THUNDER BAY -- The province appears intent on maintaining existing restrictions on Crown land cottage lot development in Northern Ontario.
Natural Resources and Forestry Minister Catherine McGarry says there are no plans "to reconsider at this particular time."
Under current policy, the MNRF will only consider disposing of Crown land for cottage lots within municipal boundaries. A lobby group based in Dryden wants a policy change to allow for developing as many as 2,000 cottage lots in that region.
McGarry said the government prefers working with municipalities that have Crown land within their boundaries in part so they can guide developments and oversee services such as sewage disposal.
She added that environmental standards have changed significantly since the 1960s and 1970s (when cottage lots were much easier to obtain) and the focus now is to ensure "any cottage lot in Ontario is meeting basic standards when it comes to sewage disposal" and other regulations.
The minister wouldn't rule out a policy change sometime in the future, but pointed out there is still Crown land available within municipalities that hold the potential for cottage lot development.
Two previous holders of McGarry's portfolio also weighed in on the issue, but cautiously, in interviews with tbnewswatch.com.
MPP Bill Mauro (Lib., Thunder Bay-Atikokan) said he supported the existing program when he was Natural Resources and Forestry Minister, noting that about 40 to 50 lots were identified for development on Crown land beside lakes within the Township of Atikokan.
But Mauro said that doesn't mean he "wasn't open to the idea of something broader on Crown land in unincorporated townships."
He added that he remains interested in trying to find a way to make more land available to northerners.
Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Michael Gravelle said he has "always been a proponent" of increased cottage lot development and that over the years, constituents have pressed the issue with him from an economic development perspective.
But he pointed to new requirements for consultation with Indigenous communities and important obligations under the Environmental Assessment Act.
Gravelle, who also previously held the Natural Resources portfolio, said he operated from the position of expanding development, but cottage lots on waterfront property carry significant environmental impacts.
"I don't want to say anything more than that, other than that I know that there is a great deal of interest in it ... I certainly understand that," he said, adding that he continues to encourage McGarry to work with groups wanting to develop cottage lot properties.
