Re: Proposed amendment to…

Re: Proposed amendment to the Rondeau Provincial Park Management Plan, ERO notice 019-6142

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) should have followed the requirement for Rondeau cottage leases to end in December 2017, as required by the 99-year lease agreement for the cottages. Instead, leases have been extended twice since then, to December 2019, and December 2022, during which time more harm to the ecological integrity of Rondeau has surely taken place. Now, Ontarians are being asked about a proposal to extend leases yet again. Why have the human demands of cottagers been put ahead of the needs of the native flora and fauna that make the Rondeau spit such a special place and one of a kind in Ontario? I would like to see the MECP demonstrate some backbone and end of cottage leases as soon as possible. Cottagers have known for a very long time that their leases were supposed to be finite, with an end date of December 2017, so the leases should not have been extended. Therefore, I oppose the MECP’s proposal for an extension of the leases to 2024, and especially the MECP’s statement in its proposal that “This extension would allow the ministry time to consult on a future option for the continued leasing of cottage lots in Rondeau Provincial Park”. There is already enough evidence to show that cottages are NOT in the best interest of Rondeau, as their owners have introduced invasive species; killed nesting Five-lined Skinks under boardwalks to the beach; injured and killed snakes and lizards within and around cottages; disturbed Species at Risk reptiles and other wildlife when they walked through the dunes; caused erosion to dunes behind their cottages; disturbed wildlife with raking of leaves, cutting of grass; and have removed brush piles, shrubs and trees, among other detrimental impacts. Increasing the footprint of buildings, lawns, and laneways causes further damage to the area. According to a retired district ecologist, frequent Rondeau user, and former leaseholder, ”One of the sales pitches the cottagers repeatedly state is that they are good stewards of the park. While many may actually believe that, it’s not true. One only has to take a look at each cottage lot to see how they have firmly changed the landscape. Lawns are regularly mowed and the grass is usually a non-native species. Almost all of the shrubs and flowers are non-native, having been brought in by former or current leaseholders. Some of those non-native species are seriously invasive to adjacent properties, especially vacant lots or the natural vegetation on the west side of Lakeshore Road. The bottom line is that cottagers are not good stewards of the park and never have been.” See link.

I am pleased to see that the proposal in 2021 by the Ontario Government to transfer the Crown land of Rondeau to the Municipality of Chatham-Kent to broker a sale of Rondeau Cottages to the municipality, which would then sell the cottages back to the owners, appears to have been abandoned. Obviously, Chatham-Kent would have benefitted from cottagers having to pay taxes to the municipality, which would likely have increased them. The suggestion by Chatham-Kent Municipality for a potential compensatory “offset” for the purchase by transferring to the Clear Creek Provincial Park a larger piece of municipal land (a Clearville municipal campground in the northern portion of a trailer park located in a flood plain) than the Crown land occupied by the Rondeau Cottagers, was a non-starter. Could the very rare spit ecosystem at Rondeau ever be replicated at Clear Creek Provincial Park? No, that’s most unlikely. (I understand that Ontario Parks and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) retain title to separate portions of the Provincial Park, with Ontario Parks regulating and protecting the area as a Provincial Nature Reserve under a long-time lease agreement (Ontario Parks Legacy 2000 partnership with the NCC).

Have First Nations in the area that have connections with Rondeau, such as Caldwell, Delaware of the Thames, Walpole Island, and Chippewas of the Thames, been notified about proposed plans for extension of leases for Rondeau Cottagers? This would require that at least 30 to 60 days be allowed for consultation.

Some years ago, in connection with the cottage leases at Rondeau Provincial Park, the Auditor General of Ontario pointed out that “Revenue from the lease payments is significantly below fair market value. The consultant estimated that at fair market value, the lease payments should generate approximately $6.7 million more in revenue that the Ministry currently receives form the lease payments. The fee charged for services is also well below the Ministry’s actual cost of providing these services. The Ministry collects approximately $182,000 annually in service fees, but incurs about $474,000 in actual costs (p.219).” See link.
Therefore, these costs to the Ministry must surely be taken into account, and the ending of leases and the removal of the cottages from Rondeau would go a long way to addressing the problem. It requires determination and foresight by the MECP to do this, but is essential if the special floral and faunal features of the Rondeau spit are to survive.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this proposal.