McGuinty endorses the extension of cottage leases in Rondeau Provincial Park – Winter 2011
A cottage in Rondeau
Rondeau Provincial Park is one of the smallest provincial parks, located in southern Ontario near Chatham, Ontario on Lake Erie. It is one of the most important protected areas because it holds some of the last remnants of freshwater sand dunes, tallgrass prairie and black oak savannah in North America - a habitat recognized as being internationally endangered.
This significant mosaic of natural habitat, plant and wildlife is protected in a tiny area of only 32 sq-km, the most important and diverse area being the shoreline. Of its 9km length, 7.5km is dominated by private cottages.
Last October (2010), the McGuinty Cabinet endorsed the extension of private cottage leases in Rondeau Provincial Park for another 21 years, until 2038. Currently, cottage leases are scheduled to be phased-out by 2017.
This policy proposal ignores two fundamental issues - the protection of rare habitat and that of public ownership.
Provincial parks are publicly funded and theoretically belong to everyone in Ontario. Cottagers not only have privileged access to private cottages in a provincial park but are also subsidized by public funds.
In the past, annual leases did not reflect current market value and likely do not come close to the cost of maintaining road, sewage and hydro access – all subsidized by the public pursue.
There are 287 private cottages in Rondeau. Some are used as permanent residences living in the park year round. Others rent their cottages for profit. They all have unlimited access to some of the most rare landscape left in southern Ontario at the exclusion of all other Ontario residents.
The cottages are remnants of a bygone day when less was known or understood about the environment. Many "cottages" are now fully equipped with electricity, bathrooms, beach front patios, four-car garages and manicured lawns. Exotic landscape species are spreading from cottage lots to adjacent oak savannah, displacing the native flora and fauna. All this has taken a toll on the natural environment, and is no longer compatible with the mandate and objectives of the provincial parks system.
Rather than defend equal access to provincial parks for all Ontario residents, and protect ecological integrity, the McGuinty government has bowed to the pressures of an affluent private cottage lobby.
What is most curious about this policy proposal is that many of the cottagers are not from Ontario, do not pay provincial taxes and do not vote in provincial elections. The phase out of cottages was successfully accomplished by Parks Canada at Point Pelee National Park, so we know it is feasible.
So why has the McGuinty government failed to defend Rondeau as a public space for all Ontarians to enjoy?
It is likely because the Municipality of Chatham-Kent collects the municipal taxes from the cottage leaseholders.
Perhaps Chatham-Kent hopes to continue collecting municipal taxes from cottages leaseholders. But the city may have far more to gain by restoring Rondeau. With bird enthusiasts coming from all over Canada and the U.S. to experience Rondeau's rare bird populations and important nesting/breeding grounds, the economic impacts are considerable. Tourism of this calibre contributes to all sectors of the local economy.
We encourage anyone who cares about our natural heritage to get involved in this important issue, and speak out to protect the wild spaces we value.
How you can help
The decision to endorse the extension of cottage leases was a Cabinet Decision – this means that it was a political decision directly from the Premier’s office. To date, there has been no final decision therefore your comments are still valuable.
Please send your letters directly to Dalton McGuinty. You can do this directly from his website at:
https://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/Default.asp?Lang=EN
To review the full proposal posted on the Environmental Bill of Right Registry, please link here http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/ and enter the EBR # 011-1300.
Please Note: This policy proposal imposes new conditions on cottage leaseholders.
They are as follows:
- no lease transfers are allowed except to a spouse on the death of the leaseholder;
- the lease would be for recreational use only, not for use as a permanent residence;
- the leaseholders would be required to remove buildings and structures and to restore lots to a safe and clean condition at their own expense, upon termination of leases;
- septic and water systems on the leased properties would have to comply with the standards of the Ontario Building Code and any other relevant provincial standards, and leaseholders would be responsible for all related costs, including any inspections and repairs or improvements required to bring their system(s) into compliance;
- the lease fee would be based on fair market value and the associated service fee would be based on cost recovery;
- the Crown would retain the sole right to purchase the lease on a willing seller/willing buyer basis; and
- any additional conditions that the Ministry considers to be necessary or appropriate to restore the ecological integrity of the park and protect species at risk and their habitat (e.g., native species planting, pesticide bans, restricting access to sensitive areas).
If a current cottage leaseholder does not enter into a new lease agreement, their lease will expire as originally scheduled in December 2017. |
