Re: Canadian boaters
I figured something bad was coming for Lindsay. There are some rainy days where there are zero boats through there.
Last summer there was that one day where Castle building centers (I think) bought free lockage on part of the system for a day. To me, that's a great model for some possible ties to corporate sponsorship.
Selling a day of sponsorship as opposed to the "Coors Light Liftlock", I think some corporate sponsorship could save some areas. I'm pretty sure Parks Canada doesn't like marketing that way. They'd rather abandon something than "sell their hippie souls"
Back in the days when the MTO ran the waterway (or parts of it), that sort of solution would have come along quickly.
Or, maybe a partnership in Lindsay where a small hydro generating station could offset the lock/water control dam maintenance costs.
Of course the union for the waterway staff may not want to hear about cross training of an individual into a power generator maintenance role, but there is this untapped opportunity all along the waterway. Maybe the pendulum will need to take a few swings.
Lindsay is sure not known lately for their abilities in decisive civil engineering.
The Trent Severn is 386km of falling water, and only a handful of megawatts of electric power coming off it (less than 100MW I estimate). A real shame when everyone's get all excited about windmills and solar. Falling water IS solar. just not sexy at the moment.
Stand beside some of those dams along River Road there between Lakefield and Ptbo in the spring and your jaw will just drop at the untapped horsepower at all those dams.
If they could privatize the Lindsay site and let someone install a hydro facility and under the contract require the operator provide lockage, maybe that needs to be studied. not likely a priority.
Someone opportunist with a hydraulic trailer running from Nagano Park to Riviera Park more likely
