LKO Policies and Principles
- Advocate that any new development in our watershed not only doesn’t harm our water quality, but has a net positive effect on it, protects the shoreline and supports a positive quality of life.
- Township Official Plans lay out appropriate land use and the corresponding Zoning Bylaw document sets out zones for appropriate activities. Residential and commercial zoning designations on water bodies are tightly regulated by the Planning Act. The LKO will uphold the provisions of the Official Plan, the ZBL and other regulations put into place by the municipalities to protect the lake environment.
- LKO supports the gold standard in septic re-inspections i.e. mandatory pump out at time of septic inspection.
- In the next review of Official Plans LKO recommends that waterfront lots zoned Suburban Residential (RS) or Urban Residential be re-zoned to Waterfront Residential (WR) with a corresponding restriction in permitted uses. (i.e. no more than one residential dwelling on all waterfront lots with no exceptions even for lots served by municipal septic)
- LKO recommends that the provisions of the Site Alteration Bylaw and other bylaws that protect lake health be upheld in matters that come before the Committee on Minor Variance.
- LKO to uphold Friends of Grass Lake (FGL) in their goal to monitor the development on the new lots adjacent to the Grass Lake wetland (Peninsula Rd) to ensure compliance with local regulations and the terms set out in the Letter of Settlement. Furthermore, LKO will work with FGL and U-Links for enhanced water quality testing on Grass Lake.
- LKO alone or in concert with others will continue to be proactive and urge townships to adopt land use policies and regulatory regimes that protect watersheds. LKO will continue to work with other lake associations to advocate for better regulation and to prevent the rollback of bylaws that currently provide some protection for watersheds.
- With ever increasing development pressures and growth in full time occupancy on the Lake Kashagawigamog watershed, the vigilant monitoring of government activities as they relate to planning, development and lake health has never been more important. LKO to continue with this watchdog function.
April, 2025