South Frontenac Official Plan – Finish Line Finally In Sight

By Jeff Green

After a process that has spanned over 2 years, the final statutory public meeting for the South Frontenac Official Plan took place at the Sydenham Town Hall in the format of a council meeting.

The meeting was similar in many ways to open houses that were held in Verona and Sunbury in recent weeks, but the written and oral comments that were made in case, by council members and the public, were formally received by the township, which is relevant if any appeal process is launched once the plan is adopted.

The meeting began with the same staff and consultant presentations about the details of the plan as took place in Verona and Sunbury, led off by Director of Development Services Brad Wright.

Comments by council members followed.

Deputy Mayor Sleeth raised two issues. He said “the proposal in Bill 97 to allow 3 severances in prime ag lands is something that I question because I wonder what that is doing to the idea of protecting agricultural lands in our township.”

The Frontenac

Ontario Healthcare

Our healthcare system has been pushed to the brink. This is an emergency, but it's not an accident. The Ford government is systematically underfunding our healthcare system so they can sell off services to the highest bidder. The Perth Emergency Room was shut down for weeks last summer. It happened elsewhere in Ontario, for even longer periods. Beds in hallways for days on end is now the new norm. I know, because I had to drive my husband who was getting his Stage 4 cancer diagnosis to further away for his important CT scan and had to return twice to get it done. This is shameful, and there is no true need for it to happen after many, many decades of continuous, high quality public services in the province, when this would have been impossible to even contemplate. We have Doug Ford to not thank-- the only needs which created this horrendous, ongoing situation are his political goals! Even though he has now rammed through controversial Bill 60 — the legislation that will sell off hospital services to private, and forprofit companies-- we should not simply 'roll over' and give up. We need hospital CEOs across the province to stand up to him now. A recent poll showed an overwhelming majority of Ontarians don't want an expansion of private, for-profit health care in their communities. There is no room for for-profit healthcare at Perth & Smiths Falls Hospital. I'm calling on its CEO, Michael Cohen, to publicly speak out against Ford's plan for for-profit healthcare and call for reinvestment in public healthcare for all. Otherwise, we will lose quality staff and vital services to profits. Taxpayers always pay more for privatization!

- Judith Fox Lee

Very Humbled…

I want to express my gratitude to the Sharbot Lake community for everything you have done to help send a crew of 14-year-olds on a three-day journey to Montreal. For most of the students attending the trip, this is the first time they have taken a train, been to Quebec, climbed aboard a subway car, ordered a meal in French, climbed a mountain, floated on the St. Lawrence, and explored all of the sights and sounds of a busy city such as Montreal. There is NO way it would have been possible without the hard-working students, fellow staff, families, friends and community of Sharbot Lake. Thank you for donating, selling and/or buying countless baked goods, canteen items, eggs, plants, arts and crafts, pizza kits, lottery tickets, bingo cards, and bottle drive items. Thank you for your generous monetary donations. Thank you for coming to the talent show. Thank you for organizing and coming to the ball tournament and yard sale. Thank you for believing in the value and power of lived experiences. With the love and support of this community we raised over $10,000. I am very humbled to live and work in such a loving and supportive community.

- J. Schall

Short Term Rental

from uncontrolled dogs, and more.

“We have had to put up no trespassing signs, a video surveillance system, and of course we now lock all of our doors. I think the worst of it is that Tracey no longer feels safe at home alone on weekends, so if I am away she will stay somewhere else,” he said during his interview with the News.

At the end of his presentation to Council, Kemp pointed out that the number of

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SF Official Plan Cont. from p2

His second point related to the prescribed 0.8 hectare (2 acre) lot size, which is the standard in the township. He thinks that in hamlets like Sydenham, Verona and Inverary, the minimum lot size needs to be smaller in order for housing development to be focussed in those locations, as the plan projects.

“The way our hamlets are set up already it is going to make it very difficult to develop on 2 acre lots,” he said.

Mayor Vandewal echoed Sleeth's comments on two acre lots, but he did not limit his critique to the hamlet areas.

“I don't know why we have 2 acres as the standard size for lot creation,” he said. “As long as a lot can accommodate everything, a house and septic system, and satisfies all of our concerns about runoff and everything else, why does it need to be 2 acres, why not one and a half or some other size? Why do we need a whole process every time someone wants a smaller lot?”

He also said that he has found “the official plan process somewhat frustrating. We don't have the input that we would like to have, as local politicians, because of provincial control over what we can and can't do, and the province says one thing one day, and something else the next day. Unless we can do something about lot size, I'm having difficulty seeing how I can support this.” rental properties listed in a search under South Frontenac has ballooned over the past few months.

“As of October, 2022, there were 700 listings, As of December there were 835, and as of May 31 there were over 1000.”

He told Council that “strict regulation is critical to protect South Frontenac and South Frontenac residents.”

Short term rentals regulation was raised as an issue during the 2022 election, and in February the township sought public opinion on the matter.

A number of members of the public raised some specific concerns.

Nancy Myers said that while the 9 trout sensitive lakes in the township have special protections from development, she wanted to know what protections there are for other lakes.

Jerri Jerreatt asked if the township owned any land in Inverary that could be used to create a village-like, walkable atmosphere like she sees in Sydenham and Verona.

Daryl Neve from the Dog and Cranberry Lakes Association, said that while she likes a lot of what she sees in the document, it is lacking any mention of the need for a mandatory septic inspection program to ensure older systems don't create environmental concerns.

Roger Romero, also of Inverary, said the plan needs some measurable targets in order to determine if it is achieving its goals over time.

There was also concern raised by one landowner whose land is set to be designated as prime agricultural land, even though his family has owned the land for over 25 years, has never farmed the land and does not intend to, but will be facing restrictions. Another person asked about a backyard chickens bylaw.

Mayor Vandewal answered the question about backyard chickens, saying it is not

“A bylaw is not sufficient, in my view, because it is too hard to enforce. A regulatory framework is the only way to permit short term rentals while protecting the interest of South Frontenac residents. And it is the residents who support this township, the local businesses, the community organisations, everything,” he said. ■

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Memorial Service

June 18, 2pm

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