Shoreline forum uncovers protection plan loopholes

Tougher regulations are needed to stop the minority of Lake Simcoe residents who ignore shoreline protection policies, a special Shoreline Forum heard last Thursday.

“What bothers me is the 10 per cent who couldn’t care less,” Innisfil Coun. Rod Boynton said. “You can have all the education you want, but you are just preaching to the choir. There are 10 per cent who just don’t care and will do what they want. We need regulations that have some teeth.”

The forum, which included the Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Lake Simcoe municipalities, was called to deal with over-lapping jurisdictional issues under the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan.

Innisfil Deputy Mayor Dan Davidson spearheaded the meeting after he was alerted to “loopholes” that allowed some “well-funded and aggressive” property owners in the prestigious southshore area near Big Bay Point to avoid  protection plan policies.

“There is a gap that exists. We really need to implement something other than a voluntary plan that in my books isn’t working,” Davidson told the forum’s panel.

Several troubling issues arose during the forum, including the lack of regulatory controls over boathouses.

Georgina planning and building director Harold Lenters said there are no rules to control the size of boathouses as long as the structure allows water to flow freely and does not harm fish habitat.

“The Town has no authority over the size. You can build something above the water that is pretty huge,” Lenters said. “The building inspector can’t inspect it because it is over the water. It can’t be inspected to make sure the building doesn’t fall apart and injure someone.”

Conservation authorities in Ontario have few legal tools to stop shoreline or wetland alteration once it is in progress because they do not have the legal authority to issue stop work orders. In many cases, property owners are only taken to court after the damage has been done.

“That is the hot issue button right now. We need stop work orders. It’s the one thing we desperately need,” said Rob Baldwin, development director for the Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority.

The Conservation Authority spends much of its legal budget battling property owners in court over the use of illegal fill in wetlands and shoreline areas, Baldwin said.

The forum also focused on the need to create “one-stop shopping” for conscientious property owners who need permits for docks and other structures within 30 metres of the shoreline.

Georgina Mayor Rob Grossi said the process can be frustrating for anyone trying to follow regulations.

“If it gets too complicated the guy just says ‘Maybe I should just do what my neighbour did and just bulldoze it in’,” Grossi said.

The forum is expected to reconvene later this year with recommendations.