The head of the Rondeau Cottagers Association says a decision to extend cottage leases is a "very positive step", but ultimately it's not the long-term occupancy the cottagers want.
The Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks has decided to amend the Rondeau Provincial Park Management Plan to allow private cottagers to extend their current leases until 2038. However, long-time president of the cottagers association David Colby told CK News Today there is still a lot of work to do because the new leases have not been issued yet and the cottagers are still waiting to buy their lots.
"We've been having very short-term lease extensions over the last while as opposed to longer, but I would still call 2038 a short-term lease extension. I would not consider that to be a long-term solution," said Colby.
The municipality told CK News Today that the proposal for Chatham-Kent to buy the lots and resell them to the Rondeau Cottager’s Association was not pursued by the province. CK Director of Legal Services David Taylor added Chatham-Kent is not currently in any talks about longer term solutions.
The cottagers own the buildings, but not the land they sit on.
In 2019, the ministry was considering a new option for the long-term occupation of the cottage lots at Rondeau.
"In the near future we will post a policy proposal to consult on a different option for long-term occupancy of cottage lots in Rondeau," wrote the ministry.
Colby said cottages belong in Rondeau because Rondeau was originally chartered as a cottaging park.
"We're still anticipating that truly long-term solution to settle the stability of Rondeau cottages once and for all," Colby noted.
Colby said an agreement is in place to negotiate lease terms before they are issued, but those meetings have not taken place yet and the association needs to see the new terms and conditions before making any further comment.
"An agreement was made for us to talk about that before the leases are actually issued and have some meetings and discuss the terms and so forth," he said.
Some cottagers are worried the new leases could contain extreme fees designed to price them out of their cottages, calling it an eviction in disguise.
The ministry said it considered input received from the public, stakeholders, and Indigenous communities during the 30-day consultation period that ended on October 25, 2024, before making its decision about the amendment.
No other changes to the Rondeau Provincial Park Management Plan were made.
The ministry received about 1,000 public comments that were generally in support of the proposal and reflected support for continued cottaging in the park.
"In making this decision, the ministry has attempted to balance social, economic, and ecological considerations through offering cottagers the opportunity to continue to occupy the cottage lots in Rondeau Provincial Park," wrote the ministry in its decision.
Those opposing the cottaging at Rondeau are concerned about poor park stewardship and the negative impact it could have on the environment.