Ministry offers 14-year lease extension to Rondeau Provincial Park cottagers

Cottage owners in Rondeau Provincial Park have received an offer for a 14-year lease extension for the lots their summer homes are located on in the park.

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The decision by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks would extend the leases to Dec. 31, 2038 was posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) on Wednesday.

People own their cottages located in the park, but lease the land the buildings are located on.

“We don’t have those leases yet, but this is a step in the right direction,” said David Colby, Rondeau Cottagers Association president.

He said all the association has is an ERO to amend the park management plan “to allow for leases to or a lease to go as long as Dec. 31, 2038.

“What we have is a positive step in terms of the amendment of the park management plan that will allow that to happen,” he added.

He added 14 years is not a long term.

Noting there will be something coming, Colby said the actual new leases have not been issued and association doesn’t know what the terms are, such as the fees.

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“We’re hoping to talk to (the ministry) about that,” he added.

Colby pointed to an ERO from December 2019, which took nine years to be issued and was described as a final decision coming in the future.

“We have not seen that new proposal yet,” he said.

Although a new lease is coming, Colby said, “We’re still pursuing that angle” of a long-term solution.

He added the association would consider a 99-year lease or a lot sale would be long-term solutions.

A 50-year lease agreement with Rondeau cottage leaseholders expired in 2017. The Rondeau Cottagers Association began negotiations with the ministry back in 1999 in the hopes of getting another 50-year extension.

In late November 2017 a two-year lease extension was granted to 2019, which was followed by other short-term cottage lease extensions.

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In the spring of 2021, following decisions with the province and cottagers association, a proposal was considered for the provincial government to sell the 279 existing cottage lots to the Municipality of Chatham-Kent for the assessed value of $29.2 million. As part of the arrangement, Chatham-Kent would, in turn, sell the lots to cottage owners for the same price.

Chatham-Kent’s manager of corporate communications Eric Labadie said Friday a proposal for Chatham-Kent and the Rondeau Cottagers Association to be involved in a purchase of cottage lots was not pursued by the province.

“We were informed of this by the province in 2022, following which the province entered into a two year extension of the leases to 2024,” he said. “Chatham-Kent is not currently in any talks about longer term solutions.”

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The decision posted to ERO states the ministry considered the input from the public, stakeholders and Indigenous communities during a 30-day consultation period from Sept. 25 to Oct. 25 before deciding to extend the leases.

The decision stated 990 comments were received and reviewed that were generally reflected support for continued cottaging in the park and covered several themes.

Themes raised by those who supported the extension of cottage lot leases included:

• Importance of preserving the heritage values ​​and structures of the cottage community
• Appreciation for the park environment (ranged from cottagers as good stewards to support for more protection)
• Protection of personal investment
• Length of tenure (ranged from satisfaction with proposed term to preference for a longer term or permanent option)
• Terms and conditions of occupation (ranged from preference for no changes to a need to update current terms and conditions)
• Positive impact of cottages on the local economy
• Need for land use conditions/development controls to ensure protection of the heritage structures, maintain modest development footprints and protect the park ecology

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Comments that were generally opposed to the proposal reflected a preference that cottage lot leases in Rondeau be allowed to expire, the ministry stated.

Themes raised by those who opposed the extension of cottage lot leases included:

• Exclusive private use of public park land
• Impacts of cottages on park ecology
• Cottagers as poor stewards of the park
• Lack of land use conditions/development controls to ensure protection of park values
• Financial costs to the public of maintaining cottage lot leases in the park and a preference for resources to be directed to park programs and facilities that benefit the public

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