Porta potties in Ontario

C

C-Green

New member
I'm planning on cruising Georgian Bay and the North Channel this summer. Ontario has some sort of prohibition of porta potties on it's Great Lakes waters. Between 2003 and 2007 we cruised Lake Superior's north shore and the pp was not an issue but I've since got the impression that is no longer so. Anyone have current knowledge on this topic?

Jay
 
Jay, We have similar plans for cruising Georgian Bay and North Channel this summer season. And we also have the same concern for use of the "porta-pottie" in Canadian waters. Using Brents kindly provided Email address I wrote the folks asking about current regulations. I requested they reply directly to our home page forum with the answer. Perhaps we will hear back sometime soon with "good news" !!!
 
Barry, Thanks for checking with Boating Ontario (whoever they are); good to know what they say but I imagine we'll get the legal answer - no porta potties. What I'm looking for is whether the DNR or OPP or whoever is enforcing it or ignoring it. In other words what are boaters' experiences.

Jay
 
I'm going to New Brunswick to run up the St.John river from St. John to Frederickton this summer and I'm taking our porta Potty. I'm sure the other four boats will be packing porta potties. The one boat a 27' Ranger Tug has a composting toliet. Would they be outlawing buckets? Would they rather you do the same thing in a bucket and then dump it over board? I would not just dump a porta potty anywhere but just use ours for emergencies and my wife uses it at night when walking to a land based toiliet is just not going to happen. I wonder how they can enforce it. I wonder how many years in the slammer we are going to get if we get caught? I'll let you know. I guess you could get a porta potty rigged with a pump out. Don't tell anyone but I removed the tag on my mattress tag that said do not remove under penality of the law. They will never take me alive. :)
D.D.
 
Will-C, I'm with you on the law; what a stupid law; we dump the potti at toilets, privies or at a dug hole in the woods (which hasn't been necessary yet). The law is only an Ontario law so you shouldn't have any problem in NB.

Moose, MNR? Thanks for the feed back but I would also like to hear from some boaters in the North Channel/Georgian Bay area as regional jurisdictions may have different priorities. By the way, you need to stop by the island for a brew and Lake Superior story telling sometime, like this summer for starters; the admiral isn't going to work forever.

Jay
 
Pp is not your only problem boating into Canadian waters, you have to check in with Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA).before you enter Canadian
Waters. If you and your crew all have a nexus card you can call in otherwise
You will have to go to. A check point.
There is a article in the Feb. March issue of Boat U.S. Magazine that you should read page 20.
Good Luck
 
Thanks for the tip and article. However, I plan on trailering into and out of Canada. Also in the past on Lake Superior I used a RABCs which is a remote area border crossing permit by Canada valid from Lake of the Woods to and through Lake Superior; it's pretty handy in you don't have to check in with Canadian authorities but you still need to report back in the US.

Jay
 
Last year we spent a week plus cruising the Ontario waters of Lake Erie and didn't have a problem. We had Customs officers on Valkyrie twice and no one said a word about the obviously visible Porta Potti.

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
Hi Jay,

There is a regulation and it has been on the books for several years. In fact, I added the feature of a pump-out potty in addition to a regular porta-potty back in 2004 as I planned to use my boat in Canadian waters. I have yet to use the pump out potty instead only using the porta-potty, relying on Al Meadow's extensive experience boating in Canadian waters. I have been in both Georgian Bay and the North Channel and have not had an issue; then too I have never been boarded by Canadian Patrol. My wife and I both have NEXUS passes and they simplify crossing into Canada.

Spanish, Ontario is a very nice port to launch from. I had a very enjoyable stay at the Municipal Harbor.
 
Nick and Rollie, thanks for the input; your comments are encouraging; it's looking like a porta potti will work, I'll just keep it below the radar, out of sight and be a prudent boater (as usual).

Jay
 
C-Green":3k5qc9u2 said:
Moose, MNR? Thanks for the feed back but I would also like to hear from some boaters in the North Channel/Georgian Bay area as regional jurisdictions may have different priorities. By the way, you need to stop by the island for a brew and Lake Superior story telling sometime, like this summer for starters; the admiral isn't going to work forever.

Jay
Click to expand...

Hi Jay,
MNR is the Ministry of Natural Resources.
And thanks for your renewed invitation to visit the big island; I don't know that it's in the cards, though tempting.
Al
 
Back
Top