Dear Editor:
The controversy in the Shuswap concerning the possible removal of docks from waterfront properties has dock owners there outraged.
The likelihood that this might affect lake shore property owners on Lake Okanagan in the future makes for an observation.
READ ALSO: Property owners along Shuswap rail trail retain legal counsel in effort to preserve dock access
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If you have ever travelled in England or the European continent, you will have noticed that most lakes there don’t have those unsightly docks that are so common along lakes in Canada or the United States.
If you watched the situation being discussed on local TV, with pictures showing the monstrous docks that have turned the Shuswap Lake into an unsightly shoreline, you might understand the regional district’s concern. The significant rise and fall of that lake requires docks to have either a 10-foot-high access ramp or pilings rising that far above water. Just plain ugly!
Europeans, fortunately, had centuries to learn from such unpleasantness that we seem to ignore, or greedy developers make for us. Perhaps it’s the notion that we have so much more space around our lakes so it’s a forgivable oversight. In any case, I would like to wish the Shuswap Regional District good luck, as it seems the local dock owners in the Shuswap have raised more than $100,000 to hire a lawyer for their cause.
Incidentally, we owned lake shore property years ago — without a dock, even though we had a sailboat. That’s why we have yacht clubs.
Frank Martens
Summerland
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