Re: ERO 019-6142 (Rondeau…

Re: ERO 019-6142 (Rondeau Lease Extension)

Monday November 21, 2022

Dear Mr Gryck,

I support the two-year lease extension with the understanding that it must be used to finalize the long-delayed sale of Rondeau’s cottage lots to the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. I am a 55-year visitor to Rondeau, a cottage owner, a leaseholder, and a recognized stakeholder. I note that under O.Reg. 75/19, s.3 Rondeau’s cottages already have legislative authority to remain in the park until December 31, 2038 -- making another lease renewal trivial and this entire E.R.O. process unnecessary.

I was present on August 22, 2019 when Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Jeff Yurek visited Rondeau and met with Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff and the President of the Rondeau Cottagers Association. I was present when the Minister made a handshake commitment to sell Rondeau’s cottage lots to the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. To be clear, Minister Yurek’s word bound Ontario Parks and the Province of Ontario to this promised course of action. His decision was firm and final. His staff was present taking notes; they will support this if asked. I have their contact information if you need it.

Minister Yurek made this commitment because he recognized the many overall benefits to Ontario Parks and the MECP for carrying-out this transaction. These include a net gain of 20 acres to the provincial park system and $30,000,000 added to Ontario’s treasury — while giving-up less than 0.6% of Rondeau’s area. Ontario Parks will win.

Mayor Canniff likewise recognized the many benefits to Chatham-Kent, including stabilizing and potentially growing his tax base. Not to mention the economic impact catching-up on long-delayed cottage maintenance. Chatham-Kent will win.

As part of his commitment Mayor Canniff will donate — at no cost — nearly 70 acres of ANSI-designated old-growth forest adjacent to Clear Creek Forest Provincial Park for permanent protection by Ontario Parks. The environment will win.

The RCA was not a party to this agreement, however we supported it because it finally protects our beloved community from long-threatened demolition and economic eviction. Rondeau’s 120-year-old heritage cottage community will win.

Everybody will win when this deal is finally done.

To be clear, Minister Yurek’s commitment was not contingent on the approval of anyone working under him. He repeatedly made it clear that this lot sale was official government policy that could not be rescinded. He set the timeline for completion at six months. It has now been more than three years and nothing has been done. The Minister’s commitment to Chatham-Kent has been intentionally delayed, obstructed, and defied by Ontario Parks bureaucrats at every step. It’s clear that Ontario Parks senior staff views anything involving Rondeau as a personal vendetta, even if adds more land to the system and brings-in millions of dollars for environmental initiatives. There is no other possible explanation for unprofessional behaviour such as this.

By way of comparison, imagine the Minister of Health coming into a community and publicly announcing Ontario will build them a new hospital. Then the moment he leaves town, a Ministry spokesperson says “He didn’t really mean that… we’re not building any new hospitals. Just ignore him, he doesn’t matter, he’s only the Minister.” Because this is what Ontario Parks just did to Minister Yurek, Mayor Canniff, and the entire Chatham-Kent community. Promise made, promise broken. Everybody loses.

The very idea idea that downloading 46 acres — out of millions — to one municipality could choke the government for years is ridiculous. This is intentional obstruction and defiance if not outright malfeasance. This minuscule Rondeau transaction is nothing exceptional. Over a dozen parks have cottages in them, most notably Kawartha Highlands Signature Site with 500; one wonders how many Peterborough-based Ontario Parks staffers enjoy their own cottages on safe, privately-owned land there.

I shouldn’t need to state this but it’s up to the Minister to set policy decisions. It’s up to the Ontario Parks staff to carry them out — whether they personally agree with them or not. It is the height of arrogance and entitlement to defy a Minister’s policy order that provides a significant net benefit to the province. This goes for the Board of Directors of Ontario Parks as well, who should be seeing “the big picture” benefitting the entire system and not obsessing about losing less than 1/10th of a square mile of Rondeau. Only 46.6 acres. 0.56% of the park. None of it lakefront. All of it cherished by someone.

Minister Yurek is the third Minister responsible for Ontario Parks to promise to sell the cottage lots, and he is the third to be frustrated and humiliated by uncooperative staff. Minister John Snobelen in 2001; Minister Jerry Ouellette in 2002; now Minister Jeff Yurek in 2019. As a taxpayer in Ontario this attitude of provincial staffers profoundly disappoints me. This is not how good government works.

I believe is the fourth identical E.R.O. posting I’ve responded to since 2010. I realize this charade furthers the Ontario Parks agenda of slowing-down any actual progress being made on the Rondeau file, and you get to scare a few hundred mostly-elderly cottage owners every few years. (I am aware of one grandmother who was in tears last week believing she is again at risk of losing her family cottage, where she visits with her children and grandchildren every summer.)

Everyone in Rondeau has diligently followed the E.R.O. process yet again but our community’s collective patience is at an end. On August 22, 2019 Minister Jeff Yurek made a promise on behalf of Ontario Parks and the Premier of Ontario. This promise has now been broken on behalf of Ontario Parks and the Premier of Ontario. It is time to stop denying the facts and finally make things right for everyone concerned.

Ontario Parks, the municipality, the cottage owners, and the environment will all walk away as winners when Minister Yurek’s promise to Chatham-Kent and Rondeau is finally kept.

Sincerely,

(submitter's name redacted so this can be published)