Profits down the river - Poor boat launches, promotion hamper local tourism indu
Wednesday, August 30, 2006 (01:16:44)

Posted by Steve

Selkirk Journal - By Mark T. Buss Friday August 25, 2006

For Claude Provencal, it’s a million dollar concern.

Provencal says poorly maintained boat launches at Selkirk Park, and what he perceives as a general lack of interest from the powers that be to entice tourists to Selkirk, may very well send profits from the local fishery down the river.

With walleye season heading into full swing, he believes the local tourism industry will take a serious hit as the window of opportunity to make repairs has virtually closed.

“We have a million dollar money maker called the Red River right on our doorstep and over the last 10 years the City of Selkirk and the Chamber of Commerce have completely missed the boat,” Provencal said. “This is supposed to be the Catfish Capital but I don’t see anybody promoting it.”

An avid fisherman, Provencal said the current state of the boat launches is “ridiculous”. With anywhere from a 12-inch to 18-inch drop at the end of the launches, he said damage to boats or trailers as they slip off the cement pad ramps and fall into the silt is common.

To add insult to injury, the towing vehicles often get stuck as trailer tires are unable to roll back up onto the pads once they’ve bottomed out. The end result is twisted axles, sheered u-bolts and punctured tires, Provencal said.

Libau residents Sue and Russell Smith spent Tuesday morning on the Red. While the fishing was good, getting their 14-foot boat out of the water was the concern of the day as they were unable to back in far enough and load the vessel properly. After several attempts, they drove away with the boat resting on the trailer’s fenders.

“It’s about par for the course,” Russell said.

Provencal added the launches are not only unsafe for equipment, they are also dangerous. A steel pipe used to anchor one of the two docks is bent at a a 40-degree angle after the U-bracket that secures it to the dock snapped some time ago.

Tying up his own boat at the launch last week, he witnessed a man get knocked unconscious when he struck his head on the pipe as he attempted to dock his new 18-foot boat. Provencal said the Winnipeg tourist fell into the back of the boat with a gash from over his left eye across his forehead and down to his right ear as his wife and children became hysterical.

A City of Winnipeg firefighter, Provencal jumped into action to provide first aid and helped the woman load the boat before she raced to the hospital.

“You could see right down to his cheekbone,” Provencal said. “Those kids were screaming like somebody was trying to kill them. They were absolutely traumatized.”

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The craft also received a four-foot gash as it slid along the dock/pipe as the boat limped out of control.

Provencal said he personally made a report to city hall regarding the condition of the boat launches prior to the accident but no repair work was done. He also claims to have previously e-mailed half of Selkirk council but has not received a response.

“I contacted the city over a month ago to get somebody out there and fix it. I even gave them directions,” Provencal said. “Nothing has been done and now somebody has been injured.”

With September’s annual walleye run expected to bring hundreds of anglers to Selkirk’s shores along with thousands of dollars to local businesses, Stu McKay of Cats on the Red said he is not surprised the city hasn’t taken measures to alleviate the problem with the boat launches. He believes extending the ramps is the only solution.

A revered guide in the area, McKay has a private launch so problems with the public sites don’t affect him. But for someone who has been internationally selling the Red River as a fisherman’s paradise for two decades, he feels the lack of attention supplied is disheartening.

“So many opportunities have been missed; from extending the ramps to promoting the fishery,” McKay said. “I’ve been fighting for this for the better part of 20 years but this is nothing new and it’s not going to go away.”

The launch situation has grown to where chatter on Manitoba and Canadian fishing websites has fishermen recommending anglers bypass Selkirk altogether.

“We’re taking about $50,000 to $75,000 boats here,” Provencal said. “Some of the guys are serious fishermen who spend a lot of money on their equipment but they’re not coming back after their boats get damaged by simply putting them in the water. They go elsewhere and take their money with them.”

Provencal noted several fishing tournaments previously held in Selkirk – namely the Walleye Classic and the Pro Am Derby – have also moved on without replacements; a knock, he says, against the Chamber of Commerce.

“If this fishery was in the U.S., we’d all be making money off of it,” he said. “The chamber should be looking at this river as a way to create new money as opposed to continually recycling the old.”

Chamber of Commerce Vice President Kelly Lewis said the condition of the boat launches has created a negative domino affect in trying to accent the river’s uses.

A long time resident who has used the Selkirk facilities in the past, she and her family members now haul their boats to Petersfield after having problems with getting on the water.

Also a member of the Selkirk waterfront development committee, Lewis said proposed finger docks and a marina were all part of the big picture when work at the Selkirk docks began but have since been sidelined.

“The chamber supports anything that can improve the infrastructure for tourism but until we can launch in the area, how can we promote it?” Lewis asked. “If the locals aren’t using the boat launches how do they expect the tourists too?”

Selkirk Mayor Dave Bell said the city did a ramp extension at the public launch in 2001 to the tune of over $20,000 during similar circumstances. In 2003, they dumped three truck loads of two-inch rock at the end of the ramps in an attempt to solidify the base.

Bell said he was surprised to hear of the disrepair of the boat launches adding reports of their condition did not come across his desk. He said he planned to take a tour of the site this week and look into the possibility of dumping more crushed rock as an interim measure.

Bell said anyone claiming Selkirk is anti-business is incorrect and they need only look at the community’s recent record for growth with the addition of several major businesses and shops on Manitoba Avenue.

He added putting money aside for the boat launches and a possible engineering study to build more was discussed during the latest round of budget talks in preparation for the city’s 125th birthday celebrations in 2007. He was unclear however about whether it was out into the budget or not.

“It’s my personal opinion that funding should be made available for the fishery but I know there are members of council who don’t feel the same way,” Bell said. “If something needs to be done, we’re going to have to do it fairly soon, but I’m just one vote on council.”

Source: http://www.selkirkjournal.com/story.php?id=250939
By Mark T. Buss
Friday August 25, 2006