President’s message 2019
Dear Cottagers,
Welcome to Summer 2019. Let’s look forward to sunny days ahead and black flies behind us!
Thank you for your confidence in asking me to be president of Limerick Waterways Ratepayers Association (LWRA), allowing me to follow in the footsteps of many dedicated and energetic people, who have worked tirelessly to contribute to the wellbeing of our lake community since the inception of the LWRA.
There are many challenges we face as cottagers – including climate changing, rising waters, threats of local mining (more on that subject from Ed Offshack), Limerick Lake Estates, invasive species, water quality and environmental & ecological stewardship. Together we can continue to make our waters and shores one of the best places on earth.
We have seen a number of new faces in cottage ownership over the last few years – let’s make an effort this year to engage and welcome them to our lake community.
We look forward to an exciting summer with lots happening.
We have our AGM scheduled for 10 a.m. on June 30th at the Limerick Lake Marina lodge (thank you George for your courtesy) and we hope to have some guest speakers and hand outs with information to benefit cottagers on fire safety, some new dump updates, updates on Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations (FOCA) and their benefits to our cottagers.
On Saturday morning July 13th at 10 a.m., in partnership with Limerick Lake Marina, your LWRA will be jointly presenting a 2-hour training class in First Aid/ Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)/ Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in Limerick Lodge.
Neighborhood activities: August 1 to 4 – Bancroft Rockhound Gemboree. Ongoing activities at the Bancroft Playhouse. Coe Hill Fair is usually late August. Limerick Centre – usually has several activities & suppers throughout the summer.
LWRA events
– Saturday, August 3 – 10 a.m. at Frasers Beach, Limerick Lake canoe races (more info to follow from Mary)
– Saturday, August 3 from 3:30 to 6 p.m. our kids fun afternoon, followed by our Annual LWRA Picnic featuring a FREE Pot Luck Picnic on the grounds at Limerick Lake Lodge.
– Sunday, August 4th at 2 p.m. Annual sailboat races on Limerick Lake around the islands course. Anyone with any type of sailboat is welcome to join in the fun.
Please remember to update/renew your membership. Your membership brings many advantages to you and please encourage your neighbors to do so as well, allowing us and generations to come to embrace the cottage life that we enjoy.
As always your input and assistance is welcome. If you would like to participate in the preparation of any of our activities please let us know, by email, phone, cottage visit or in passing.
HAPPY COTTAGEING !
Best Regards,
Mike Douglas-Hecker
Tel: 647-290-1326
First meeting of the season
The initial meeting of the Limerick Waterways Ratepayers’ Association (LWRA) for 2019 was held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 9 in the cottage of Ed Offshack and Kyle Kieper on Limerick’s north shore. Members present were: President Michael Douglas-Hecker (who stepped up to be President of the organization upon the resignation of Kim Carson, who has now taken a seat around the Limerick Township Council table); Treasurer Mary Argue; Secretary Alan Coxwell; Directors Melanie Hamilton-Porter, Kyle Kieper, Edward Offshack, Lexi Kindbom, and Sasha Vojnov. Members absent: Paul Clark, Alex Topitsch and Jillian O’Connell. Past LWRA President Jan Mackillican, who has also recently taken a councillor’s chair on Limerick Township Council, attended the meeting to brief members on recent happenings within the municipality.
First for consideration was the status of the Limerick Estates Development which has been a primary concern of the LWRA since it was first proposed back in 1972. Upon the death of the original owner the 320 acre property, bordering on Limerick Lake and the creek to St. Ola, was turned over to his son and it has since been taken over by a financier named Dwight Powell. Councillor Mackillican says council believes three phases are planned to push the development forward, including hydro and proper road reconstruction, and that if and when this is done it is believed the project will be up for sale to another developer. One other condition applies, no matter who owns the property, and that is the road which allows some current cottagers access through the development property must always remain open to them.
The other major recent concern is the McBride mining proposal, focused on mineral exploration to the northwest along Highway 620 to Coe Hill, which has not been declared totally dead yet, but the good news is their permit has not been renewed at this time. Exploration for other minerals in the watershed of the LWRA is of some concern as other mining proposals may be put forward in the future so your LWRA must maintain a close watch on other potential developments.
For anyone driving into St. Ola this summer there will be construction to deal with as the “Road to St. Ola”, (which is the title of a book written by local author David Trumble) will be getting pavement for the first time in its history. This will probably take place in July and Limerick Lake Road may get pavement in 2020 if grant applications by Limerick Township receive approval.
Limerick Council is also considering mandatory inspections for all water and septic systems in the municipality. Recent surveys in area municipalities have shown that 47 per cent of the systems inspected needed remedial work and 17 per cent failed to meet standards. Grant money is also being sought to upgrade trails and washroom facilities near Steenburg Lake in the McGeachy Conservation Area, which the Crowe Valley Conservation Authority owns. Upon her departure from the meeting Councillor Mackillican was thanked for her input as she headed back out into the first sunny weekend of the season, leaving us to finish the bagels our new president personally imported from Montreal.
Another municipal topic we have become aware of since the meeting is of concern to those who own boathouses in the bay near the dam in St. Ola. A proposal by the Limerick Planning Committee concerning those floating boathouses, which are accessed from the shore in the municipal park, is under consideration. At the last Council meeting on June 17 the matter was sent back to the Planning Committee to consider having the boathouses become formally identifiable concerning legal ownership and then obtain proof of third party liability insurance. Council is also considering a leasing fee as they are either attached to or accessed from township land. Interested cottagers can attend the planning meetings and will find meeting times by either calling the township office at 613-474-2863 or accessing the website at: http://www.township.limerick.on.ca/contact.php
Social activities organized by your LWRA took up most of the remaining time in the meeting. The traditional canoe races will be held at 10 a.m. at Fraser’s Beach on Saturday, August 3. On Sunday, August 4 at 2 p.m. sailors will be racing the island course for the coveted trophy which has spent way too many years on the Hannah cottage fireplace ledge. (Rumour has it Bob Bennett is back with a secret weapon after several years absence due to a demasting incident in a very high-wind race a few years back.)
For many years your LWRA has experimented with the timing and format of the annual cottagers’ picnic on the grounds of Limerick Lodge. This year the event will be a FREE Potluck Dinner. There will be no admission charge. In exchange cottagers are encouraged to bring their favourite dishes with enough to feed the number in their party. There will be an LWRA barbeque available for those who might like to cook something onsite. In the hope of a “Zero Waste” event to set an example for the young kids, cottagers are asked to bring their own plates and cutlery and handle any trash as they would at their own cottage. Games for the younger set will start around 3:30 and go to 4:30 with dinner starting around 5 p.m. In respect for the lodge guests, many of whom will be at the Bancroft Gemboree all day, our goal is to be cleaned up by around 6:30 so they may enjoy the quiet of Limerick after a busy day in Bancroft.
Any cottagers with an interest in the LWRA are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) which will be held in Limerick Lake Lodge at 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 30th. Topics to be considered on that day include financial status of the LWRA, potential mining exploration in the area, fire prevention, the value of being a member of the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations (FOCA), municipal updates and possible inter-association meetings with other area lake associations. Memberships in the LWRA will be available at both the AGM and the picnic. At $50 per cottage your membership helps finance the LWRA for things such as insurance to cover all activities of the organization and FOCA membership. Perhaps more importantly your name on our membership list gives us “strength in numbers” when it comes to important issues which need to be addressed in order to achieve the objective of your LWRA, which is to protect and enhance the lake experience for future generations.
FOCA May 2019 Newsletter
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Limerick cottagers have hoe
Asking Hastings County Council for Resolutions on mining
by Monica Nikopoulos
Limerick Area Conservation Coalition (LACC)
Hello Community!
On Tuesday April 16, LACC along with First Nation Deputy Grand Council Chief Marsden for the S/E Region of Ontario for the Anishinabek Nation will be giving a brief power-point presentation to Hastings County Council to consider passing a similar Resolution as Limerick Township has, and for Hastings County to also consider passing a Resolution to oppose mining explorations citing environmental and socio-economic incompatibilities.
This monthly County Council meeting will begin at 9:30am at the County of Hastings Court House and Administration Building at 235 Pinnacle Street between Campbell and Patterson Streets. Public pay parking is across the road.
There is limited parking and seating, perhaps only about 30 chairs. These county sessions are open to the public to attend and the media will be present. LACC welcomes a small showing of quiet support for those who can attend.
Please note, this is not an information session, this is a normal County Council meeting, which does not accept questions/answers from the public. It is a very formal, respectful, court-room type environment where First Nation and LACC will speak our concerns very briefly regarding the mining explorations with LACC respectfully requesting Resolutions.
Miner drops project in Limerick
Major victory to announce on the McBride Limerick Mine issue!
by Ed Offshack
This morning, PANCON, the company that had joined with Derek McBride, geologist and holder of mineral rights to a potential Nickel, Copper and Cobalt mining claim in Limerick Township, announced they were pulling out of the venture.
Their specific statement:
“…the Company has made the decision to terminate its Option Agreement on the McBride Project in southeastern Ontario.”
The geographic area of the exploration and claims is roughly bounded by Highway 62, Old Hastings Road, Highway 620 and Steenburg Lake North Road. The land includes the watershed to Steenburg Lake and Dickey Lake (note Steenburg lake drains into Limerick Lake).
They discussed at length consolidating their exploration work in Northern Ontario, which they describe as a low risk environment with social licence to operate.
The implication (our words, not theirs, but a reasonable holistic interpretation of the news release), is that a metals extraction mine in Southern Ontario does not have social licence to operate (which is correct, the pressure campaign of LWRA and partner neighboring lake associations, and the LACC group, proves that) and thus is high risk to pursue.
Importantly… while this is a major victory, it’s only one battle. Note that McBride retains the mineral rights in this area, and could still find other investors or exploration companies which want to try to pursue this. So, LWRA in partnership with the neighboring Lake Associations will keep moving forward with our work, to make it clear that this land should be forever “off the table” for a metals extraction mining operation.
For those who had not heard, the lake association coalition prepared a resolution for Limerick Township council stating categorical opposition to metals extraction mining in the area… it was presented at the March 18, 2019 council meeting, and with minor changes, it passed with unanimous support of Limerick Township Council. Thanks goes out to our township councillors and Reeve for their stated public opposition to the proposed mine.
Our President resigns
Hello Everyone,
In light of the fact that I now sit as a councillor at the Township of Limerick, any issue that involves LWRA would force me to declare a conflict of interest and I would have to remove myself from the room and voting on that topic. There are new Municipal rules regarding conflict of interest for councillors and there are new Municipal rules with Integrity Commissioners roles as of March 1, 2019.
As I represent all ratepayers in Limerick it makes the most amount of sense that I resign as President of LWRA effective immediately.
As of this email, please accept my resignation as President of LWRA and any role on the executive.
I have enjoyed my time serving on LWRA and any documents or information that are in my possession I will happily provide to any other members or the new President once they are elected.
I wish you continued success in the future.
Warmly,
Kimberly Carson
Native plants available for your cottage property
An environmental group in Haliburton is selling native plants to enhance your cottage property and shoreline this spring. If you are interested in buying some trees and shrubs etc. go to:
FOCA AGM Notice
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Official Notice
Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations, Inc.
Notice to Members of Annual General Meeting
Saturday, March 2, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. EST
The Boulevard Club
1491 Lake Shore Blvd W, Toronto, ON M6K 3C2
Agenda:
Called on behalf of the Directors of the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations, Inc.
by Marlin Horst, President
The FOCA Board of Directors:
Terry Beettam Lake Weslemkoon Conservation Association
Jeff Clark Go Home Lake Association
Pat Drew Lake of the Woods Property Owners Association
John Hickey Indian Point Property Owners Association
Marlin Horst Baptiste Lake Association
Terry Kennedy Kennebec Lake Association
Tony Lepine Kennisis Lake Cottage Owners Association
Wendy Sue Lyttle Catchacoma Cottagers Association
Daryle Moffatt Otter Lake Ratepayers Association
Bruce Moore Canonto Lake Property Owners Association
Bev Thorpe Kennebec Lake Association
Ian White Lake of Bays Association
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Note: The nominations slate will be presented for member approval at the meeting on March 2, 2019.
If you cannot access the linked PDF files above, please contact the office at info@foca.on.ca.
Any questions or clarifications required may be directed in advance to the Executive Director, Terry Rees at trees@foca.on.ca, or to the President of the FOCA Board of Directors, Marlin Horst at president@foca.on.ca.
More details about the 2019 AGM and Spring Seminar, and a registration link, can be found here: https://foca.on.ca/2019-agm-spring-seminar/.
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