Here is the response of 6 riverside municipalities after a telephone conversation with each of them. I would like to thank each of them for taking the time to answer my questions.
Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley
Renters can go to the commune with their private dock rental contract to obtain their sticker. The important thing is to respect the peace and quiet of the neighborhood and to respect the maximum of 3 berths.
Ayer’s Cliff
The municipality does not control this type of activity. They don’t say you can do it, but they don’t check private dock rentals.
Magog (ville)
I spoke with the inspector who confirmed that there was no problem renting my private dock. The 3-dock limit must be respected. What’s more, a computer system allows you to schedule an appointment with the inspector. What a great initiative!
Canton de Hatley
Generally speaking, the municipality operates on the basis of complaints. Obviously, the subject remains vague. Certainly, some people rent out their docks. To the inspector’s knowledge, there have never been any complaints or problems in this regard. If necessary, the municipality would refer to a lawyer to assess the situation from a legal standpoint.
Canton de Stanstead
Authorized and common in the municipality. Up to 3 boats are allowed. You can issue a private dock rental contract to your dock renters so they can obtain their lake vignette. I’ve rented a dock on the Memphremagog and it worked out great! well!
Hatley
No regulations on the subject. The important thing is to protect the peace and quiet of your neighbors. For the rest, limit the number of boats to 3.
North Hatley
Prohibition on pain of prosecution. In fact, the general manager himself came to our home to threaten us with legal action if we rented out our private dock. What’s more, the municipal inspector sent us an e-mail stating that renting a private dock did not comply with the permitted uses, since it is a commercial activity and an extensive water-related activity permitted only in zones P8, P-9 and C-9.
In conclusion, it would seem that the only municipality that threatens citizens who try to rent out their private docks is North Hatley. As for the rest, the basic principle remains respect for tranquility and the absence of complaints from neighbors. All the riverside municipalities I have contacted have been very accommodating. Thank you to each of them for the clarity of the information and the positive attitude with which I was responded to.
However, the “extensive water-related activity” use is the same for all these municipalities. Moreover, only the municipality of Stanstead Township is not on Lake Massawippi. The others are all on the same lake as North Hatley. Yet North Hatley is threatening to sue citizens who want to rent out their private docks.
The marina docks are now managed by the municipality itself. Passage under the bridge is difficult for pontoons and boats with high windshields. The passage is difficult in terms of width, height and simply impossible when Mother Nature sends down torrential rains.
In fact, during the 2023 summer season, over 80 signatories proposed possible solutions, asking the town council to remedy the bridge problem.
All this leads me to ask a question. Is the Municipality of North Hatley trying to protect its dock lease? The municipality confirmed its purchase of the marina’s floating docks for $200,000 at the December 12, 2024 meeting.
Here are my questions for you:
- What was the marina’s occupancy rate in 2024?
- What was the marina’s net profit in 2024?
It’s obvious that the North Hatley marina is a major source of revenue for the municipality. Would this explain the municipality’s aggressive tone towards citizens who wish to rent their private dock, or that the municipality simply wishes to enforce the bylaws to the letter?
On that note, good thinking!
