Re - North Frontenac looking at unique family development on Kashwakamak

Jan 30, 2019

I am writing on behalf of the Kashwakamak Lake Association (KLA) Board to set the record straight regarding inaccurate statements attributed to the KLA in your recent article, “North Frontenac looking at unique family development on Kashwakamak” written by Craig Bakay and posted on Wednesday November 28th, 2018. 

Your article included a quote that provided incorrect information when it reported, “I know the Kash Association is against four or five families there because of potential congestion,” said Coun. Gerry Martin. This is incorrect. The KLA never said it was opposed to this rezoning application. In fact, we only learned of this request for rezoning on November 22nd from one of our members, one day before Council was set to make a decision. And as the article cited, “We didn’t even inform the lake association.” 

To clarify, here is what we wrote to the Council that day: “From what we have learned about the application we have some concerns. The KLA Board would like time to review the documents submitted and have time for a reasoned response to the above-mentioned request in keeping with our recommendations from our Lake Sustainability Plan. We therefore ask that this matter be postponed until the next Council meeting. In addition, from now on we would like to be informed of any such rezoning applications that affect Kashwakamak Lake as it could directly affect the approved Kashwakamak Lake Sustainability Plan.”

Your readers should know that once we reviewed the application and all the documents, we concluded that we were not in opposition to this rezoning request. In our formal response to the Township for its January 14th meeting we said, “We reviewed the documentation you provided us on November 22nd and are satisfied that there is adequate space for their proposed buildings. However, we would like it noted that we do have some concern about setting possible precedent or a “loop hole” where people can go ahead and break the by-law zoning rules and then apply for rezoning after the fact. We believe this could have a possible negative impact on the lake and result in areas with higher density than is allowed in the zoning bylaws.

The KLA Board also asked to continue being informed of any future major rezoning applications that could impact Kashwakamak Lake, its development density and the approved Lake Sustainability Plan. In addition, we asked for formal assurance on the record that the zoning change doesn’t create a loophole for greater intensification for any future projects on Kashwakamak Lake.

We were pleased to receive the formal minutes from the meeting and were told by the North Frontenac Township clerk that “the planner has advised all applications are evaluated on a site-specific basis and cannot set a precedent.”

Gordon Hunter

President KLA