travelingted - Border crossings with possible delays, distance and time all cost something too.
I read your piece as well and while you're certainly entitled to your opinion, your supporting details and facts sound more than a little off to me, someone who thinks it's damn cheap for world class, albeit civilized, canoe camping. The BW just makes it seem expensive IMO.

FWIW - Lead is not banned nor is it scheduled to be banned (that I'm aware of). That would be a bigger deal to almost all fishermen and associated businesses. It could happen I guess, just not soon or retroactively.

In your article you asked: "The approach of Reilly begs the question of what is the purpose of a wilderness park?"
I have an easy canned answer for you that is specific to Quetico:
" 1977- Quetico Park Master Plan is accepted with the stated goal "to preserve Quetico Provincial Park, which contains a natural environment of recreational and historical significance, in perpetuity for the people of Ontario as an area of wilderness that is not adversely affected by human activities". A total ban on motors was to be implemented in 1979.

It appears to me that Mr. Reilly, call him a zealot or cautious steward, is faithfully doing his job within the bounds of the master plan's stated goal. They just had a plan review. I don't recall seeing a final draft yet but they do always ask for public input from US too.

You also wrote: "From the north it is only $11.00, which is a clear upcharge levied on American visitors."
Here's an MNR resource for current Quetico pricing:
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Residents and non-residents have had different rates and quotas since the 80's or early 90's. We joked about it years ago before the Stanton Bay entry was improved and the parking lot was closed to non-residents. The reasoning for both is to favor and encourage use by residents. They are perfectly upfront about it and it seems perfectly reasonable to me.

I've not paid attention in the past but it seems that currently, both residents and non-residents pay the same rate for Cache Bay, Prairie Portage & Kings Point. Considerer what it might cost to operate and supply these stations via floatplane? As I understand it, they continue to serve the most heavily used areas of Quetico Park available to anyone at any price.


Anyway, welcome to QJ. Please note we try real hard around here to at least get our facts straight and it can be challenging at times. Live bait was phased out over a period of years. Stanton Bay entry still confuses people. Passports were on again, off again for years, but always looming large in the background. Barbless was suddenly delayed by a year due to a scheduling mixup. Motor lakes are decided upon every spring. It's hard to keep track of it all as not everything affects everyone. Old, incomplete or just plain wrong info abounds though someone here is usually paying enough attention to share accurate, up to date info when they discover it and think others would benefit from it. The more recent changes must seem daunting to those who go once every few years or have always thought about a first trip.