Craig Bakay | Jun 23, 2021


If the early season drought conditions continue, “we’re going to have some serious and candid conversations about supplying Carleton Place (metro area population 30,000)”, Sally McIntyre, general manager of the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) told North Frontenac Council via Zoom at its regular meeting last Friday morning in Plevna. “You’re its feeder system.”

“I would hate to see demands downstream impact our water levels (and) I appreciate it would be delicate,” said Mayor Ron Higgins.

McIntyre was presenting the MVCA’s draft watershed plan for the 32,000 square kilometres the CA administers. She said the river drops 250 metres over 200 kilometres. (For comparison, Niagara Falls drops 51 metres.)

“Crotch Lake is the main reservoir,” McIntyre said.

She said that this year’s conditions and lower than average snowfall meant that what snow that did fall “sublimated” resulting in much lower water levels.

“Water levels are 70 per cent below average on the main step (ie North Frontenac),” she said. “Buckshot Creek is 72 per cent below normal and Crotch Lake is lower than we’d like it.”

She said predictions are for near-normal temperatures and precipitation so she’s optimistic that the drought is just a short-term thing.

However, she said the recent thunderstorms did little to alleviate water levels.

“The thunderstorms are too short and not dropping enough water,” she said. “What we need is a nice steady two-day summer rain.”

Coun. Wayne Good said he lives on Big Gull Lake and “it’s really low now. I’d like to see it kept higher in the fall.”

But McIntyre said they’re done removing logs on dams for the time being.

“Any drop you’re seeing now is strictly Mother Nature,” she said.

Some other things Council discussed with McIntyre:

• Higgins said that he and Dep. Mayor Gerry Martin live on Ardoch Lake (until Martin corrected him by saying “no, you live on Malcolm Lake”) and the Eurasian Milfoil was thick enough to stop your boat.

“But the walleye are loving it,” he said.

McIntyre responded that the MVCA has no program to deal with invasive plant species like milfoil or Phragmites.

“We don’t do any monitoring per se, but we do facilitate it through lake associations,” she said.

• McIntyre said that there is a small crack in the weir on Kaskwakamak Lake but they do have $1.7 million budgeted for the dam in the next five years. She said they also were recently approved for a grant to do work on Shabomeka Lake dam that will start in September.

• She said they are “proponents of septic re-inspection programs.”

No slow road

Council denied a request to lower the speed limit to 40 kph from 60 kph on Smith Road.

“We’re not going to reduce speed limits,” said Mayor Ron Higgins. “We paid for consultants to advise us on speed limits in the Township and any future requests should just go through the complaint process instead of taking up staff and Council time.”

Short term rentals

Council decided to ask the North Frontenac Lake Association Alliance to study the issue of Short Term cottage Rentals and get back to Council with suggestions, which resulted in a 5-1 resolution passage.

Coun. John Inglis voted against, arguing that the Township should be more involved.

“I think information has changed recently,” Inglis said. “I think it’s an issue where we’re scrambling to catch up.

“It wasn’t that long ago we were bemoaning the lack of accommodation.”

Telescope presentation

Coun. John Inglis told Council that the official presentation of the Fred Lossing Telescope at the Night Sky Pad has been moved to Aug. 14.

Food Truck

Council gave its approval for a food truck at the Clar-Mill Hall this summer on a trial basis.

Coun. Wayne Good and Dep. Mayor Gerry Martin were opposed.

“The next step will be selling used cars on Township properties,” Martin said. “And, I don’t think it’s fair to other businesses.”

In person meeting

Council met in-person (sort of) Friday with members Mayor Ron Higgins, Dep. Mayor Martin, Con. John Inglis, Fred Fowler and Vernon Hermer. Coun. Fred Perry is on medical leave and Coun. Wayne Good participated by phone. There were also several staff members in the meeting.

Director of Emergency Services/Fire Chief Eric Korhonen said the Township is permitted to be open under the Section: Community Services and such Council may meet under the Exception, attendance at a business subsection despite the Ontario Government’s re-opening step 1 conditions prohibiting indoor meetings.

Frontenac County Council also met in person last week including all eight councillors and two staff members, only one of which was masked. Everyone at the North Frontenac meeting was wearing a mask.

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