The Township of Muskoka Lakes has just released a Proposed Official Plan, and this will be the subject for an Open House, followed by a Public Meeting.
The Open House will take place on Wednesday, August 3 at 9:00 am and will give members of the public an opportunity to review and discuss the Proposed TML Official Plan with representatives of the Municipality. This will be a virtual forum with electronic participation via Zoom or members of the public may choose to observe the proceedings on the TML YouTube channel where you can watch live or view the recorded video at a later time.
Subsequently, the Township of Muskoka Lakes will be holding a Public Meeting on Friday, August 12 at 9:30, in the Council Chambers, 1 Bailey Street, Port Carling. The purpose of this meeting is to provide an opportunity for members of the public to make comments to the Municipal Council, with regard to the Proposed Official Plan. The Public Meeting will be held in both an in-person and virtual forum with electronic participation via Zoom, so please register in advance. Members of the public may also observe the proceedings by accessing the live webcast on the TML YouTube channel.
In terms of our campaign to block the Lippa pit/quarry application, the Proposed Official Plan is an improvement on previous drafts of the OP, and our efforts are reflected in some significant changes for the better.
Two key policies that place limitations on the siting of new aggregate operations have been reinstated in the Proposed Official Plan, after being dropped from previous drafts, and the Lippa pit/quarry application contravenes both of these policies.
K4 APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS (p. 173)
New mineral aggregate operations shall not be permitted within 2,000 metres from the boundaries of the Waterfront Area designation...
In addition, new mineral aggregate operations should be located in close proximity to a Provincial highway to minimize impacts on the rural area.
E4 LAKES BY LAKE CATEGORY (p. 65)
Both Lambert’s Lake and Mud Lake have been reinstated to the list of Category 3 Lakes in Table B on page 65, after being dropped from this list in previous drafts, and both of these lakes are within 2000 metres of the proposed Lippa pit/quarry site.
Without these changes to previous drafts, the Proposed Official Plan would have been significantly weaker than the current TML Official Plan in terms of protecting our lakes and rural areas from degradation caused by ill-sited aggregate operations, such as the Lippa application. Many thanks to everyone who has helped bring about the positive changes to the Proposed Official Plan!
Tom
tom.smp@icloud.com
stopmuskokapit.ca
facebook.com/stopmuskokapit
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About Stop Muskoka Pit
We are a group of concerned residents and supporters working together to stop the proposed Lippa Pit and Quarry in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada.
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