Message from our MLCG President

Annual General Meeting - Minutes

Opening Remarks - Maggie Vaivods, President

Introduction of the executive
Vice President, Treasurer and Web Manager, Randy Gulliver
Water Steward, Barb Chester
Secretary, George Chester
Past President, Barry Walker
Assisting Secretary for today's meeting, Paul Mundy

The agenda for the day's meeting was presented and approved.

Maggie called attention to the brochure published by the Group. She referred members to the list of contacts for information or concerns in the community. The purpose of the listed information is to get members to follow up their concerns with action.

Randy gave information about the website and our FOCA (Federation of Ontario Cottage Associations) membership.

The website is a resource for the members with links to provincial agencies, articles, videos from FOCA, a bulletin board for members' discussion. He did caution participants that, when registering for the bulletin board, they provide only their street names but not property number. This is for privacy reasons and defeats netbots that scour the Internet collecting personal data.

FOCA membership is our most expensive item on the treasurer's report. FOCA represents all cottagers and country residential owners not just waterfront property owners. The organization lobbies on behalf of all rural property owners re. water quality, land use reviews, encourages us to form a Lake Plan, offers discounts of Cottage Life magazine and our individual insurance policies as benefits of our membership.

Acceptance of the minutes of last year was moved by Paul Mundy and seconded by Carol Schultz. The motion was carried. There were no questions at this time.

Treasurer's Report - Randy Gulliver

After normal expenses the association has minimal funds left to finance even the smallest project. We would need funds to assist any fish stocking project or other Lake Steward activity. It was pointed out that approval had been given to raise dues to $15 at the last meeting. This was again approved and noted for the coming year.

Discussion ensued regarding fish stocking. A fishermen's group has in the past stocked pickerel in the lake and more recently maintained clean gravel box beds to encourage spawning. Randy reported that, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the conditions in Miller Lake can only support Bass and Wall-eye. Sharon Lombard indicated that Summerhouse would co-operate with any stocking plans or activities. Randy also reported that the MNR would undertake an environmental assessment of the lake before approving fish stocking. The MNR was unable to confirm a cost, if any, for this procedure.

Mayor's Report - Milt McIver

The tar and chipping of Tammy's Cove Rd will be 3 - 4 years before it is included in the municipality's improvement plans. The Road Maintenance department proposes improvements and maintenance as needed and the budget allows.

A member observed that Cherry Hill Rd was improved recently when only a few people live on it yet Tammy's Cove Rd has so many residents and yet the road is not receiving the upkeep needed.

The Mayor responded that Cherry Hill Rd is part of an ongoing project that requires 2 - 5 years and multiple layers or levels until it is completed. A 5 year Capital Road's Program is the guideline but sometimes other road improvements or maintenance is required before the schedule calls for it. Due to the rising cost of oil, road improvement costs have increased significantly.

Fine-chip and dust have caused complaints in some areas. A new micro surface on these roads may improve conditions and reduce dust. The Mayor did promise to relay members' concerns to council re safety of the road conditions brought on by the loose gravel safety hazard.

The East Rd will get final coats over the next few years.

Next in development is a Long-Term Waste Management Plan Review in the coming year, searching for greater efficiencies.

Any proposal for local development will appear on the municipal website and the minutes of meetings. Applications must be addressed within 90-120 days of submission by provincial law and guidelines. A quarry application from Sutherland was submitted in May and a public meeting was attended by only a very few. The Mayor recommended requesting the municipal clerk send us notices of public meetings to ensure we could attend if we wished.

The new Visitors' Centre was jointly funded by the municipal, provincial and the federal governments. It was moved from its original location due to concerns re water well and septic system.

Members requested that the abandoned and/or unused Name Information boards on Noble Dr and at the corner of Miller Lake Rd and Hwy 6 be removed.

The Mayor informed us that there is now a second By-Law enforcement officer, Carol Hopkins. He encouraged us to use her services and expects a stronger adherence to municipal by-laws with our input.

A member pointed out that there has been flooding on Tammy's Cove Rd in the spring that has migrated across the road and flooded properties including the septic field of J. Rice's property. The Mayor requested that the road staff be contacted to rectify this problem.

Another member asked whether building permits were required or obtained for buildings being constructed on two separate lots on the south side of Miller Lake, which is accessible only by boat.  There is no road on that section of the lake.  When the owners are staying there, is there a proper septic system in existence?  This raises the concern of waste entering the lake. The Mayor suggested that the member contact Don Johnstone at the Municipal office to find out.

A member objected to the municipality's practice of collecting property taxes using the formula of 50% in the winter, 25% in the spring and 25 % in the summer. It was recommended by another member that equal monthly payments is a formula that many use to avoid the severe costs so closely following Christmas time.

The Tobermory Medical Clinic cost the municipality $250,000 along with provincial and federal funding.

There is a Recreation Master Plan to be developed for the municipality. A consultant is to be hired. Public input is welcome. The kind of recreation activities that may have been proposed was not detailed.

Lake Steward's Report

Paul Mundy read the Water Report as prepared by Barb Chester.

Both e-coli and Secchi Disc (determines water clarity) tests were carried out. Results will be published on the association website.

Domestic septic waste systems are the largest human source of phosphorous lake contamination. Four main points were made:
· that we can all contribute to the quality of the lake by ensuring our septic systems pumped out regularly (every 3 - 5 years minimum),
· reducing the amount of water that is processed through your system
· replacing old failed systems
· leaving shorelines natural and undeveloped to encourage a buffer to control erosion and nutrient runoff. This last one also limits the invasion of geese onto lakeshore properties.

Dark Skies Initiative - Dave Andrews, Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association

Dave explained that there are only three viable dark skies areas left in southern Ontario: Algonquin Park, Manitoulin Island and Northern Bruce Peninsula. Preserving dark skies in our area can be a value-added feature for property values purposes and provides a unique aspect of our cottage experience. To help out we are encouraged to:
· use low wattage bulbs, warm light or yellow bug lights in our outdoor sockets,
· install motion sensors/timers or ,better yet, heat sensors/timers to limit the amount of time our outdoor lights are on,
· install shaded lights that direct light downward and limit the area illuminated ,
· install coloured glass on our exterior lights.

You can get a free light assessment done by calling 519-592-5704 and rebates are available to make the changes affordable.

Other Business

The Adopt a Road project needs volunteers to help take on small responsibilities and organize fall cleanups.

Thanks were extended to all volunteers and organizers for past contributions and new volunteers are being sought for flyer distribution and to participate in the Lake Steward / Lake Planning Initiative.

FOCA and the province are promoting an inventory of lake values. This vital feedback will become a valuable tool for future planning in and around our lake. If we don't speak up now we may be forfeiting future influence over planning and contemplated changes. Some members expressed an interest in helping to develop the Lake Plan for Miller Lake.

Regarding the on-going problem of garbage strewn around the dumpsters on Tammy's Cove Rd, we are encouraged to contact Troy at the municipal office for clean up. One member suggested that a third dumpster be added for the busy vacation season.

Darcy Lombard spoke in promotion of the Peninsula Bruce Trail Club and sold raffle tickets on its behalf.

Loose dogs remain a danger and a source of aggravation around the lake. It is important to note that the municipality does have a leash law and negligent owners can and will be fined.

It was recommended that the Association forward their concerns in the form of a letter to the municipality. This was formally moved by Cathy Crockett and seconded by Phil Coates. The motion was carried.

Maggie recommended we as an association join the newly proposed Northern Bruce Peninsula Coalition but we need a volunteer to act as our representative. Please contact Maggie Vaivods if you are interested.

Motion to Adjourn from Barry Walker, seconded by Bruce Hunter. Carried.

Many members brought food donations for the Lion`s Head Food Bank, and we collected three grocery bags of food for the cause. (Maggie and Paul delivered the bags to Lion's Head, pictured right.)

Meeting adjourned to picnic, burgers and visiting.

Next meeting to be held Saturday August 4, 2012

Culprit on Camera

After visiting a friend at Cape Chin, I was heading back to my cottage on Tammy's Cove Road at 9:00 PM, Monday, June 20. When I turned onto the road, the dumpster door was - as usual these days - wide open. So, I closed it and decided to stick around for a few minutes to see what would happen.

I had barely gotten back into my car when our mutual friend appeared from the forest right in front of me. Check it out.

Giant Hogweed - Dangerous Plant Arrives on Bruce

Giant Hogweed is an invasive species that we will hearing more about as it continues its spread throughout the region. The sap from this plant can cause severe reactions in humans, from burning and scarring of the skin to potential blindness. The Ontario government has provided video to help the public identify Giant Hogweed.

Click here for video.

For more information, you can visit Ontario Ministry of Agriculture.

Free Well Inspection

The Ontario government supports a safe drinking-water program called Well Aware.

The program involves a free visit to your well by a peer specialist that is voluntary, confidential, and non-regulatory. The expert guides you through a self-assessment to help identify and address potential risks to your well water. Spring is an ideal time to schedule an inspection.

Although this does not the replace the regular round of testing water samples that we should all be doing each year, it can help identify problems before they become more serious. You can find out more and schedule a visit at www.wellaware.ca.

Spring Adopt-a-Road Clean-up

It's nearly that time once again - Spring cleaning! The robins are returning, spring showers fall intermittently, and the property tax bills have arrived, a sure sign of the season. It's also time for our annual Adopt-a-Road campaign.

This year, we've decided to make the Spring event less structured. Typically, there's not a lot of garbage strewn along the roads at this time of year (unlike the Fall!), so we are asking volunteers to do some cleaning on their own during the week of May 7 - 14. Just take a small garbage bag and some gloves with you when you go out for a walk, scan the road edges, and retrieve any errant bits of junk that you see. If you find something too big to deal with, such as a tire, contact Maggie Vaivods or myself, and we will inform the municipality.

Our small efforts have a two-fold purpose - it helps to keep our local slice of heaven clean, and shows the municipality that we're serious about getting things done. Please do your bit.

PARRY SOUND - Water levels in Lakes Michigan and Huron have declined significantly. Measurements taken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in February show that water levels in Lakes Michigan and Huron have dropped 32 centimetres since the same time last year.

As lake levels reach annual lows, the U.S. government released a five-year study Monday warning of possible water shortages in some areas of the Great Lakes due to climate change or increased demand.

Michigan, Huron and most all the Great Lakes begin rising gradually in the spring as snow melts and drains into the basin, but only one per cent of their capacity can be replenished annually by precipitation and runoff, according to an unpublished federal report commissioned by the Canadian government last year. “Regions such as the Great Lakes face significant water availability pressures and could experience constraints in the future,” because of population growth, urbanization, agriculture, industrial development and climate change, the federal report says.

Less ice cover, less snowfall, more rain-on-snow precipitation, more frequent winter thaws, drier summers, decreasing soil moisture, water shortages and milder winters are all symptoms of climate change in Canada.

Since November 2010, total precipitation of snow and rain in the District of Parry Sound has been slightly lower than the long-term average total, according to Environment Canada statistics. “There were a few missing days of data both in January and in December, but it should be pretty close to what the long-term totals were,” said environment preparedness meteorologist Geoff Coulson.

In recent years, low water levels in Lakes Huron and Michigan have appeared to coincide with winters that have brought little precipitation, “but it’s actually about the total yearly water balance in the lake basin,” explains David Sweetnam, executive director of Georgian Bay Forever, a registered Canadian charity dedicated to protecting the Bay. Sweetnam, who has a BSc in biochemistry from the University of Waterloo, explains that modelling lake levels uses a complex equation involving variables such as inflow, outflow, over-lake precipitation, run-off and evaporation, all of which are affected by climate changes.

For example, as temperature increases, ice coverage dissipates on the lakes, allowing more water to evaporate over the year, meaning more precipitation is needed to balance the water level. “Some of the snow we receive in Ontario is lake effect snow - it evaporates out of the lake, falls and sits on the ground either in the basin and then melts back into the lake or further downwind out of the basin with a net loss,” said Sweetnam.

“We sometimes assume that lots of snow and run-off means higher water levels, but it’s only weather systems that bring water from outside of the lake basin that will increase levels.”

Information about ice coverage on Lake Michigan and Huron could not be obtained before press time, but Coulson reported that temperature, which affects the formation of ice coverage on the lakes, dropped to extreme lows in January, once plummeting to minus 30 degrees Celsius on January 30. The monthly average for January was minus 10.9 degrees, 1.5 degrees colder than the long-term average temperature. “We were running a little colder than normal,” said Coulson.

The U.S. study explains that, over the past decade, declining water levels in the Great Lakes resulted from drought and warming temperatures that reduced ice coverage and increased evaporation.

Our annual 'Adopt-a-Road' fall clean-up was well-attended this year, and it's a good thing - our volunteers collected 55 bags of garbage!

Clean-up day was Saturday, Oct. 23. Because they were unavailable on the official date, Elizabeth Smith and Randy Gulliver walked Barney's Blvd. and Tammy's Cove Road the previous weekend, collecting plastic bags and bottles from the roadside. To the public's credit, the verge was much cleaner than in previous years. The main offending item was the omnipresent plastic water bottle. As any idiot knows, these can be recycled and thirsty pedestrians should be taking their bottles home, not tossing them in the bush.

Not surprisingly, the area around the dumpsters on Tammy's Cove Road proved to be the major disaster we expected. 11 volunteers worked for 2 hours in the bears' favourite dump site. Garbage had been dragged far into the forest and the debris covered an area at least the size of a football field.

The MLCG thanks all of the volunteers who gave their time and effort to cleaning up the mess of others. We would like to see even more people helping out in future.

Message from our MLCG President

Annual General Meeting 2010 July 2010 The turn-out for this year's meeting was excellent. Once again, Mayor McIvor attended, loaded with information about where our tax dollars go and future municipal plans. This discussion will be posted in detail when the Secretary's report is complete. The major business of the day was electing a new executive. President Barry Walker - who has helmed the group admirably for the last 2 years - did not seek re-election, and neither did Vice-President Barb Chester, who is very involved with other associations. We thank both of them for their years of dedicated service to the MLCG. Maggie Vaivods, who has been very active in setting up both the 'Adopt-a-Road' program and organizing road clean-ups, was elected the new President. Randy Gulliver was elected Vice-President and Treasurer. George Chester kindly agreed to stay on as Secretary, a position he fulfills with distinction. After the meeting, we had a terrific barbecue. Barry had gone to alot of trouble organizing that aspect, bringing his barbecue from home and purchasing the burgers and hot-dogs. We appreciate it!

Members checking in and paying annual dues Getting settled before the meeting Chowing down after the meeting

Idiots on the Loose!

If you ever wondered why people get so angry about the local dumpsters, take a look at these photos submitted by George Chester.

Clearly, this is NOT how the dumpsters are meant to be used. Somehow, this moron had the wherewithal to get his ersatz trailer to the dumpsters, but he couldn't get it to the dump? No - instead, he has left a wonderful eye-sore at the head of Tammy's Cove Road for all of us to enjoy.

This type of selfish, irresponsible - and lazy - action endangers the current dumpster arrangements for all of us. This loser, if caught, can be charged and fined for littering.

If you notice this type of action in progress, please do not hesitate to call the police. If you do not know which one of your "good" neighbours decided that you should tolerate his or her stupidity, please call the municipality to remove the material.

At least bears have a reason for making a mess....

Return to Home Page.