Fellow LJNA members and Lake Joseph Neighbours,
This summer was a busy one for the LJNA, highlighted by the launch of the new fireboat funded by our Lake Joe North community. Other highlights included our new benthic testing day and we were so pleased to see so many members at the AGM. A round up of our summer activities and plans for the fall follows.
A topic that comes up frequently is the regulation of short term rentals. Seguin is renewing its search for solutions and is canvassing property owners for input. The survey is available online or you can complete the printed version which has been mailed to all taxpayers this week. We strongly encourage all members to participate and be heard.
Hearty congratulations to Mayor Ann MacDiarmid and Ward 4 Councillor Terry Fellner on their election to Council by acclamation for the next term. Ward 3, which includes about 20 properties at the north end, remains contested. Decisions at the municipal level have a big impact on the kind of lake we leave to the next generations. We look forward to continuing our good working relationship with our elected representatives. More on the elections to come as we get closer to voting day.
LJNA activities are motivated by and focused on working together to find the best ways to share our beautiful Lake Joe. There are many opportunities to get involved over the winter or next summer - a list is below. We welcome your ideas and energy.
Your ongoing support and participation are so important to the work we do. Thank you!
Warm regards, Nancy Cohen, President info@ljna.org |
|
|
LJNA Community Fireboat Launched!
We were thrilled to celebrate the launch of our long-awaited Fireboat at Gordon Bay Marina on Saturday, September 3rd. It was a fun afternoon with demonstrations of the boat capabilities, an opportunity to meet members of our Seguin Fire and EMS teams and enjoy some ice-cream. The Seguin Mayor Ann MacDiarmid and the Fire Chief Sean Carroll thanked our community for this significant addition to the township’s emergency services. A special surprise was a fireboat with a team of firefighters from the Township of Muskoka Lakes who came up from Foot’s Bay to welcome our new fireboat to the lake.
Thank you again to everyone who helped or donated towards this important community safety milestone! Also, many thanks to the volunteers and donors who helped with the celebration including Gordon Bay Marine, Lakeside at Gordon Bay, Muskoka Design Solutions, Al Otis, Seguin Township and Terry Fellner and family.
Diana Piquette, Director - Fireboat project lead |
|
|
Thank you to Al Otis for these pictures. We are gathering a photo album from the event to put up on our website. Please send any photo you would like to have included to info@ljna.org. |
|
|
Seguin Official Plan Review - Update As we have reported previously, Seguin is in the process of reviewing and updating their Official Plan. This important policy document sets out the parameters for future development in Seguin. The review process remains somewhat stalled. A report itemizing the proposed changes is still expected and the anticipated August steering committee meeting remains unscheduled. The ongoing delays mean that the new official plan will be approved after the fall election, likely early in the new year. It appears that the official public consultation will be held in November.
The LJNA submitted initial comments in June. Click HERE to view our letter. We plan to survey the LJNA membership on key provisions of the draft. We continue to work to confirm the proposed changes that would be of interest to our members and have begun development of a survey for members on these issues. We expect this survey to be distributed this fall. In the meantime, James Buchanan, a LJNA board member and OP steering committee member can be contacted for questions or comments at jbuchanan@rockledges.com. James Buchanan, Director – Municipal Affairs |
|
|
Membership Update We are very pleased to welcome 13 new member families to our dynamic association. Neighbours’ support and involvement are so important. Thank you for the backing shown with your renewals, new memberships and contributions to our reserve fund. It's not too late to renew. If you have not yet joined for 2022, look for a reminder in your inbox this weekend or go to the Join us page on our website.
Elizabeth Jennings, Director - Membership |
|
|
Benthic Testing - Citizen Science in Action Our Benthic sampling day on August 20th of this year was a resounding success! Adults and children alike were happily identifying creatures collected from the nearshore sediment of 2 sites on Lake Joe: Clear Lake Road boat launch at the north end and the pristine waters of Seeley Bay on the east shore. Technical support was provided by Jess Lario, Biomonitoring Technician at the District Municipality of Muskoka. In her summary of the results Jess said: “It was a great group of friendly and genuinely interested people. I am happy to see the North Lake Joseph Association participating in the program and establishing benthic monitoring on the lake.” She goes on to add: “The data that we have collected is important for continual monitoring of the health of our lakes in Muskoka. This data will be uploaded to a provincial database that will be used to assist in comparison of lake health with other similar waterbodies across the province.” The full report can be viewed HERE.
We have already booked a date for next year. If you would like to join in, please be in touch with me at lyndamccarthy22@gmail.com.
Lynda McCarthy, Benthic testing lead |
|
|
Water Testing - Update LJNA members again this year completed the sampling for the MLA water testing program. Samples were collected four times over the summer. Thanks to Cecil Hayhoe and his family, Alex Magditsch and his family and Storey Badger for helping out, and hopefully becoming a regular volunteer. New volunteers are always welcome. General training is typically conducted by the MLA in May with specific onsite training conducted by the experienced LJNA volunteers. If you are interested in getting involved please reach out to Alex Magditsch at amagditsch@gmail.com. The results for 2022 will be presented in a report prepared for the MLA in early 2023.
Alex Magditsch, Director - Water Testing |
|
|
Annual General Meeting - Report We were thrilled to see so many old and new members at the AGM on July 30th. The showroom at Gordon Bay Marine was once again overflowing as everyone reconnected over coffee and snacks. We were pleased that the hybrid option worked out and over 25 people logged in by zoom. We heard first from the candidates: the mayor and our councillors for Ward 3 and 4. We then moved to the official AGM proceedings including receiving the financial reports, electing the Board for another term, and an update on activities. The meeting closed with an overview from Safe Quiet Lakes of their Summer 2021 survey. The meeting deck is posted to our website. Please be in touch with Nancy at info@ljna.org with questions or comments. |
|
|
Staying connected and opportunities to be involved
Would you like to stay connected to Lake Joe over the winter? In addition to helping to keep our lake beautiful, one of the great joys of volunteering is meeting and learning from the other members of our community. Some of the opportunities include writing or editing the summer newsletter, helping to organize the AGM, keeping an eye on Council activities, benthic and water quality testing, … We are also interested in organizing new activities such as nature walks, hikes, rides, cruises or paddles. We always welcome your ideas and participation! Contact Nancy at info@ljna.org for more information.
Our summer print newsletter was delivered to your dock by a team of volunteers early July. If you missed your copy, you can download it from the LJNA website.
Want to view a past issue? We’ve loaded several years of our enews on the website. Click HERE to access them. |
|
|
The E-News is published on a regular basis to keep Lake Joe North residents and LJNA members
informed of items of importance and interest to them.
The Lake Joseph North Association (LJNA) represents the interests of shoreline residents on the Seguin section of Lake Joseph, including Portage Lake.
If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe at any time
|
|
|
|
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
