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All this fast traffic causes an interplay of wakes. “Waves create harmonic like any other frequencies. It compounds the effects. The damage goes exponential,” says Allen, who points out that the river is an UNESCO world heritage site, but boat traffic creating wakes makes it hard for those who want to see the river by canoe or kayak.

“We have a canoe, but we don’t dare use it unless it’s early in the morning,” says his wife, Gail.

“It’s like the Queensway out there some days,” says Mary Hill, who just took up kayaking, but avoids weekends and other prime-times on the water.

“This year has been a cocktail for disaster,” admits Const. Ralph Millaire of the Ottawa police marine unit, who says his office has been inundated with complaints about speeding boaters and wakes. Under the 2001 Canada Shipping Act, every boater is responsible for their own wake.

One of Ottawa’s five police boats is designated to patrol the Rideau River. Due to the flooding, some no-wake zone markers are missing or have been damaged. The speed limit is 10 km an hour in the no-wake zones. But where the river is more than 100 metres across, there are no speed limits, says Millaire.

He urges residents to be patient. Police have been touring the Rideau River with staff from Parks Canada to assess the damage and signs will be repaired or replaced soon, he says.

This won’t help Allen and his neighbours, who are not in a no-wake zone. They would like the zone to be extended to cover their stretch of river. Or maybe just some awareness of boating etiquette, they say. Some residents have resorted to standing on their docks and waving their arms to slow down boaters. The Allens have used an air horn. Some slow down, but others just give them the finger, says Gail.