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The Sans Souci and Copperhead Association (SSCA), founded in 1912, is located on Canada’s beautiful Georgian Bay between Parry Sound and Twelve Mile Bay. It is a vibrant community of permanent and summer residents from all over the world that enjoy this special part of the Bay and want to preserve it for future generations.
Its a new year and your annual membership dues are now due.
Township of the Archipelago Ward 4 Update, March 2023 It is our pleasure to submit this report to the Ward 4 Associations.* Here are a few of the things we have been working on this season. Woods Bay / Gates OLT Hearing On Feb 28 we finally received the decision of the Ontario Land Tribunal on the Woods Bay severance application. The OLT approved the proposal to create 4 new lots on the subject lands. Staff and Council will be reviewing the decision and determining what any next steps may be. Pointe au Baril Land Purchase In line with the Township of The Archipelago’s strategic priorities and goals, the TOA has purchased 38 acres of land in the Village of Pointe au Baril Station. The purchase of these lands is to assist the residents of the Village with the provision of attainable and entry level housing. While the Township is excited by this opportunity, there are many steps that have to be taken prior to development. The Township will initiate the required studies to ensure that the development of building lots on the site can occur in an environmentally appropriate manner. The Township does not intend to build homes. The purpose of this project is twofold: first, to create lots for sale which will lead to the construction of homes to service the community; and second, to zone the lands to ensure that the types and sizes of houses will address the community’s housing needs. We expect this process to take a couple of years. Tale of a Thousand Turtles The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) announced the winners of the 2022 Sustainable Community Awards. The Township of The Archipelago was awarded the Natural Asset Management award for its Tale of a Thousand Turtles project on Skerryvore Road. See the press release here: https://fcm.ca/en/news-media/news-release/fcm- announces-the-winners-the-2022-sustainable-communities-awards Deerhorn Conference 2023 We are pleased to report that planning is underway for the 2023 Deerhorn Conference, an important event giving the TOA community an opportunity to provide feedback on our Strategic Plan and to make suggestions for future directions. The Conference will be in September; we will share the details as we have them. Underused Housing Tax (UHT) The "Recent News” section of the TOA's main web page has been updated to include a message regarding the UHT, to provide information to non-residents regarding their Canadian tax obligations. (If you are a non-resident please note the filing deadline of April 30.) Floating Cottages - Public Comments Open The Ontario Government is proposing amendments to regulations under the Public Lands Act. The key proposed amendments relate to camping on water over public lands and are intended to reduce the environmental and social impacts of floating accommodations and long camping stays. Have your say! The comment period for the proposal closes April 11. https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-6590 FoodCycler Program We are delighted to announce a partnership with Food Cycle Science to subsidize the purchase price of FoodCycler food waste diversion products. 100 units (a mix of the large and small units, for $300 and $150 plus HST, respectively) will be available. If demand exceeds this supply, the Township may order more. Residents wishing to purchase a unit must pay at the municipal office by cash, debit, or cheque (no credit cards) on a first come first serve basis, limited to one unit per residential kitchen. The program is open to residents only, and pickup can take place when payment is made. The Township Office is open M-F 8:30am to 4:30pm (closed daily from noon to 1pm). Residents will be given a tracking sheet to report on their usage for the first 12 weeks to help the TOA to estimate how much waste is being diverted from our transfer stations and landfill. See foodcycler.com for more information on the product. * Dave Ashley, Rick Zanussi and Alice Barton will be providing updates on a quarterly basis. If you want to know what the Township is doing more up-to-the-minute, we recommend you (a) connect to the TOA on social media (Facebook & Twitter), (b) register for the TOA’s E-Newsletter; and/or (c) for the real nitty gritty, Committee & Council agendas & minutes are posted on the Township web site. Also, each of us is available if you want to contact us directly. Council is meeting this week so if you'd like an update on any of the above please feel free to reach out. NB we have new e-mail addresses (in the CC line above).
The Underused Housing Tax is an annual 1% tax on the ownership of vacant or underused housing in Canada that took effect on January 1, 2022. The tax usually applies to non-resident, non-Canadian owners. In some situations, however, it also applies to Canadian owners. This is a summary of some of the most important information about the Underused Housing Tax: LINK to SUMMARY If you are an "affected" owner (see definition in LINK to SUMMARY above), you must file an Underused Housing Tax return for each residential property that you own in Canada on December 31. You must also pay the Underused Housing Tax, unless your ownership qualifies for an exemption for the calendar year. Even if your ownership qualifies for an exemption, you must still file an Underused Housing Tax return for the calendar year The minimum penalty for missing the April 30 filing deadline is $5,000 per property for any individual affected owner. The Township of The Archipelago cannot provide you with information or advice on filling out the form. Although we provide links for information that may be useful, please contact your lawyer or accountant with any questions you have regarding your personal taxation and filing obligations. For further information on the UHT and to access the form, please go to the Canada Revenue (CRA) website page here. Non-resident owners of properties on the east and north coasts of Georgian Bay may fall under one of the exemptions (630 or 635) on page 5 of the form, which can be found here. Your roll number is on your tax bill. It is the number that starts with 49 05 and looks like this: 49-05-xxx-xxx-xxxxx-0000. Information regarding your property’s ownership or assigned property information number (PIN) can be accessed through Ontario’s Land Registry Access online portal here ( https://www.onland.ca/ui/ ). Your LRO location is Parry Sound. You will have the option to buy the “Parcel Register”. The parcel register contains all documents on a property, such as the ownership, transfer, and history. There is a cost of $32.50. If you encounter any difficulties using the system, please contact the OnLand Help Centre. Property Information may also be available through a land property title search. Several companies in Ontario can provide this service to you for a fee. Do a website search for an Ontario title search and choose the company that best suits your needs. TOA Website
Spread the word and help SSCA rent out the Brand Cottage this summer! Brand Cottage is situated on the east end of the SSCA property. The cottage is furnished, with two bedrooms (each with a double bed) living/dining room, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, storage room and screened porch - about 1200 square feet in total. It has a private dock with excellent swimming. Renters have access to the sport courts, fitness room, day camp and hiking trails that connect this property to the store at Leblanc's and to Henry’s Fish Restaurant, as well as spectacular scenery on the west side of the island. Weekly Rentals: $1300/wk (non-members will be required to purchase an annual SSCA Membership @$200) Feel free to contact Kirsi Henry with questions: sscacomms@gmail.com or text (705) 746-1815
The SSCA AGM is scheduled for Saturday, July 22nd at 10:00 am at the School House (Zoom information to be finalized). All voting members are invited to join the meeting. Please check your online account to confirm: that 2023 annual dues are paid and who has been designated as the 'voting' member on your account. Please contact Glen Campbell if you have questions campbellglend@gmail.com We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!
15 MARCH, 2022 - David Ashley
As I write this in mid March it is snowing but, like many of you, I am thinking about opening the cottage, all the things that need to be done before opening weekend and the tasks that might be sprung on us when we get there. An old piece of doggerel, slightly modified, jumped into my mind:
Spring has sprung,
The grass is riz,
I wonder where them icepacks is.
There are a number of things I would like to cover in this update. The first is floating cottages. Over the years we have been concerned over the possibility of floating cottages appearing on the Bay. In the past we have been able prevent them but now there is a manufacturer in the south part of Georgian Bay who is promoting them. The Township’s understanding is that if a “floating cottage” is not attached or associated with private or municipal lands, then regulation of the structure would be the sole jurisdiction of the province (use over crown lake bed) and the federal government (Transport Canada is responsible for the registration of boats and regulating activities on navigable waters). This is a big jurisdictional problem but a solution may be on the horizon. In a message released on the 3rd of March the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (MDMNRF) announced they are seeking input about the use of floating accommodation on waterways over Ontario’s public lands. The following is an excerpt from their message:
“We are seeking to engage municipalities on potential ideas and approaches to manage “camping” and the use of floating accommodations on waterways over Ontario’s public lands. The ministry is seeing increased interest in the use of waterways by various types of vessels (i.e., watercrafts equipped for overnight accommodation). In some cases, the ministry has heard concerns relating to vessels that are primarily designed for accommodation and not navigation.
We are seeking input from the public, Indigenous communities, and municipal associations, and various stakeholders including your organization by April 19, 2022.
Input from this process will inform consideration of potential future changes intended to address growing concerns around the impacts of this activity on Ontario waterways and those who use them.
Please note, no regulatory changes are being proposed at this time. Any regulatory or policy changes that may be considered in the future would be posted on the Environmental Registry for consultation purposes.”
I am bringing this bulletin [https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-5119] to your attention to encourage your association and your members to submit their concerns to the ministry before the 19th of April deadline. The Township’s response is currently being developed and will be available on our website once it is completed but no later than the end of the month.
At our last Council meeting held on the 10th of March, we approved a new waste management bylaw. You will be hearing more about this shortly and full details are included in the agenda for that meeting on our website. One thing I would like to point out is that you will now be able to get rid of small (up to 30 ft.) wooden and fibreglass boats by trailering them to our Site 9 Dump or the Healey Lake Transfer Station. There will be a very reasonable fee charged for disposal of boats. Our boat ramps at Woods Bay and Holiday Cove Marina are available to you for this purpose. Aluminium boats are metal waste.
We are currently working on our budget and tax rate for this year. The budget will be on the agenda for approval at our April meeting.
One piece of good news is that we are planning on removing all the unencapsulated foam from all township owned docks.
Also, the value of building permits for 2021 was more than double the previous ten year average and the pace of requests has continued into 2022. To ensure we continue to provide proper service levels, for both approvals and enforcement, we are adding staff in the Planning and Building Department.
Our office is currently closed to “walk-in” visitors but the community centre in Point au Baril is gradually being opened. We are closely monitoring and following the recommendations of the Board of Health and all our operations will return to normal as soon as the Board of Health is comfortable with the progress in the fight against Covid-19
Stay safe and stay healthy. We are looking forward to seeing you on The Bay soon and to wonderful summer of cottaging.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact our excellent Township staff or one of your Ward Four councillors: Alice Barton, Rick Zanussi or myself, David Ashley. If you make a submission to MDMNRF on floating cottages please send us a copy.
For 2023, the SSCA is creating two new summer positions: a Programs Director & Assistant Programs Director. These two individuals will work on-site together and also with the SSCA Board to: Help plan, organize and summer activities and events at the SSCA Community Centre, including our day camp (6 weeks), regatta, paddling/sailing races and social events Look after the community centre property, including lawn cutting, garbage removal, cleaning the schoolhouse building Liaison with the SSCA Board, including attendance at SSCA board meetings Recruit and supervise volunteers to assist with these activities Both positions will run from the beginning of June through Labour Day weekend. They are full-time positions, but the hours will vary depending on the activities planned. Candidates should have strong boating and water safety skills, strong organizational and communication skills, a good work ethic, and a strong interest in working with children and young people. Contact Glen Campbell (campbellglend@gmail.com) to learn more about these exciting opportunities. Compensation will be [$10,000] for the Director and [$8,000] for the Assistant. Both will be eligible for a bonus. Please share this information with your family and friends!
There have been multiple bear sightings at both The Lizard and American Camp islands over the past few weeks. The bears are coming to eat berries, and have so far kept their distance from humans. However, please use caution if you are visiting. If you do encounter a bear, the best thing to do is to calmly and slowly back away, and then leave the area. If you are too close for comfort, you can talk to the bear, or make noise with any objects you have, to encourage it not to approach you. However, it is better for you to leave than to try to scare the bear away. Please also be aware that off-leash dogs can sometimes provoke bears and lead them back to humans. Please keep your dogs on leashes or at home during this time of increased bear activity. Thanks....GBLT
The SSCA Annual General Meeting will be held: Saturday, October 16th, 2021 at 10am via a Zoom call. Details on how to connect to the AGM call will be emailed to members closer to the date and will be posted on the website. If you did not receive an email notice containing links to the 2020 unapproved Minutes and the 2020 Financial Statements on September 28, 2021 please contact Eric Armour - e..s.armour@gmail.com
All SSCA members are welcome to shop at this special on-line event. Purchases made Tuesday, August 24th through Thursday, August 26th qualify for a 20% contribution to the ICFC Endowment fund. Jessica Vergeer sells a variety of things on the main website but only the items on the Iron City page qualify for the 20% contribution. Please remember to add the code IRONCITY when you are checking out. The link is - https://18jamesstreet.ca/collections/iron-city-art-show
Sans Souci and Copperhead Association
