Float-Down Turns To One-Sided Power Struggle

Erin took this picture of Andrew waving from his floatie under the bridge on the Canadian side. The US float-down in the background.

The annual float-down always attracts attention but this year it attracted more attention than ever due to the childish actions and a bullying, over-extension of authority by the police  on both sides of the river.  Initially the river was to be closed  to boat traffic on the  U.S. side only.  This made  sense since the float down begins and ends in the USA and there was a NW wind which would act to keep the rafters in US territory.

For many years the US Coast Guard has tried  (unsuccessfully) to stop the event since they feel  it is unsafe,  however  so far there is no law against what the participants are doing. A few years ago the Coast Guard attempted to lay charges against the organizer(s) of the event but the charges were dropped because there was no evidence that those charged were in fact the organizers since there is really no organizing body and no one for the authorities to hold accountable. This lack of control is not a situation any government likes.

Internet file photo

One can see from the news coverage  of the event that public sentiment is strongly on the side of the participants and I'm sure the authorities would like that to change. In order to anger and annoy as many people as possible, the Coast Guard solicited the help of every police authority in the area - US and Canada - and in a massive show of authority to shut down the entire Seaway from around noon to eight pm allowing no boat, commercial or recreational to pass. 

Aside from the phenomenal cost to taxpayers of having hundreds of police personnel on duty on a Sunday, and the cost to shipping of delaying huge freighters,  there were countless boaters being denied use of their expensive boats on one of the finest days of the summer. This, on the heels of the same closure last weekend for the boat races, adding to the frustration of this ridiculous barricade.  Even land-based city police were employed to prohibit vehicles from entering the boat-launch and public and private marinas were advised to tell their customers they could not leave their docks.

Armed police to stop me from going on the river.

How could this be a Federal Police issue? Good overtime pay for them!

 I took my little rubber boat to the entrance to the marina and was accosted by no less than 2 boat loads with at least half a dozen officials and these armed Mounties preventing my entrance to the river. Besides the bigger boats, they also turned back kayakers and canoeists as well as fishermen trolling in small boats.

Look really hard and you'll see the US Float-Down over by the US shoreline.

 You can see by the picture above that the participants of the float down were literally miles away on the far side of the river.

Erin and her friend Andrew launched on the Canadian side and although they were told to turn back, they were already in the strong current by then so Erin told them "There's no way to turn back now!" Erin and Andrew were the only two in the Canadian float-down.

Whether you agree with the concept of a drunken Float-Down or not, you have to agree that the draconian, excessive use of authority in closing off the St Lawrence Seaway for such a non-intrusive event is a blatant affront to all our rights and freedoms. Sad times indeed for civil liberty. What will be their next excuse to curtail our rights?
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