GBA 2022 - Summer Update

ED ADVOCACY REPORT 48 Things We Are Working on

By Rupert Kindersley, Executive Director

A t our Annual Members Meeting (AMM) in early April, we highlighted the matters we are currently working on, including advocacy work to governments at all levels, education and information, and services we provide to you and your associations. The following is a list of these items: Coastal Protection 1 Our largest project is the municipal planning comparison project which is about 70 per cent complete. It will compare the planning regulations between five coastal municipalities on the east and north shores of Georgian Bay to surface sound procedures and best practices that will lead to future discussion and information sharing between these municipalities. 2 Our planning policies and regulations guide for members is approximately 90 per cent complete and will provide comprehensive information on how to navigate planning rules, applications, and enforcement. 3 A planning consultants and expertise database will be a resource for these five coastal municipalities. We have started compiling this and expect to complete it shortly after the municipal planning comparison project is completed. 4 The recently formed Floating Cottages committee is looking into how these accommodation units can be properly regulated to mitigate any negative environmental impacts. Learn more about this issue on page 6. 5 Recently the Township of Georgian Bay (TGB) launched a waterfront area policy review. GBA is engaging on this, as we believe that it could surface valuable information and best practices that can be beneficially shared with the other coastal municipalities. 6 Development projects that can potentially impact the environment and/or set unwanted precedents to circumvent planning regulations are of particular concern and, accordingly, GBA has weighed in on development issues on specific properties whenever we have the support of one or more member associations. 7 A septic management and maintenance guide is under development and expected to be finalized shortly. This will help you understand septic options available and how to avoid negative impacts on water quality. 8 We are developing some guidelines for municipal septic inspections and associated advocacy on such issues as: expanding the types of systems permitted under the Ontario Building Code that are suitable for low soil areas and the logistics of inspections in water- access-only communities. Water Levels 9 Towards the end of this summer, we expect to receive a comprehensive and informative Environmental and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) future water levels study. Since preliminary results were released in July 2019, GBA and Georgian Bay Forever (GBF) have been pushing for the release of this work. It provides vital information for any resident, business (e.g., marinas), or municipality investing in any form of mitigation of extreme water levels. 10 Analysis of this future water levels study and dissemination of the results to all stakeholders will be undertaken by GBA and GBF later this year. Public events and more deputations to municipalities and the marina industry are planned. 11 We continue to work on the water level action plans that came out of the successful and well attended joint GBA/GBF 2020 Symposium and H2O 2021 webinar series, see: https://bit.ly/3OmKiMV and https://bit.ly/3H9xN36 . 12 Given that existing control systems on the Great Lakes are inadequate for addressing the full scale of future water levels variability, GBA will continue to urge governments at every level to find solutions that will work. We believe that simply saying that we must all just adapt is insufficient, and the upcoming future water levels study will provide a rationale for more substantive action. Water Quality 14 We are working with GBF and other stakeholders to provide input on Bill 228 about dock foam regulations now that the Bill has been enacted. 15 We continue to work with GBF and other stakeholders to help enact Bill 102 (previously 279) about washing machine filters now that it is through the provincial government’s second reading. 16 We are providing input on the new Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) and 50 th anniversary meetings. Please see the article on the cover page of this issue for more information. GBA continues to attend and provide input at Great Lakes Executive Committee meetings. 13 We continue to provide comprehensive weekly water levels reports on the GBA website.

17 We provide support and testing kits for the continued expansion of test sites under the Lake Partner Program.

www.georgianbay.ca

GBA UPDATE Summer 2022

12