EDITORIAL – Charging a user fee at boat launches makes perfect sense

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

THE ICE IS MOSTLY OFF our rivers and the thoughts of boaters are turning to sunny days out on the water.

Should they pay for the privilege?

Charging boaters for using City-maintained launch sites makes perfect sense.

It might seem like just another tax grab but it’s really all about users paying for the amenities they enjoy.

The idea of charging, say, $5 a day for the use of boat launches is under consideration and there’s no logical argument against it.

This has nothing to do with etiquette on the river, speed limits, safety, river bank erosion and other river-related issues people inevitably bring up when discussing boating. It’s about paying for City infrastructure.

There are various ways of paying for such things. One of them is through taxes paid by everyone who owns property, regardless of whether they benefit or not.

You might never go to a City park but you pay for it because parks benefit the community at large. You might not own a car but you pay for streets.

Certain things, though, are used by a comparatively few. If you play a sport, chances are you do that in a facility subsidized by taxpayers at large, but pay a user fee.

Most people never use a boat launch. Who should pay to build and maintain them? Those who get the benefit. It’s common sense.

There are obvious obstacles such as enforcement and who would be charged. For example, would kayakers and canoers be treated the same as those with big power boats? Maybe not. Maybe they’d be charged a lower fee or none at all.

Point is, when a minority of taxpayers benefit from something, they should pay. That includes boat launches.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and newspaper editor. He publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.