Rideau Lakes council approves pilot program for van lifers at canal lock stations
The program would allow travellers to pay a fee to park overnight at select lock stations along the Rideau Canal for up to 48 hours.
RIDEAU LAKES — Rideau Lakes council has unanimously approved a pilot program to allow van life travellers to stay overnight at lock stations along the Rideau Canal.
The partnership with Parks Canada would let people in vans and other small camping vehicles pay a fee to park temporarily at select lock stations within the township for up to 48 hours.
The program aims to cash in on the lucrative van life subculture which has risen steadily in popularity since the late 2010s.
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"Finding places to legally park overnight is very difficult," said Bex McKnight, a van life traveller from Ontario. "Usually you are limited to Walmart parking lots or actual campgrounds."
McKnight and her family jumped in on the van life subculture during the COVID-19 pandemic, purchasing a 1987 Westfalia van they nicknamed Wally.
"My husband grew up with a Westfalia and travelling around with his family in a Westfalia so it brings back a lot of really lovely memories for him," said McKnight of her husband who grew up in New Brunswick.
The pair is now raising their son in Ontario and documents their travels from coast to coast to coast on her social media profiles. The Wally the Westy account on Instagram currently has over 8,100 followers.
Mark Brus, manager of operations at Parks Canada, helped troubleshoot the pilot program with the Rideau Lakes Economic Development Committee on Oct. 5.
"We don't see a lot of up-front cost here outside of the signage to kick this door wide open," Brus said in the meeting. "We've already got the washroom facilities, we've already got the properties, we've already got outdoor potable water."
He highlighted the Narrows Lock, Newboro and Poonamalie lock stations as the best candidates for the pilot program.
The plan is to use Parks Canada's overnight mooring system for boaters as a blueprint. Van lifers could pay between $20 and $30 to park at the lock stations using a pre-existing reservation website.
McKnight said the costs of campsites, which average around $60 per night in Ontario, can be worth it if it guarantees safety for her family.
"If you're looking for ways to encourage tourism, especially in small communities that people might be unfamiliar with, safety is the No. 1 consideration for van lifers," said McKnight.
She said van lifers are active tourists who spend money locally.
"No one is sitting in their van all day," said McKnight who brings her son to museums and libraries wherever the family travels. "The idea is to be able to go places and explore them and van lifers do statistically spend a lot of money in the places that they go. They are also advocates for the places that they go."
More information is expected to be released on the program in the coming months leading up to the official launch of the pilot at a date yet to be determined.
With files from Inside Ottawa Valley