Muskoka Councillor Update Spring 2023

Current climate-related and waterbody-related committees and support groups on which I am a participating member:

Muskoka Watershed Council 

Meets monthly. A special committee is currently working on the Strategic Plan for the MWC I have been asked for some recommendations and analysis on the plan by the committee.

Friends of The Muskoka Watershed

Director Kelley will be arranging for me to meet Professor Norman Yan, who wrote a detailed study entitled “ The Road Salt Threat to the Lakes in Muskoka.”

Muskoka River Watershed Communication Committee 

Meets monthly under the Chairmanship of the District Manager for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Committee members receive updates on water levels, current and anticipated, for the next 30 days, and what efforts are being made to mitigate flooding. You can find information about that every month on the town of Gravenhurst website or by contacting me.

Muskoka Tourism Marketing Agency 

At a recent meeting I suggested that it would benefit MTMA if, on the Muskoka Tourism website, we were to indicate our partnership with the District of Muskoka and all six area municipalities, in promoting efforts to mitigate damage to the environment. More detailed information on the initiative will be posted on our updated Muskoka Tourism website over the next two or three months.

Climate Action Muskoka

I receive occasional input and communicate with Climate Action Muskoka and plan to use their very detailed four-year plan to initiate activities and projects through the Town of Gravenhurst and throughout the District of Muskoka.

The 2023 budget passed on February 1st. The Gravenhurst Council has invested in funding to develop a climate adaptation plan, the details of which will now be determined over the next several weeks. Some of that work may be done in conjunction with one or more area municipalities, as well as the District of Muskoka.

New climate-related initiatives I have recently joined:

The Ontario Climate Caucus. 

This is a Provincial initiative and will focus on increasing dialogue between the Ontario Climate Caucus office and over 500+  working groups in the National Climate Caucus Network, sharing ideas and experiences to identify key climate action priorities. We meet once a month.

Community Roundtable 

A subcommittee of the Muskoka Watershed Council. Made up of community representatives throughout the District of Muskoka and the surrounding area. One of its primary projects is to develop an Integrated Watershed Management plan.

Muskoka Climate Mitigation Task Force

I was appointed to this large task force by the District Chairman as one of only two politicians sitting on the committee. The rest of the members are appointed officials from across Muskoka and community representatives. Its mandate during the four scheduled monthly meetings is to develop practical solutions to mitigate the impact of climate on our environment and infrastructure.

Notes

Over the past three months, several projects have come before the Gravenhurst Planning Council for approval. This process has identified two key issues of which I have significant concerns. One is that many of these projects involve zoning bylaw amendments granting multiple exemptions to the current zoning bylaw and official plan of the Town. Such amendments are perfectly consistent with current policy however exemptions seem to be the norm. Later in this term of Council, we will be doing a Provincially-mandated Official Plan review, which accordingly will also require a review of the Gravenhurst Zoning Bylaw. At that time, it will be appropriate to discuss issues of this nature.

Another concern I have, which I have expressed on several occasions at Gravenhurst Council, we do not seem to have strongly identified measures with which to quantify the impact of various projects on climate. I plan to meet with the Gravenhurst Sustainability Advisory Committee later this month to discuss this issue.