Raven News

Township of Algonquin Highlands COVID-19 Update - Dorset Tower and Township Boat Launches

The Township of Algonquin Highlands remains under a declared State of Emergency.

The Algonquin Highlands Emergency Control Group continues its assessment of the continually-evolving COVID-19 pandemic situation and its potential effects on Algonquin Highlands.

This update includes information regarding the Dorset Tower and Township Boat Launches.

Dorset Tower:

It is anticipated the Dorset Tower will remain closed for the 2021 season; however all efforts will be made to open the property if the Township feels it can meet all the expectations of the HKPR Public Health Unit and can adequately and appropriately provide a safe experience for staff and the public.

Township Boat Lauches:

Public access to water including all Township boat launches and Haliburton Highlands Water Trails access points remain open for permitted uses. It is up to the user to ensure that they are following all provincially mandated COVID-19 regulations, which change frequently. For an update on current regulations please visit the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit website.

Dear Muskoka Seasonal Residents and Cottage Association Members:

We are seeking your help to complete a short survey on your plans for the upcoming fall and winter seasons. Your feedback and input will help us and the business community better understand what we might expect going forward. The COVID pandemic has placed us all into very new circumstances and we realize travel, work locations and leisure activities are now very different. Please take a moment to complete our short survey (approx. 3 min to complete), it will be open until the end of day, Wednesday, October 7, 2020.

https://www.engagemuskoka.ca/mertf/survey_tools/muskoka-residency-survey

Together we all share a common love for Muskoka and all of what it has to offer. It is our hope that you will consider spending more time here and we look forward to hearing from you. Should you or anyone have any questions or require any further information on this survey, please contact David Sword of the District Municipality of Muskoka as follows: david.sword@muskoka.on.ca. You can be assured of his interest and enthusiasm.

Thank you in advance for your time.

Sincerely,

Terry Glover, Mayor, Lake of Bays
Phil Harding, Mayor, Muskoka Lakes
Paul Kelly, Mayor, Gravenhurst

The Federation of Ontario Cottagers' Associations (FOCA – of which RLCA is a member), has been campaigning to keep seasonal cottagers' electricity rates down. An update was issued by FOCA recently in response to a recent Ontario Energy Board ruling. Details are here:  https://foca.on.ca/electricity-pricing/

We're pleased to say that our first-ever Annual General Meeting via Zoom went very smoothly on Wednesday, August 19th. 

In fact, there was a lot of interaction and opportunity for members to ask questions and discuss answers and ideas.

Draft minutes of the meeting can be found below. 

Not surprisingly, there was a lot of interest and discussion about the Raven Lake Landing at Hwy. 35. 

Out-going President and Landing Committee Chairperson, Scott Lewis, provided an in-depth update on our progress to securing legal access to docking. You will find attached a summary of his presentation. 

We have begun compiling a list of all those water access property owners who are interested in securing a boat slip at the landing when they become available. If you would like to be added to the list, please email info@ravenlake.org with your request and include your municipal (blue sign) lot address. 

This AGM marked the completion of Scott Lewis's 3-year term as RLCA president. Scott invested a tremendous amount of time and energy in the Association over the past 3 years (and before), and we are very grateful for his contribution. He will remain on the board in the position of immediate Past President and continue to lead our efforts to secure landing access.

The new RLCA president is Sean Hungerford. He'll chair his first board meeting on September 9th.  

Please don't hesitate to be in touch with any comments or questions to info@ravenlake.org.

Best wishes for a warm and colourful fall,

– Raven Lake Cottagers' Association

Minutes AGM August 19 2020.pdf

2020 RLCA AGM LANDING ACCESS REPORT 8-19-2020.pdf

We hope this email finds you healthy and safe and enjoying this summer that has been like no other in so many ways.

We are writing to inform you that your Raven Lake Cottagers Association has been active and working on your behalf throughout the Covid19 crisis, meeting virtually via online to discuss issues that are important to us all. It has been disappointing not to have our annual Regatta and corn roast, but keeping us all healthy and safe is our top priority. And we have been keeping you informed on issues through email, our Facebook page, and newsletter.

The RLCA Annual General Meeting will be held Wednesday August 19^th 7-9pm via Zoom.

The meeting agenda, minutes from last year’s AGM, and other relevant documents will be distributed via email prior to the meeting.

For those who are unfamiliar with Zoom, this is an online program which allows for multiple users to “attend” a meeting. If you have Internet access, you can join via computer to watch the meeting and participate via online chat. You will not be seen on video; therefore, you may not need a fast Internet connection. If you cannot join via computer, you will be able to join via telephone (however, please note that telephone attendees will only be able to listen to the meeting and not be able to pose questions or vote).

Attendance at this virtual meeting requires that you register with your name and email address. You can register now, here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9CAHufKIQQyKdNGvj2fy9A

After you register, you will receive details via email for how to join the Zoom meeting via Internet or telephone.

As is our practice, all cottagers are welcome to attend. Should there be an issue that requires a vote, participants who have paid their membership fee and are joining online (not via telephone) are eligible to participate in that vote.

We encourage you to attend the Annual Meeting as there is important information to share with you. Until then, we send you all the best for your summer!

As Raven Lakers we really love being on the water. Since many of us have water access cottages, we depend on boating to access our properties. We also use our boats for sports and leisure activities. It is important to all of us that we are able to use Raven Lake with the expectation of safe and responsible behaviour from ourselves, our family, friends and neighbours that we share the water with. 

With summer now officially here, we would like to remind everyone to be safe and courteous on the water. There have been several close calls with boaters not following the "rules of the road" recently and none of us want to have a tragedy on Raven Lake. A few tips for safe boating on the water:

• Have sufficient life jackets for every passenger onboard 
• Always use proper navigation lights between dusk and dawn (red/green on the bow, white on the stern)
• Don't drink and drive
• Pay attention to your speed, noise and wake
• Watch for and take proper care around swimmers, kayakers, paddle boarders and canoers 
• Try to avoid using the same part of the lake for towed sports all day
• Take care around boats towing a skier, wakeboarder, tuber, etc

Some helpful guides for boating in Canada: 

• Transport Canada Safe Boating Guide:   https://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/marinesafety/TP-511e.pdf
• Boater Exam Online Course:   https://www.boaterexam.com/canada/education/
• Water Ski and Wakeboard Canada Boat Driving Safety Course:   https://waterskicanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/Boat-Driving-Safety.pdf

A message from Muskoka’s mayors and the district chair to all our residents. Read it here:  https://www.muskokaregion.com/opinion-story/9973367-letter-muskoka-leaders-call-for-end-to-us-versus-them-in-covid-19/

As cases of COVID-19 continue to arise in Simcoe and Muskoka and elsewhere in the province, I ask your assistance in supporting and sharing the Ontario government’s and Chief Medical Officer of Health’s message (most recently communicated in correspondence to Medical Officers of Health on May 1, 2020) to stay safe and stay home at your primary residence. I know that normally at this time of year many people begin spending time at their cottages, enjoying the natural beauty of Ontario’s lake-lands. However this is a year like no other, in which we have all been managing pandemic COVID-19, which is still circulating in our communities, particularly in larger urban centres.

With the arrival of the seasonal residents to Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka we would also expect to see the potential for COVID-19 to affect more people in our rural and small urban areas. It is also important to know that health care services, though not strained at this time, could become overwhelmed with the arrival of many people to cottages who may be incubating the virus as they arrive. Having a case of COVID-19 begin in a more remote location would make it more difficult for people to obtain the timely medical care that they would need.

For these reasons I ask that you inform your association members of my concerns by sharing this message with them and ask that they postpone going to their cottages, even for a day trip, until a later time when the leadership within the public health system communicates that the rate of COVID-19 transmission is truly under control and sufficiently low to not pose these hazards.

I am aware that despite my message to stay home, there will still be some people who will make the decision to go to their cottage. If that is what they choose to do despite the request to not do so, they need to ensure that they follow public health measures, including: physical distancing of at least 2 metres from other people; staying at their cottage as much as possible; purchasing food and medications in their own community before arriving at their cottage and limiting their visits to the local community for essential shopping only; no gatherings of more than five people unless they are all from the same household; practicing proper hand washing and cough hygiene, including frequent handwashing; and self-isolating if they develop symptoms.

For more information on COVID-19 please view the information that we have provided on our website at www.simcoemuskokahealth.com, contact us on our Health Connection Line at 1-877-721-7520 or by email, or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

Please be safe and be well this spring and summer.

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles Gardner, MD, CCFP, MHSc, FRCPC

Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer

t: 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 x: 7219

e: Charles.Gardner@smdhu.org

Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, 15 Sperling Dr, Barrie ON L4M 6K9

On April 3, 2020, the province of Ontario updated its list of "essential services" to include marinas, "but only to the extent that the marina is necessary to enable individuals to access their primary place of residence."

Details Are Here.

“Stop being selfish”: Should Torontonians head to cottage country during the pandemic? We asked the mayor of Muskoka Lakes – Toronto Life Article

Read Full Article Here