A Message from the President:

Bruce Howlett, President

For those members living year-round on L.W.R.A. lakes, keep your chin up, the snow has to stop soon. For those further afield, keep warm.

An update on the Peiper severance saga is detailed in this newsletter. I personally feel more positive about the outcome of this divisional court proceeding than what we have experienced in the past with the O.M.B. All residents of Lake Waseosa were contacted as to possible financial support for the Save The Lake Fund, relative to legal costs being incurred. A big thanks to all of those who have contributed funds. This is a very important issue for L.W.R.A. lakes as well as all similar lakes in the District of Muskoka. So please support us if you are able.

Your directors have submitted written comments on the Town of Huntsville draft zoning by-law. This will affect zoning around our lakes including:

-Building areas, heights, and setbacks from water

-minimum lot and maximum water activity frontages

-number of accessory buildings

-permitted uses of property

Other issues that your directors  are following and will report on at the AGM in July are;

-Septic tank re-inspection

-Jessop lake dock and floating raft

-Waseosa town dock

-Canada post group and community mail boxes

-Town of Huntsville official plan amendments re: L.W.R.A. lakes.

Contact us by telephone or e-mail on our web site, should you have comments on any issue.

Pieper Application Status

Dwayne Verhey, Secretary

Madam Justice Molloy's ruling is pretty much what we expected: we lost on the issue of allowing the District to jump in at this late date and of limiting the scope of a subsequent re-hearing. But we won where it counts -- the Court has granted us leave to appeal on the issues of enforcing the OMB's own rules, incorrect application of those rules by the OMB review panel last August, error of the review panel in finding the original Board applied the wrong tests for development and error of the review panel in finding the original Board wrongly applied the precautionary principle. To quote one small part of her judgement:

"There is no "standard" to be met with respect to the precautionary principle. It is a policy consideration that provides that where there is a risk of serious or irreversible environmental damage, one should err on the side of caution even when there is not full scientific certainty with respect to the risk."

"There is good reason to doubt the correctness of the Review Panel's decision on this point. It is a matter of broad importance warranting the attention of this Court."

So the next (and hopefully final!) step is to go before a 3 Judge panel of the Divisional Court who will rule on our actual arguments. This may not happen until this fall, though a date has not been set. It is interesting to note that this case is being closely watched by various groups across Ontario, and may well set some precedents.

Calling All Fishermen!

 We need your experience. The LWRA Fish Committee is short on members and long on tasks! For example, we are currently negotiating a three-way partnership between the LWRA, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Federation of Hunters and Anglers to revitalize our Lake Trout population in Waseosa. Steve Schoulton, an MNR fish biologist, will be a guest at the AGM this spring to discuss the project further.

We will be needing volunteers to assist the biologists in their sampling. We also need all persons fishing in these lakes to participate in a fish survey, documenting species, size, date and so forth of the fish being caught. We'll get more information out to you all as soon as we can get a volunteer to organize it! If you are interested in joining the Fish Committee, call Dwayne or Bruce (numbers below) or send a note to secretary@lwra.net.

High Speed Internet Coming Soon

One of our members wrote to ask us for help surveying the membership regarding interest in high speed internet access around the lakes. If he had high-speed, he could work from the cottage spending more time on the dock and less time stuck in traffic. He hoped enough other people would be interested that we could attract the attention of a provider.

We sent out an e-mail and the response was overwhelming! Of the few that were not interested right now, most indicated they might be interested in the future. So we did a little more digging and are pleased to report it should be available by September at the latest. Local ISPs Vianet and Surenet will be offering packages in the area of $50 per month for speeds of 300 megabytes per second. That compares favourably to the cost of dial-up with a separate line. They will also offer seasonal packages for those that are not here year-round.

For detailed information, see our website: http://www.lwra.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=138.

Save The Lake Fund

We would like to thank all those whose generous contributions have put us close to our goal. And offer a gentle reminder to those that have pledged support to send your cheques to:

Save The Lake Fund

c/o 38 Lake Drive,

Huntsville, Ontario

P1H 1E8

It's easiest on Richard if you send a separate cheque for your dues, but at least include a note if your cheque is for both dues and your contribution.

Pleasure Craft Operator Card

This is the last full year anyone will be able to operate any power boat (including a sail boat with a motor on board) without a "boat license". Currently, anyone born after April 1, 1983 or in a craft less than 4m (13') must carry a Pleasure Craft Operator Card or other proof of competency when operating a powered pleasure craft.

By September 15, 2009, operators of all powered recreational vessels will have to carry proof of competency.

The LWRA is partnering with an accredited provider to  bring training and testing services for our members starting this spring. The cost will be quite reasonable - about $20 per person. For more information, watch our website: www.lwra.net

Corn Roast Pot

Planning a gathering at the cottage this summer? How about holding your very own corn roast for your guests? The LWRA has a large pot with tripod that our members can borrow for special events free of charge. There's a $25.00 fee for non-members. (Gee, that's the same price as the annual membership dues, isn't it?) 

Annual General Meeting:

Mark your calendar now! The AGM will be Saturday July 12, 2008. We will need at least two new directors this year! If you might be interested, contact one of us for more information about this rewarding position!