I agree that the cottage…

I agree that the cottage leases should be extended but I don't think it should be a one-time only extension. As well, I don't agree with some of the conditions that were placed on the extension because I don't think they are fair to all the cottagers and in particular, i don't think they are fair to the younger generation who already have established roots in Rondeau Park and love the natural beauty of it. This is the next generation and should we not be encouraging them to love nature and be good stewards of it? Do you think they don't deserve it? The lease extension needs to be extended to all family members.

I have spent 55 summers at Rondeau Park. My children have spent over 20 years in the park We love it dearly and treat it well. Despite all the messages we receive from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ontario Parks, it is still not clear to us how our presence negatively impacts the park and the ecosystem, particularly when we have experienced beach closures due to the dumping of pig manure into the lake as a result of a leak from a lagoon on a near-by pig farm. Or what about all the zebra mussels that were dumped into the lakes by ocean going ships that caused a great disturbance in the environment of the water around Rondeau Park. Or what about the commercial fishery at Erieau and the waste that is dumped into the Bay and the lake from the fishing boats that leave the marina daily. Or what about the impact of the wind farms across the Bay on the birds in the Park and the butterflies that pass through on migration routes. And how does one measure the impact of acid rain and poor air quality on the health of the fauna and flora in the Park. To me, there are SO many other influences that impact the health of the park that it is VERY DIFFICULT for me to understand how the threat to the continued existence of a number of species can be directly attributed to the presence of people at 287 cottages, especially since these cottages occupy less than 2%of the land, people usually stay at their cottages for less than 4 months of the year, and cottages are often vacant for a number of days, if not weeks, during that

Therefore, I ask that the extension be opened up to include all family members, at the least, and possibly be open to anyone interested in purchasing a cottage. I also ask that the last condition be removed (any other conditions that may affect the integrity of the park), as it is too ambiguous and open-ended to know what it actually means and the impact it would have on a cottager. It is a "carte blanche" to allow the government to impose any requirement, regardless of merit, on the cottagers and this is not fair.

As the proposed policy currently stands, there will be very few leaseholders left by the time it ends, and the people who are left will be old and not likely to be in a position to take on the government. So in essence, it is actually a policy of attrition. No doubt, this was taken into consideration in order to pave the way for the termination of the leases in 2038.

[Original Comment ID: 129059]