Craig Bakay | Feb 24, 2021


Addington Highlands has no provisions in its Zoning Bylaw to address the issue of short-term rentals, Deputy Clerk Patricia Gray told Council at its regular (online) meeting Tuesday.

The comment came in response to Council’s question, which was initiated by a number of calls and emails on the subject, with one property in particular being referenced but, as Gray pointed out, they have been getting a lot of calls “as properties are being sold” some of which address the issue of potential air bnbs.

“Some of our residents are initiating letter-writing campaigns,” said Reeve Henry Hogg. “I wonder if they know it’s (cottage rentals) been going on for years, like beside my old shop.

“Or is it just another ‘no room for any more development on my lake’ no matter what lake it is?”

Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch asked “does this warrant any more discussion, like on zoning regulations?”

“It shouldn’t be a knee-jerk reaction,” said Hogg. “A lot of people rent out their cottages to help pay their taxes.”

“Yes, a lot of people do rent out their cottages to help pay the taxes,” said Coun. Helen Yanch. “But these two cottages were built just to be rented out.”

“That property was the Mazinaw Inn many years ago,” Hogg said.

“We probably should look at it in a Zoning Bylaw review, which is coming up,” said Gray. “But there are a lot of little things we have to clean up first such as our Official Plan to match up with upcoming changes to the County Official Plan.

“We don’t have a solid timeline yet but we could speak to the planner as to what other municipalities have done.”

“We have to start somewhere,” said Yanch.

“As it sits right now, I don’t think we have a problem,” said Coun. David Miles. “But if we saw a large corporation coming in and buying up a block of properties . . .”

A similar issue is on the agenda for North Frontenac’s budget meeting Friday.

 

• • •

Repairs to the Mazinaw Lake Bridge will be necessary before too long, due to erosion, Roads and Waste Supervisor Brett Reavie said in his report, as well as work to the large culvert on Bridge Street in Denbigh.

But it was the bridge that sparked the most debate.

“That bridge isn’t that old, as bridge lives go,” said Coun. Kirby Thompson. “Wasn’t it built in the ’80s?”

“Yes, but it was poorly designed,” said Reeve Henry Hogg. “It was out about a meter on water levels so you get a lot more water through there causing the erosion.”

Hogg said the bridge was built by a contracting firm with most of the funding coming from MTO.

“MTO signed off on it,” he said.

“If we have to replace that bridge, perhaps MTO should put in more money because it was their mistake in the first place,” said Thompson.

“Good luck,” said Hogg.

 

• • •

One thing missing from the report on the Denbigh Waste Site that Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch pointed out was “where do we go from here?”

Recent studies have indicated the site was poorly located in the first place and leachate is entering the water table from it.

“I think the consultant will want to do whatever Council wants to do,” said Roads and Waste Supervisor Brett Reavie. “It might be worth having a joint discussion.”

Council passed a motion to meet with staff and the consultant on future plans for the site.

• • •

Roads and Waste Supervisor Brett Reavie told Council that having Township crews do the work to improve County Road 31 between Hwy 41 and Matawatchen Road “might take away from work on Township Roads” and he has told the County they’re OK with the County farming most of the work out to neighbouring townships.

“We’d still like to do some of the ditching work,” Reavie said. “It’s nice to have that income from the County.”

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