Dear Mr. Feilders:…

Dear Mr. Feilders:

We have been enjoying visits to a Rondeau Cottager since 1999. We are happy that the Ontario Government is serious about discussing the best way to extend the cottage leases beyond Dec. 2017, but we have reservations about the plan that has been proposed.

The policy fails to establish a collaborative partnership between Ontario Parks and the cottagers, missing an excellent opportunity to enlist the cottagers as partners in the long term improvement of the park. We hope you will: Invest cottage lease fees directly into the improvement of Rondeau Park rather than into the general Ontario Parks fund and update the policy to include lease transferability to all family members and eliminate any new restrictions on buying and selling cottages.

The people of Chatham-Kent Ontario deserve to gain maximum revenue and economic value from the environmentally sustainable cottages in the park, with no restrictions on the length of time the cottagers will have tenure over their properties. They must be able to buy and sell the cottages freely. They must be assured fair access to the beach and bay with a fair permit process for docks and boats. There must be order and systematic review in the development and execution of new rules. With these kinds of improvements, the fair market value of the properties will be maximized and the province can benefit from cottaging in Rondeau Park.

We hope for a true dialogue between the Rondeau Cottagers Association and the developers of the lease extension proposal to negotiate issues leading to a mutually acceptable agreement.

[Original Comment ID: 128976]