In the absence of room in the marinas, Quebec boaters throw anchor in Ontario

Closures, disagreements with municipalities, endless waiting lists: boaters are struggling to find places in the Marinas of Greater Montreal. Some even turn to Ontario to put their boat in the water.

Nancy Breton bought a large sailboat in 2024, in anticipation of his retirement in the South. In the absence of space in the marinas of her region, the boaters have chosen to buy a boat already at the quay. His place in the Marina of Creg Quay, in Bainsville, Ontario, on Lake Saint-François, was therefore ceded to him during the purchase.

CREG Quay estimates that around 90 % of its occupants come from Quebec, according to what the marina said to Radio-Canada.

Ms. Breton said she first noted that the marinas in Quebec were overloaded when buying her first sailboat, in 2020. At the time, she had registered on all the waiting lists of the Marinas of the Lac des Deux Mountains hoping to put her sailboat in the water for the 2021 season, but she never received a call.

She finally had to opt for a place on the Baskatong tank, located north of Maniwaki and Mont-Laurier. The water extent was less coveted, according to Nancy Breton, but the market was saturated to Rimouski.

According to her, it is practically impossible to obtain a place in a marina without buying a boat which is already moored there. In this case, the place at the Marina is sold to the new buyer […] The waiting list alone is limbo!

If it was not my retirement project, I would sell my boat.

The bucket Martin Côté, he gave up his project. When he started taking steps to buy his first sailboat, this summer, his sailing instructors strongly recommended to buy a boat with a place at the quay.

But he could only see the lack of space in the Laurentians Marinas. For him, settle in Ontario is not an option. I wanted something accessible and I didn’t want to go on road hours to do the boat.

It takes me out of the sailboat […] I put my project on the ice.

Anchoring out of marina

For his part, Pierre-Marie Lagier says it can see the problem of lack of space in the marinas in Quebec For at least 25 years. He had taken steps to put his boat in the water in the Laurentians, in particular by registering on the waiting list of the Laurentides veil club, but he was never contacted.

Like other boaters exasperated by the market, Mr. Lagier resolved to throw anchor outside a port, by the lake of the two mountains, after having settled in Saint-Placide. Two to three boats do it toohe confirms.

This type of anchorage involves anchoring your boat in an appropriate area outside of a marina using its own equipment. It is a legal solution which includes risks, according to Mr. Lagier. Unlike marinas, this type of mooring offers no surveillance or insurance, and its boat is not protected from waves, wind and bad weather.

His daughters, to whom he gave his sailboat, finally found a place in an Ontario marina after having also had to face a market saturated.

An economic impact

The Director General of Nautisme Québec, a non -profit organization that represents boaters and the pleasure navigation industry, Josée Côté, also observes a displacement to Ontario or elsewhere to practice boating.

According to her, this situation leads to significant economic loss for the province. Nautisme Québec estimates that $ 19,500 per year are the average expenses of a boating.

We could have better retention [des plaisanciers québécois]estimates Josée Côté. In addition to the availability of platform places, some Quebecers choose Ontario Marinas due to more attractive water bodies, better -maintained infrastructure or better access to water.

In some regions of Quebec, such as in Baie-Comeau this year, it still remains possible to find a place in Marina, she specifies.

Pressure marinas

Before the pandemic, 2,600 places were lacked at the province, particularly in Greater Montreal, according to Nautisme Québec. However, closings in recent years have put pressure on the rest of the marinas and have exacerbated the already existing problems.

Everywhere, I was told that since the closure of the Lachine Marina, the market was saturatedadvance Nancy Breton.

Closing [de cette marina] pushed hundreds of boaters to relocate, which saturated the Greater Montreal marketconfirms Josée Côté, of Quebec Nautical. This year, due to the boycott of the United States under the Trump administration by many Quebec vacationers, it is even more difficult to find a place in Marina, she says.

This summer, the boaters of the Valleyfield Marina learned that they will no longer be able to store their boat on its land from the winter of 2026-2027, which had been authorized for decades.

Several owners of boats in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, who have contacted Radio-Canada, fear having to sell their boat or move while the market is already saturated. The waiting list currently has 230 names, while the Marina can accommodate 400 boats, depending on the city.

Contacted by Radio-Canada, the municipal administration indicated in an email that it still evaluated its options. A meeting is scheduled for August between the municipal authorities and the president of the sailing club to take stock of the situation.

The city justified this decision by its desire to make this space accessible to the public and to better link the Marcil and Delpha-Sauvé parks in winter.

Regardless of the chosen option, the necessary logistics will have time to be put in place before the October 2026 deadlinesaid the communication counselor of the city of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Audrey St-Aubin.

The city of Saint-Lambert announced, on May 20, that it will terminate or not renew the lease of the Yacht club at its deadline, on March 1, 2026. Contacted by Radio-Canada, the club did not want to react to this announcement, but said that discussions with the city were in progress.

In recent years, the Marina of Pointe-aux-Trembles, the only marina in the east of the island of Montreal, had been threatened with closure. The Marina had finally been able to renew her lease with the Quebec Ministry of the Environment after turned to the courts in 2021.

According to the Director of Quebec Nautical, Josée Côté, these marine closings and these disagreements bear witness to the misunderstanding of Quebec political decision -makers the economic and tourist importance of nautical activities.

Have you to [cette incompréhension] In all kinds of ways: closure of marinas, non-renewal of leases, closing of launching ramps, exorbitant prices …she explains.