Current Events at the Kipawa

Fear Uncertainty and Doubt surround the 21st Annual Kipawa River Rally


Personally I feel it much safer to have boaters and rafters simply running the sluice as is customary and avoiding the logistics of moving people on pickup trucks without seatbelts and so on. It is also safer than having them negotiate tight trails and steep steps.




We're inquiring of the Quebec Provincial police about the legality of moving people on pickup trucks 3km ona provincial highway as announced by PWGSC.


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Jim Coffey, owner and operator of Esprit Rafting in Point Davidson looks for answers on a recent site visit to Laniel Quebec where the annual Kipawa River Rally has been stimied by the actions of Public Works Goods and Services Canada.

The refurbishment of the Laniel water control dam has spelled disaster for the vintage whitewater festival and the booming commercial rafting that has evolved with it. The members of Les amis de la rivière kipawa have taken the government to court in a judicial review of the refurbishment claiming reasonable accommodation of whitewater paddling was not only possible but feasible.

Currently, access to the top third of the river has been eliminated.

Read on for details







The trail now ends in a lookout of questionable value: The public often gathered to see the rafts and kayaks run the sluice. From this lookout, they can see nothing.



What are we to think? The current bypass trail is under construction and blocked off leaving fear, uncertainty, and doubts as to access to the Kipawa.

PWGSC Denies Access to the top one third of the Kipawa River!!

PWGSC all but destroys any chance for a successful 21st Kipawa River Rally

This is a recent advertisement from the Canada Gazette by PWGSC regarding access to the Kipawa River




PW NATIONAL CALL CENTER: 1-866-212-2278

For shuttle information in
English press 1, 3 and then 2

Reference to QDSA and CDA guidelines flies in the face of the facts.


The construction on the new gates appears started but stalled. Security is on site. The fencing that blocked the sluice during the 2006 rally has been removed.




Both gates are open on the old dam but the current low flow makes them unnavigable at this time. The lake appears to be full of water but this is a dry year.




This is a sad day: for all of this could have been prevented with a bit of foresight, planning, an understanding of the value of whitewater recreation. Instead we see narrow minded, obstinate, parochial, mules.

For those of you that are too young or too new at the sport to remember :here is a brief description of the Kipawa River Rally.

The day would start leisurely looking at the cascading river, the towering white pines, the beautiful lake temiskaming, the wondrous log buildings. You've just had a reunion with friends the past evening, possibly a sauna and dip into the lake, possibly in the buff.

After breakfast the shuttle takes you to the municipal parking lot at Laniel, you get into your gear, shove off from the beach, cross the floating wooden warning buoys and slide down the 10 meter sluice into the "wake me up" wave.




This is just the start of a glorious day on the river.

Sometimes you might get out of your boat and rerun the sluice many times or try to surf that wave, but either way.. you feel good.



Over the next three hours you paddle and surf

Rock and Roll
Tumbling Dice
Button Hook
Huey Duey and Luey
Log Jam
Broken Bridge ( home of the infamous Vivre La Kipawa Libre)
Island Rapid
Zipper
Upper and Lower Whitepine
Picnic ( now being surfed.... for fun)

You walk around the waterfall stopping to see Grand Chute and enjoy the scent of pines and cedar

Elbow gets you heart pounding, you know Hollywood is coming up
and then the spectacular ride down a solid class IV rapid into Lake Temiskaming's Calm waters, and hopefully there is a cold beer waiting for you.

Folks, what can compare to a paddling experience like that?


Public Meeting in Ville Marie, P.Q. Draws crowd of curious locals



Here Christian Belisle, president of Les Amis, indicates how the proposed Opemican national Park accommodates the Tabaret River Diversion with a notch leading to Lake Temiskaming from Lake Kipawa.