide virtual care, excluding doctors, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, nurses and paramedics, as long as they can meet social distancing requirements in their waiting room or other non-clinical areas and follow the cleaning protocol.
Non-regulated health professions (such as naturopaths) must close. One exception is podiatrists who must follow the directive related to regulated health professions.
Dentists can no longer practice dentistry in their offices unless they deem it necessary to perform an emergency dental procedure in the best interest of the patient’s health.

Other businesses
Veterinarians, including veterinary surgeons and veterinary physicians, can only provide in-patient emergency or urgent care services, essential veterinary supply chain services (like prescription refills or prescription food) and virtual care services.

Personal services, like hair salons, barber shops, spas, nail salons, and body art establishments must close.
All fitness establishments, like gyms, must close.

Parks, beaches and trails
Provincial and municipal parks and beaches are closed. Provincial tourist attractions are closed.
Most trails are run by municipalities and community groups. Check whether they are open before you go. Only use trails that you can walk to from your home. You must follow gathering limits and social distancing guidelines on trails.

Long-term care facilities
Long-term care facilities are closed to all visitors.
Other directives from government include:

Employers cannot require a doctor’s note if an employee must be off work.
No tenant can be evicted because their income has been impacted by COVID-19 (effective for next 3 months).
University students from Nova Scotia who are still living in residences need to go home, to provide space for social distancing for those students from outside the province who are not able to travel.
All day programs, supported employment and social enterprise service providers funded through the Department of Community Services’ Disability Support Program have been asked to close.

http://https://novascotia.ca/coronav...t-order-means/

Self-isolation requirements

Most people entering Nova Scotia from outside the province must self-isolate for 14 days. That means you need to go straight home and stay there. You can have someone else deliver food or anything else you need.

Some people are exempt from the self-isolation requirement. Even if you’re exempt, you still need to practice social distancing of 2 metres (6 feet) as much as you can. You need to monitor your symptoms closely, and self-isolate if you start to feel sick.

People who are exempt from the self-isolation requirement include:

healthy people who have to routinely cross the Nova Scotia land border for work
people visiting Nova Scotia for essential medical care, plus one support person travelling with them
health care workers
community service workers (including child protection workers and transition house workers)
critical infrastructure workers
law enforcement and corrections workers
medical supply or pharmaceutical workers
members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Coast Guard and RCMP
first responders, including police, fire and EHS paramedic workers
trade and transportation workers, including:
truck drivers
airline, marine vessel or train crew, maintenance and operational staff
agri-food and fish industry workers
Fishers entering the province to board a fishing vessel or get supplies must self-isolate for 14 days when they arrive, unless they can self-isolate on the fishing vessel for 14 consecutive days before leaving the vessel. They can’t to leave the boat for any reason, including to get supplies. They can dock and have supplies delivered.

Temporary foreign workers can enter the province, but they must self-isolate upon arrival for 14 days. If they can, they should self-isolate onsite where they are planning to work.

Offshore workers can enter the province for work, but they must self-isolate upon arrival for 14 days.

Under the Health Protection Act, government has ordered that some businesses must close. Others can remain open but need to follow requirements for social distancing.

Businesses and organizations that must be closed
Some businesses and organizations are required to be closed. They include:

licensed day care facilities and family day care homes
pre-primary programs
public schools
casinos
drinking establishments like bars, wineries, distillery tasting rooms and craft taprooms (but private liquor stores, breweries, wineries and distilleries can still sell products from their storefronts)
all personal service businesses, like hair salons, barbers, spas, nail salons and body art establishments
gyms, yoga studios and other fitness establishments
golf courses
privately operated and provincial campgrounds
unregulated health professionals, except podiatrists
dentists, unless it’s an emergency procedure to protect the health and welfare of the patient
veterinarians, unless it’s to provide emergency or urgent care or essential supply chain services, like prescription refills or prescription food. Only veterinarians who work in not-for-profit practice with the SPCA can perform spay and neuter surgeries.
Self-regulated health professions and podiatrists and veterinarians in private practice can provide virtual care for appointments, if it’s within their scope of practice and established by their governing colleges.
If you don’t have to close
To stay open, you must enforce social distancing of 2 metres (6 feet) between people.

If you can’t maintain social distancing because of the physical size of your business, you must limit the number of customers or clients to no more than 5 people at a time.

Some employers are exempt from the 5-person rule:

businesses that can maintain social distancing (like grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, convenience stores, construction sites, financial institutions and agri-food and fish plants)
Canadian Blood Services blood collection clinics
Some employers are exempt from the 5-person rule AND the social distancing requirement. They include:

organizations funded by the Department of Community Services that are covered under the Homes for Special Care Act and the Children and Family Services Act
long-term care facilities licensed under the Homes for Special Care Act
home care agencies funded under the Homemaker Services Act
hospitals and health authorities
courts
jails, prisons and community-based correctional services
unlicensed child care facilities
homeless shelters
certain independent health care practitioners working in community practice: physicians, nurse practitioners and nurses, continuing care workers and home care workers
Emergency Medical Care Inc.
people providing care under the Self-Managed Care Program, Supportive Care Program or Caregiver Benefit Program
businesses who provide, service or repair medical equipment like wheelchairs, beds and home oxygen equipment
food production plants
fishing vessels
Municipal entities and contractors:
taxi services
police and fire services
municipal utilities (water, wastewater, stormwater)
maintenance of utilities and municipal facilities
transportation
road maintenance/repair
municipal ICT systems and services
public transit
solid waste, garbage and litter collection and disposal
urban forestry
municipal logistic, distribution, storage, inventory and repair services
Other restrictions
There are some other restrictions for certain businesses and organizations that stay open.

Restaurants can stay open for take-out and delivery service only. (Hotel restaurants can still provide room service and take-out, but their dining areas must close.) If you can’t comply with the social distancing requirements, you can still operate with the minimum staff you need to provide take-out and delivery service.
You can’t operate video lottery terminals (VLTs).
Craft breweries, wineries and distilleries can still sell products from their storefronts, but your tasting rooms or taprooms must be closed.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by SVTatia

BTW - where are you Montanan? You'd be surpised about the number of year-round liveaboards here.

This where I be. Looking forward to a fine early Easter Sunrise service and some cross country skiing.

FYI, being America the temperature projection is in degrees Fahrenheit. Just brushed off snow from the windshield of the SUV to go to the grocery store taking advantage of the warming spell.

[anacapaisland42]

Thanks Mike,

Can we use this thread to try and identify a representative for each marina/yacht club/mooring to give some idea when/if things return to normal.


Bill
at Waupoos, Ontario







[QUOTE=Mike OReilly;3108602]Since we lost the recent thread on Ontario marinas I thought I'd try again, but with a somewhat expanded scope. We can use this thread to note impacts on boaters for this region.

[Mainstreet]

Seeing that there are 8 pages on this thread, this may have been covered earlier but from our standpoint, there will, at this time be no opportunities to use our boat this summer. It’s still on the hard and the boatyard is closed under local government (town of LaSalle Ontario) lockdown. Further, the Marina we use The City of Windsor’s Lakeview Park Marina is being refurbished with new floating docks. The project is half completed and under lockdown by the provincial government’s order. Neither the boatyard nor the Marina have any control over this. Even if the construction lockdown is opened, the Marina will require about another 6 weeks to 2 months to be operational. At that point, being a leasure activity that limits social distancing,it may not be able to open.

On another front, because of our unique geography here, our boatyard is overflowing with American boats. I understand that the state of Michigan is restricting boating on its territorial waters to sailboats, kayaks and canoes. No power vessels permitted. None of these sailboat owners can cross the border to their boats which can’t be launched at any rate because the yard is closed. Given all the circular complexity of this, I have simply decided to leave the boat under cover and hope for a pleasant 2021 season.

[S/V Alchemy]

Our club, National YC in Toronto, is closed until April 23 to all access save the manager and the yard guy. It was supposed to open today. We are moving from our winter in-water berth at a marina back to National by April 30, which is when we have to move aboard. As the launch is (currently) postponed until the end of May, it is likely that we and the other four in-water winter liveaboard who summer at our club will be the only (well-spaced) boats at the docks for some time.

We have a bottom job skedded for early June in Halifax that I strongly suspect will be postponed some time. I suppose it doesn't matter, as Europe is closed.

[peter loveridge]

I am fortunate to live in SW Nova Scotia. Winters are MUCH warmer than in Maine, New Hampshire , Vermont, and most of Massachusetts. We had snow on the ground for about 6 nights, plowed the driveway once and most of the winter there was no ice on the lakes. Daytime temperatures mostly above freezing. The disadvantage is that there are storm force winds, sometimes Cat 1 hurricane levels, at least once a week

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by anacapaisland42

Thanks Mike,

Can we use this thread to try and identify a representative for each marina/yacht club/mooring to give some idea when/if things return to normal.

Bill
at Waupoos, Ontario

Yes. I hope we can continue to do this here Bill.

I'm currently in Ontario, but my boat is based in Newfoundland. I'm trying to get information about the Lewisporte Yacht Club/Marina. So far, the official word from the marina management is that that they have not (yet) been ordered closed by the province, so are planning to be operational as soon as the snow and ice depart. This normally doesn't happen till May anyway, so there's still time.

That said, I suspect the provincial government hasn't given recreational marinas any considerations at all yet. If this crisis continues, I'll be surprised if marinas like Lewisporte and the RNYC are allowed to open. I've sent in a question to the government question line. I'll post here if I get any answers.

[hpaabor]

TVO our Ontario public television produced this real time trip up the Rideau Canal. Its almost 4 hours ending at the Parliament buildings. I'm guessing this might be the extent of cruising in Canada this year.
https://www.tvo.org/video/documentar...v0PNi-3vlr_7Gc

[DanCan]

Originally Posted by peter loveridge

I am fortunate to live in SW Nova Scotia. Winters are MUCH warmer than in Maine, New Hampshire , Vermont, and most of Massachusetts. We had snow on the ground for about 6 nights, plowed the driveway once and most of the winter there was no ice on the lakes. Daytime temperatures mostly above freezing. The disadvantage is that there are storm force winds, sometimes Cat 1 hurricane levels, at least once a week

I envy you! I’m so tired of our crazy freezing Alberta winter already! NS is a beautiful province. One day...!

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by peter loveridge

I am fortunate to live in SW Nova Scotia. Winters are MUCH warmer than in Maine, New Hampshire , Vermont, and most of Massachusetts. We had snow on the ground for about 6 nights, plowed the driveway once and most of the winter there was no ice on the lakes. Daytime temperatures mostly above freezing. The disadvantage is that there are storm force winds, sometimes Cat 1 hurricane levels, at least once a week

Meanwhile elsewhere:

[SuW]

Marinas I have heard from:
Treasure Island, Gananoque Municipal, Collins Bay: all completely closed.
IMS, Iroquois: Boatyard closed, restrooms/docks open to the liveaboards/campers only (don't ask).

Our boat is in the boatyard at IMS.

The local government replaced the yellow "Do Not Cross" tape on the Morrisburg boat ramp with a concrete traffic barrier. You could still launch a kayak, I suppose.

The St. Lawrence river between Iroquois and Cornwall is at a high level, but it is controlled. Not as high as the highest last year.

The St. Lawrence Seaway is open. Lots of traffic.
https://www.vesselfinder.com/