I support this park…

I support this park management plan amendment regarding cottage lot leases to extend at least until 2038. The park was originaly created with leaseholders in mind to promote tourism, and cottages have formed an important part of the heritage of the park for over 100 years in some cases.

With cottages and their occupants present for close to a century, the park has managed to flourish as a safe haven promoting biodiversity to the point where new species, not indigenous to the area, like the Fowler Toad, have managed to find a habitat that suits them.

The lease terms and conditions need to be sufficiently long duration and reasonable monetary outlay, to ensure cottage maintenance is financially viable. No one wants cottage owners to have to pay punitive rates, and then let their cottages degrade.

A long term plan (>50 years) would help cottage owners to plan and budget for the upkeep of their structures and sewage. Cottage owners have been awaiting more clarity regarding the future of the leases for a long time. It has been extremely stressful not knowing whether to fix a roof, repair a leak, or replace a broken window without assurance that the cottage would exist one or two years into the future.

The clarity of the currently proposed amendment, gives a somewhat reasonable time horizon for cottagers to plan, and the Ministry to be able to flex to changing environmental conditions.