Fellow LJNA members and Lake Joseph Neighbours
We were thrilled that over 60 families joined in by Zoom to the AGM first thing last Saturday morning. The ‘broadcast’ from Gordon Bay Marine enabled the board members involved in the presentation to work together in a safe space with a solid internet connection. Thank you to Bruce and Gordon Bay Marine for hosting us. While we missed seeing everyone in person, setting up for our meeting felt almost like ‘normal’ times.
I’ve posted the AGM slides to our website as usual. A summary of the meeting including answers to some of the questions is included below.
This AGM, I was sad to announce that Cecil Hayhoe has decided that the time has come to step down from the board. As most of you know, Cecil has been a driving force in the association since the beginning. Cecil led the board’s work in the early days including working out an agreement with Rocky Crest, working to set aside acres of pristine shoreline in the Muskoka Heritage Trust (now the Conservancy) and leadership in building Seguin’s strong Official Plan. Cecil will continue helping with the annual water testing and plans to focus more time on his passion – land trust projects. He has been a trusted coach for me and many other board members. We are going to miss his wise counsel. Please join me in thanking him for his many years of dedication to our lake and our association.
Also, lots is happening is in the community. Links to the Muskoka Conservancy and the CNIB Lake Joe fundraisers are included below.
Please let us know how we are doing and be in touch with any concerns or questions. I can be reached at info@ljna.org.
Best Regards,
Nancy Cohen
President, LJNA
AGM SUMMARY
Association Business
- The Presidents’ Report included highlights from last year, goals for the coming year, an overview of our decision to launch an LPAT appeal and an update on the Fireboat project. There were lots of questions on the Fireboat. If you have more questions, please get in touch with Diana Piquette at diana@dunsolas.com. Here’s an FAQ prepared by the Fireboat committee. We will be creating a page on our website with more information shortly.
- It turns out that I skipped over one slide entirely: an overview of our survey results. We are very pleased to have over 200 responses. Overall the results show a strong vote of confidence in the Board’s work with 33% of respondents Satisfied and 60% Very Satisfied. There were many insightful comments and suggestions. Frequent topics were: PWC’s, landscape lights at night, boat speed and noise, boat wakes, and development. We will use these results to drive our priorities.
- This was followed by the Treasurer’s report. Shelley Spence presented financial results and budget plan for the coming year. (postscript: Not knowing how Covid would affect our membership, we budgeted for 150 members and, as of today, I am happy to report that we are at 150 –at least. Thank you to everyone who has renewed! )
- Last in the AGM business section was the election of the Board. We used the Zoom polling feature and we very pleased to see 100% of the votes in favour of the slate. Thank you for your trust.
- We then turned to the Municipal Update. James Buchanan presented an overview of our discussion paper on key Official Plan issues. We have that submitted this paper to the OP Review committee to provide constructive input on key issues affecting our shoreline community. Please get in touch with James (jbuchanan@rockledges.com) with your ideas and questions on this. The town is looking for input from all of us.
Details, as mentioned above, can be found in the AGM slides posted to our website.
Seguin Township Update – Mayor MacDiarmid
Mayor MacDiarmid’s presentation covered recent activities of council and staff and on how the township activities has been affected by Covid. Several items drew questions & I promised to follow up with links to more information:
- Garbage: During Covid, Seguin residents have generated 3 times more garbage than usual. There were questions on the hours and location of the landfill site and the recycling handbook. Here’s a link to more information. Some waste management activities are changed during Covid. Please check this page for details.
- High Speed Broadband: Seguin announced a new partnership to bring high speed broadband to 4,700 homes within an 8 km radius of two new towers. One tower will be located near Otter Lake and the other in Humphrey. More information HERE.
- New Fireworks by-law: Fireworks are no longer permitted when the Fire Rating is High or Extreme. Fines are set by the province. You can report violations to the Bylaw officers.
- Short Term Rentals: Mayor MacDiarmid explained the focus and intent of the proposed bylaw and invited comment. More information at www.seguin.ca/stcr or through the Planning Department at (705) 732-4300. The public commenting period runs through the summer until August 21, 2020.
Safe Quiet Lakes – Decibel Coalition
- Rob Bosomworth, Chair of the Decibel Coalition reviewed the goals and progress to date for this project. They are developing a broad coalition of stakeholder associations across Canada to advocate for enhanced muffler regulations that include decibel limits. He thanked the LJNA and members for their support of this initiative and offered to test boats for compliance with the proposed standards. He can be reached at outreach@safequiet.ca.
ASSOCIATION NOTICES
Dock Drop:
Our summer newsletter was hand delivered to docks on North Lake Joe on the July long weekend. If you missed it, you can check it out online at https://ljna.org/Newsletters/. A big thank you to the great group of volunteers who helped out with this.
Membership
If you have yet to renew your membership, You can renew online at: https://ljna.org/join-us. A reminder that if you are paying by etransfer, please include your name and/or lake address in the memo field so we can be sure to credit the right account
Lost and Found
Judy Braaten reports: they have lost a beige air mattress (queen or king size) off our dock last week. Please be in touch if you found it at: judy.braaten47@gmail.com.
Brian McGoey reports: Attached is a picture of a lounger and matching table we found floating in the lake. Also we lost a 10 by 10 yellow plastic floating dock from our property this spring. Get in touch at bvmcgoey@yahoo.com.
SEGUIN TOWNSHIP NEWS
The Lake associations have been asked to send out these links to our members. Your input is requested in these important issues:
Seguin Official Plan Review - Public Engagement
Public engagement is critical to shaping a plan that suits everyone's needs and desires. Your voice is important, and the township would like to hear from you!
Seguin has announced an open house to allow the public to review and ask questions regarding official plan polices as part of the Five Year Official Plan Review.
DATE AND LOCATION OF PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE:
Date: Monday, August 24th, 2020 Time: To be launched at 10 AM
Location: Held virtually at www.seguinopr.com
The feedback collected through the public engagement process will be used to inform our decision-making. Please visit seguinopr.com or seguin.ca/officialplan to learn more.
Request for Community Input for Short-Term Accommodation/Short-Term Cottage Rental Study
The Corporation of the Township of Seguin is requesting comments from the public regarding Short-Term Accommodation/Short-Term Cottage Rentals (STA/STCR). Additional information can be found on the Seguin township website at www.seguin.ca/stcr or through the Planning Department at (705) 732-4300.
The public commenting period runs through the summer until August 21, 2020.
COMMUNITY NEWS AND INTERESTING LINKS
Muskoka on the Edge…of Your Dock! AUG. 9 - 5 to 7 - TODAY!
Muskoka Conservancy’s Muskoka On The Edge party fundraising event has been postponed. Instead, we invite you to stay safe, make your own party on your dock and support the Muskoka Conservancy’s vital work with a donation of $100 or more. You will get access to our online Auction featuring many unique Muskoka items as well as a fun Muskoka Quiz and our signature Muskoka Dock Party Kit. Help the Muskoka Conservancy protect the Muskoka that is now protecting you. Click HERE to find out more and make your donation.
CNIB Lake Joe: Dock-to-Dock: Party with a Purpose - Sat, Aug 15
Gather your family or closest friends, make your favourite "docktail", and get ready for a docking good time as you help raise funds at our first ever virtual CNIB Lake Joe event, Dock-to-Dock: Party with a Purpose, on Saturday, August 15, from 3-6 p.m.
CLICK HERE for more information & to register.
GYPSY MOTHS – FOCA Webinar
In response to member concerns across south central Ontario, FOCA's hosted a webinar on gypsy moths. A link to the seminar and more information can be found on Seguin’s Website: https://www.seguin.ca/en/explore-play/gypsymoth.aspx
Click HERE for more information and the full Elert from FOCA.