The RCMP inspection thing got a little out of hand in our area last year. I was inspected SEVEN times in a four month period [}
] I finally created a little book of my inspection slips and started handing the book to them when they pulled me over asking them to just "add it to the book", I think they got the message. When I have paying clients on the boat I don't want to be wasting half an hour as we work through their bloody check list. A few times okay but let's keep it reasonable.
When I pointed to my annual TC inspection sticker and inquired why that would not give me an auto pass the response was that some outfits with multiple boats had been caught moving flares and gear between boats to pass the inspections.... The idiocy of a few hurting the majority.
I'm not so sure I agree with the Small Vessel Program as it stands. The cost of getting a boat to comply to the construction standards can be pretty damn high which is pushing all the "part-time" retires out of business. When brand new factory finished boats can't pass the TC standards you have to start asking some questions on where they have set the bar... The inconcistencies are also VERY frustrating as well as the year to year changes as they try to figure it out themselves. The first year of the program the only boat that could pass was a boat that would "self right and float level to the gunnels" which pretty much limited it to hard hulled zodiacs. The local inspectors refused to certify any boats and they had to fly managers out from back east to do the certifications. Nice program....
The SVMIP program has knocked the majority of the charter boats out of business in our area while Land Tenure has wiped out almost all our inland guides. Tenure is a pure and simple cash grab with all the revenues going into general revenues as opposed to any type of local conservation efforts. Only larger companies have the time and resources to work through the tenure red tape mess.
Marine Parks permits are another "wonderful" system.....NOT. I'd much rather see a standard marine park user fee with daily, weekly or yearly medalions like in a lot of other countries with the fees staying with local park conservation efforts. I'd be happy to collect the individual user park fees and remitt them as opposed to paying $1K per park up front when I might visit five parks in a four hour boat tour.
The provincial government is running around stateing that tourism is "critical" to the economic development of the province and has boffo bucks to invest but every project they invest in seems to benefit the major investment properties while all their operating policies are wipeing out small businesses left, right and center. And hey while we're at it let's privatize the ferries and make it more expensive to get customers to our businesses as well #@$%^$#@!!!
Off to fill out my first quarter PST, GST and Hotel Tax forms and mail them to three DIFFERENT government addresses now.... thanks again for making small business so easy #@$%^$%#@!!!!
Off to go sit quietly in a corner and let the blood pressure come down.....
