By Chad Ingram
Published Sept. 21 2017
The following are brief reports of items discussed during a Sept. 14 Minden Hills committee-of-the-whole meeting.
For the second year in a row Minden Hills township has been awarded five blooms – the highest ranking possible – by Ontario Communities in Bloom.
Communities in Bloom is a not-for-profit organization promoting beautification environmental sustainability and civic pride.
‘The Communities in Bloom program is not just about plants and flowers” community services director Mark Coleman told councillors.
Judges visited Minden Hills during the summer and results were released during an awards ceremony in Lambton Shores on Sept. 9. The township also received a special mention for community involvement.
LKO wary of short-term rentals
The Lake Kashagawigamog Organization sent a letter to Minden Hills expressing its displeasure with the proliferation of short-term cottage rentals on the popular lake.
“Our concern with this is two-fold” reads correspondence from organization president Gary Wiles. “Firstly the potential for over-capacity use of the septic systems that were installed for private family dwellings not rental units and secondly improper shoreline alterations to make the units more renter friendly. Many of these cottages most of which are two- to four-bedroom units are being advertised on cottage rental sites as having capacities of 12 to 18 people. It appears this practice started many years ago with renting out their cottage for a couple of weeks to help with expenses but has now morphed into many cottages on the lake existing solely for the rental income potential. We believe that most people are unaware of the bylaws and of the risk to the lakefront environment and that a public education program should be considered by both municipal councils [Minden Hills and Dysart et al] on our lake. If this is allowed to continue unchecked with immensely popular sites like Airbnb in the game the potential detrimental effects on lake health will be difficult if not impossible to reverse.”
Some municipalities in Ontario are creating politics for the licensing and monitoring of short-term rentals.
