Navigable waters protection ebbing away?

The federal government has proposed a little noticed amendment to the Navigable Waters Protection Act that could seriously erode public access to Canadian waterways. Ever since Canada was first settled, anyone in a canoe has had a right to paddle rivers, lakes and streams with enough water to float in. Federal government permission is required to build obstructions to navigation, such as dams, piers and fences. Although such permission is frequently given, the approval process limited private annexation of these public waterways. Now the federal government is proposing to give away much of this power. We enclose a memo NWPA-amendments-in-budget on the subject, kindly provided to us by Will Amos of Eco Justice.