Trans America presents Strawberry Island plan to Ramara council

The company proposing to build condominiums on an island in northern Lake Simcoe is tweaking its plans in accordance with environmental-protection legislation, but some residents of the nearby mainland feel the changes are too small to matter.

“I was hoping that they were going to reduce the development, but they haven’t reduced it at all,” Ramara Township resident of Pam Fulford said after listening to Rick Hunter, consultant for the Trans America Group, update council at the Ramara Centre Monday night about the multimillion-dollar, 120-unit project planned for Strawberry Island.

“They’re not listening. They’re just going ahead as if we didn’t even exist,” Fulford said.

Trans America, based in Edmonton, is working to secure an amendment to Ramara’s official plan, which currently designates Strawberry Island as rural, to permit the subdivision. If granted, Trans America would need to obtain a zoning amendment to build.

Last August, during the first of two statutory public meetings about the development, area residents brought forward a number of concerns, particularly environmental ones. During Hunter’s deputation, he talked about the various studies Trans America has since undertaken.

“We have been working on a lot of things since the last public meeting and we’ve still got a little bit more to do until the next one,” he said after the presentation.

There were questions during the first public meeting about how big the sewage system could be, he said.

Preliminary discussions with the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) indicate about 94 units could be sustained, he said. They would go up in a first phase if an official plan amendment allowing up to 120 units is granted. A second phase would be subject to MOECC monitoring that would measure the impact of the first phase.

“What we’re trying to do from the official plan perspective is set up the maximum that might happen if all these other things can be done,” Hunter said.

Mark Dorfman, a planning consultant with the township, warned the people who attended Hunter’s deputation it wasn’t a forum for public questions.

Ron Reid interjected as the deputation was wrapping up.

“That’s all very nice about your process that goes on and on and all very nice about your details, but what I want to talk about is why would council allow this to happen at all?” Reid yelled.

Mayor Basil Clarke tried respond to say an upcoming public meeting in June will provide a forum for that kind of dialogue, but he was drowned out by people applauding and cheering Reid.

“I understand that,” Reid replied. “But somebody needs to tell this council that we don’t want it.”

In the hall outside the meeting room, Reid said he was concerned about the environmental impacts of the development if it goes ahead.

Fulford is a former Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry biologist experienced with Strawberry Island. Her primary concern is the same as Reid’s.

“I don’t want what’s happening to Lake Ontario and a number of other Great Lakes to happen to Lake Simcoe,” she said. “That’s what the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan is for — to protect from that, to stop that from happening.”

Fulford is concerned about preserving the natural forest on the island, noting, under the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan, it should remain.

Hunter talked during his deputation about how Trans America plans to preserve shoreline vegetation on Strawberry Island in accordance with the regulations, which call for a 30-metre setback.

“There would be minimum 40-metre buffer from the shoreline to the nearest development that wouldn’t have anything built,” Hunter said. “Some of the lot lines from the buildings could come about five metres in.”

How the development could affect Lake Simcoe was Trans America’s starting point, Hunter said, noting the company met with the MOECC, Simcoe County, township and Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority.

“From each of those, we had discussions on what the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan says, what the ground rules are. That’s where the numbers are coming from,” he said. “The concept that we were discussing tonight was the result of that, not the other way around.”

The conservation authority provided Trans America with guidelines for the project March 27.

“Obviously, we have to digest some of them. They just came out,” Hunter said. “There are some things that we have to discuss.”\

Island ideal for park

Letter to the Orillia Packet & Times April 28, 2015

Ramara Township council had on Monday Round 3 of a four-round bout dealing with development on Strawberry Island. Strawberry Island is a small, privately owned island in Lake Simcoe on which an up-to-120-dwelling-unit development, possibly under a condominium arrangement, is contemplated. The fame of this development arises from the fact that it is the only essentially vacant island on Lake Simcoe.

The four township meetings deal only with the principle of development and, if approved, will be followed by a number of other processes dealing with details and possibly appeals to higher levels of government. While the meetings so far have been very courteous, it is obvious that there is a fundamental objection to this dense private development on the island. On the other hand, the island has for a century and a half been used for farming and institutional uses and exhibits no particular physical features which would prevent development. In other words, there are no reasonable grounds for the township to just deny the application. While the township or other governments may attach various conditions, an ultimate approval is likely, which, in many ways, is unfortunate.

Strawberry Island would make an ideal passive park to complement the boating and nature preservation on Lake Simcoe as there is not such a feature on the lake. This can only be achieved by public ownership and it should have been or be acquired. However, the cost of such a purchase is beyond the means of a small municipality like Ramara and hence the objectors should go after the province if the island is to be left for the boaters and nature.

Konrad Brenner
Ramara Township