PLCA President's Report, Winter 2018/2019
Greetings PLCA Members
As we did last winter, your board is foregoing a full newsletter and this letter will update you on the ongoing work of PLCA and ‘what’s happening’ on your lake. A spring newsletter will be done as usual.
Short Term Rentals
This has been the ‘hot topic’ for the past year. It was a municipal election issue for Highlands East and Haliburton County last fall and to date there have been no decisions made locally by our municipal government. The issue revolves around zoning by-laws and lake health as it relates to those of us who rent out our cottages periodically to friends, family or strangers; to those who engage commercial realtors to rent out their cottage(s); and to those who are actually running an investment business of buying up cottages (sometimes as absentee landlords) and renting them for profit.
I attended and spoke at the Highlands East (H.E.) public meeting last August in Wilberforce. I spoke as a Paudash Lake property owner and as your President. PLCA’s mandate is to protect the health of our lake and its shorelines - every other benefit we all get by being here depends upon a healthy lake. If the current unregulated situation is causing concerns for our lake’s health, then we support considering thoughtful and fair regulations if they will help maintain or improve lake quality.
Currently H.E. has posted on their website a request from the public to review the survey questions they are planning to distribute in the spring to all H.E. property owners. Go to their website, https://www.highlandseast.ca/article/public-input-needed-on-highlands-east-short-term-rental-str-public-engagement-questionnaire and give your comments.
Remember when you think about this issue to consider the following:
Noise from Neighbours – This is not an issue caused only by renters.
Septic Health – Overloading of septics and improper use is a long-standing concern. The stereotype that non-owners at a cottage cause more harm to the system may be true, but the septic re-inspection program in H.E. has proven the guilt falls everywhere.
Cottage Resorts – Is it fair that properly zoned and properly MPAC-rated owners of those locations should have to follow many regulations, some of which are for the safety of their guests, and yet unregulated rentals and rental businesses do not?
Fireworks – Same comments as in point #1.
None of the Government’s Business -We forget too easily that the ‘government’ is ‘us’. We elect them to look out for the best interests of the ‘whole’. In the fall of 2018 H.W. election nearly all (if not all) of the incumbents running were re-elected – and these were the same people that supported looking at ‘short term rental’ regulations and were running against some others who were openly opposed to any oversight on ‘short term rentals’. Would you be okay with a waterfront pig farm next to your cottage (not that there is anything wrong with pigs – just that they have their place!) – 100 years ago that was allowed!
Good for the Economy – I haven’t seen any empirical reports on the benefits to the local economy from renters compared to owners. We probably all know people on the lake who buy all their groceries back home, transport in the boat gas and engage infrequently in local town events (or with PLCA events).
We are in the age of a digital, electronic and social media world where it has become easier and quicker to do things that we used to do differently or that we did not do at all – that doesn’t always mean it is worth doing.
Our local lake ‘short term rental’ issue is just a part of the same issues around VRBO, airbnb, uber, lift, amazon, etc. The difference is that we can have a say and decide how we want to handle it.
When you get the survey, consider all the facts and not just emotions.
Lake Health Report
Your Board will be purchasing this report about our lake and Haliburton lakes. We will be also considering how we make it available to members and non-members.
Data Included in this Report:
Water Quality info for 9 years including: Phosphorous, Surface and Bottom, Nitrogen, Dissolved Oxygen, Clarity, PH, and Calcium.
Topographical map of lake.
Morphometric stats – Surface Area, Watershed Area, Shoreline Length, Maximum Depth, Mean Depth, Total Lake Volume.
Development Info – Number of Lots, at capacity status.
Fish – Species, stocked or not.
Love your Lake data – including: Shoreline %’s, setbacks, wildlife habitat.
Why – to encourage interest in lake health and to raise money for shoreline re-naturalization.
Key Benefits – readers will be able to tell where their lake stands and compare numerous lakes.
Lake Trout
For an unprecedented 6th year, the North Hastings County Fish Hatchery will be stocking Paudash Lake again this spring. This will bring the total lake trout stocking to over 25,000. This is good for the local tourist economy (winter fishing) and for the lake health. Remember when fishing for trout there is a ‘catch and release slot size’ that you must adhere to.
Summer Activities
The usual events will continue – Canada Day Parade, Rock Bass Derby, AGM and Speaker and Regatta.
We hope to add ongoing beach volleyball tournaments at North Bay Beach and are working with council to get this going. Anyone who wants to help with this please let me know.
As well the Canada Day Boat Parade will have two routes (in order to cover more of the lake) and end at North Bay Beach.
PLCA also wants to formally be involved with a Golf Day on Sat., July 20th.
Dates and further details will be announced in the Spring Newsletter.
Other Items
Your Board was represented at the FOCA Fall meeting. We will also be attending FOCA and CHA (Coalition of Haliburton Property Owners Association) meetings this spring.
PLCA continues to be a participant in the Birds Canada Loon Lakes reports and we are in contact with both MNRF and FOCA on how to deal with the potential cormorant bird situation.
Please contact me at any time with regards to any issues that affect the interests of PLCA and our members at info@paudashlake.org .
Also, please encourage your neighbours to join if they are not members. There is strength in association and, at about only one-third of Paudash Lake property owners as members, we have room and need to grow.
Yours sincerely,
Mike Thomas
President, Paudash Lake Conservation Association