On April 7th, 2017, an eight-year-old boy died when the canoe he was in tipped on the Muskoka River. He was carried down over High Falls and was found at the bottom by two police officers. The man paddling the canoe, David Sillars, pleaded not guilty to charges of impaired operation of a vessel causing death, operation of a vessel with a blood alcohol level over 80 milligrams causing death and dangerous operation of a vessel causing death. On November 15th, Justice Peter West made history by ruling that a canoe is a vessel, subsequently becoming the first case in Canadian history where the charges of impaired operation of a vessel causing death, have been upheld in court where the vessel in question is a canoe. Sillars now faces charges under the Criminal Code of Canada for the impaired operation of a canoe causing death.

See the following news article outlining the details of the case: Click here

On November 15, just days after the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) delivered her 2018 annual report, the Ontario government tabled legislation to eliminate the office and roll the position under the Auditor General.

Dianne Saxe, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, has released her 2018 Environmental Protection Report, Back to Basics. In it, she focusses on five Ws—water, wetlands, woodlands, wildlife, and wilderness—and outlines how the province can do much more to take care of them.

The article can be found here.

The MLA agrees that strong environmental policies must be maintained and that the voice of the Environmental Commissioner is important. These provincial changes make the work of environmental advocates, such as the MLA, that much more important.

District Council Composition Committee Progress – As previously reported in NewsBites, a special District committee was formed in September 2017 to review the structure of District Council, with a goal to reducing the number of councillors from twenty-two to as few as twelve. On November 19th, committee presented District Council with the following four recommendations to help guide the new committee in 2019:

1. When establishing the total population of the District of Muskoka and its member Municipalities, the Voters’ List should not be used.  For the permanent population it is recommended that the most recent census be used and for the seasonal population, a statistically valid estimate be procured. (It was agreed by District Council that the Second Home Study was not considered adequate as it is simply a study of behaviors, not a numerical counting of population.)
2. That council size be reduced. (No specific number was identified).
3. That the next council not be constrained by the current council structure. (The committee recognized that the standing committee structure is changing and the number of committees may require fewer councillors.)
4. That a public meeting be held to receive input on a recommended council structure.

1. Engineering and Public Works Committee (remains unchanged).
2. Establish a new combined Finance and Corporate Services Committee
3. Establish a new combined Community and Planning Services Committee with Samantha Hastings as Commissioner.
4. Establish a new Health Services Committee with Norm Barrette as Commissioner (see above).

Council approves Downzoning of the former Bangor Lodge Resort Property- The decision to downzone the property was passed by the Planning and Development committee on November 7th and ratified by Bracebridge Council on November 14th. The property is located off Golden Beach Road and has 1,172 feet of frontage on Lake Muskoka. The approved proposal allows the property to be rezoned to create:  5 large residential rural lots, 4 large waterfront lots on Lake Muskoka, one Open Space lot approximately 28 acres in size, a new right-of-way and allowing the 64 acres zoned Environmental Protection to be donated to the Muskoka Conservancy.

A local news article quotes Mayor Graydon Smith: “There’s a lot of open space to this proposal so environmentally it’s a win.” He adds, with the amount of concern about high-density development on the lakes in Muskoka this low-density development is also a win.”

The staff report can be found here.

The news article on this issue can be found here.

The MLA applauds the Town of Bracebridge for having the foresight to downzone this resort property that has been vacant for over 10 years. The donation of 64 acres to the Muskoka Conservancy ensures these lands will be protected. The MLA also applauds the efforts of the Bangor Ratepayers Association who met with the owner on numerous occasions to find a reasonable and environmentally respectful solution.

Mayor Paisley Donaldson thanks Council –At the close of the last meeting of this term of council, Mayor Paisley Donaldson took the opportunity to thank staff and her fellow councillors for their willingness to “dedicate time in making Gravenhurst a better place.” Mayor Donaldson has presided over council for the last eight years and is respected in the community. Her full closing remarks can be found here.

The MLA thanks Mayor Donaldson for her many years of dedicated service on council.

Public Meeting re Amendment to the Town’s Zoning By-law –In 2016 Gravenhurst adopted their new Official Plan which contained more accurate information related to environmental protection boundaries. Over time the Zoning By-law Schedules for the Environmental Protection (EP) Zones have been updated with new data from Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) that identifies all wetland borders and environmentally-sensitive areas on which there are zoning restrictions.  The proposed amendment is to bring the current Zoning By-law mapping into conformity with the Official Plan Schedules. The updated Zoning By-law Schedules help in regulating land use and development in Gravenhurst.
 
On November 27^th, a public meeting was held to consider proposed updates to the Town’s Zoning By-law. While poorly attended, several representatives noted significant errors on the maps that were acknowledged by staff as requiring correction.
 
Although the meeting was advertised, there were only two deputations from the public. The first to speak was the president of Kahshe Lake Ratepayers Association who noted that some previously protected areas around Kahshe Lake were no longer included in the mapping. Staff agreed to edit the mapping to include the suggested regions. The second delegate was from Coopers Falls Road (southeast Gravenhurst) who spoke on behalf of four other attendees. Their concern was that a large block of land where they resided (zoned Rural Residential) had been incorrectly rezoned Environmentally Protected (EP). Staff agreed the designation was incorrect and would correct the mistake. The zoning amendment was carried with staff’s assurance that any additional errors would be dealt with.
 
The above issues sparked a discussion on the process of updating the zoning maps. How many other areas might have been inadvertently re-zoned? What are the perils of changing any zoning matters without personally contacting affected property owners? Regardless of the Town’s efforts to advertise the meeting, many permanent and seasonal residents were unaware of it. This led to the acceptance by Council that the Town needs to improve communication with citizens when their properties are being affected.

The full staff report can be found here.
 
 The 120 Town zoning maps, highlighting the - EP zones, can be found here.
 
The MLA urges all our members in Gravenhurst to carefully review the Town maps to ensure that your property zoning has not been inadvertently affected. The MLA is pleased that Council is going to actively seek new ways to increase public awareness on matters of this importance. And correct the maps.
 
Gravenhurst’s New Website – On November 12^th the Town of Gravenhurst launched its brand new website. According to their press release, the new website aims to deliver improved customer focused service, additional accessibility options and mobile friendly features. “Council is committed to maintaining good communications with the community, I’m excited about where we’re going with our new website and it’s enhanced features,” said Mayor Elect Paul Kelly. See here for the full press release.
 

Councillor Jack Hepworth’s November 5^th Report- This month’s report includes a ‘must see’ video of Mayor-elect Ann MacDiarmid’s acceptance speech on election night! It’s clear to see that Seguin Township will be in good hands over the next four years.

The MLA congratulates Ann on her win.

Along with the summary report from the November 5th council meeting, the report also includes details on the feasibility study for future Rosseau Memorial Hall renovations. In order to maintain the cultural and historical significance of the Hall, council preferred the first of three renovation plans. The plan includes a 912 sq. ft. two storey addition that would replace the existing addition, including a main floor kitchen, lower level washrooms, a mechanical room, new stairs and storage. Councillor Hepworth points out that the five year capital plan does not currently include a budget for this potential renovation. If Council decides to proceed, the 2022 and 2023 budgets for the Rosseau Memorial Hall would need to be reconfigured. Councillor Hepworth’s full report can be found here.

The MLA thanks Councillor Hepworth for his years of service on council and for taking time to write up these valuable reports for the community. The MLA wishes him well.