Our Bracebridge Wetlands and Species at Risk are being threatened by development.  Help protect our wetlands today!

Please help and donate to our GoFundMe legal defense campaign as we fight our appeal at the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal against the rezoning of lands that will destroy the wetlands and species at risk forever! 

Click here to be redirected to our GoFundMe - Protect Muskoka - Campaign today!


On February 20, 2021 as thousands of the public including a land planner, legal team, environmental consultants and even Ontario Nature opposed the application and requested more studies including an Ontario Wetlands Evaluation Study.

The Mayor and Councilors of the Town of Bracebridge DID NOT LISTEN TO THE PUBLIC VOICE and still approved the rezoning of lands from Open Space to Institutional to allow for a massive private independent private school on environmentally sensitive wetlands, forests, rock barrens which are home to over:
  • 204 species documented on the subject lands
  • 20 of which are Species At Risk (SAR)
  • 7 endangered species 
  • including: Blanding’s turtles, eastern hog-nosed snakes, barn swallows, bobolinks, eastern meadowlarks, least bitterns and bank swallows. 
On March 18, 2021 as thousands of the public opposed the application and requested more studies as well, the District of Muskoka, approved the developer's application for an Official Plan Amendment (note the Mayor and three Town councillors also sit on the District - Mayor Graydon Smith sits as a District and Town Councillor and the District Deputy Chair and Steve Clement, Rick Maloney, Don Smith as both District and Town Councillors)   The District Approved Western Bypass Highway is aligned with the developer's main access road into the development and this District approval has paved the way for the bypass which destructively and ludicrously cuts through the wetlands from Highway 118 to Stephens Bay Road which will lead to a bridge across the Muskoka River and continue it's destructive path!  Some say, this will never happen but we all know
where there is development there is urban sprawl.

Instead of asking for more studies, listening to the public voice and doing their due diligence, the Town and District approved the Rezoning and Official Plan Amendment.
​  
There are obviously more suitable sites...this is not the one!
PLEASE NOTE in the photo below Henry Marsh is the smaller wetland in far top left hand corner...the larger water body in the photo is another wetland closest to Stephen's Bay Road.  Bracebridge Town Council, Mayor and District approved re-zoning for an elementary international school and boarding facility to be built in this area as well as the District approved the Highway 118 ByPass years ago to
​CUT RIGHT THROUGH THE WETLANDS!  
 Picture







​Lori McDonald, Director of Corporate Services/Clerk –lmcdonald@bracebridge.ca
    
Graydon Smith, Mayor Town of Bracebridge - gsmith@bracebridge.ca                                        
Cheryl Kelley, Director of Planning, Town of Bracebridge - ckelley@bracebridge.ca                      
Matt Holmes, Manager of Planning Services, Town of Bracebridge - mholmes@bracebridge.ca       
Rick Maloney, Deputy Mayor, Councillor - rmaloney@bracebridge.ca  
Don Smith, Councillor - dsmith@bracebridge.ca 
Steve Clement, Councillor - sclement@bracebridge.ca                            
Mark Quemby, Councillor, Monk/Muskoka Ward – mquemby@bracebridge.ca 
Chris Wilson, Councillor, Bracebridge Ward - cwilson@bracebridge.ca
Archie Buie, Councillor, Draper Ward - abuie@bracebridge.ca
Andrew Struthers, Councillor, Macauley Ward & Muskoka Watershed - astruthers@bracebridge.ca
Barb McMurray, Councillor, Oakley Ward - bmcmurray@bracebridge.ca

DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA CONTACTS
Summer Valentine, Director of Planning, District of Muskoka –summer.valentine@muskoka.on.ca  

DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA Community and Planning Services Committee consists of:

John Klinck, District of Muskoka Chair - john.klinck@districtcouncil.ca
Graydon Smith, District Deputy Chair and Councillor - graydon.smith@districtcouncil.ca

District Councillors
Nancy Alcock - Councillor and Committee Chair - nancy.alcock@districtcouncil.ca
Allen Edwards - Councillor and Committee Vice-Chair - allen.edwards@districtcouncil.ca
Michael Peppard - michael.peppard@districtcouncil.ca
Peter Cooper - peter.cooper@districtcouncil.ca
Paul Kelly - paul.kelly@districtcouncil.ca
Don Smith - Councillor - don.smith@districtcouncil.ca

Ontario’s Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) explicitly states that “development and site alteration” are not permitted in “significant wetlands” in the Ecoregion in which the town of Bracebridge lies.

In addition, the Town of Bracebridge Official Plan requires the Town to identify and confirm wetlands (see Town of Bracebridge Official Plan at B10.7). 

No assessment under the Ontario Wetlands Evaluation System (OWES) has ever been undertaken to determine whether the wetlands on the property and adjacent are in fact “significant”. Given that, the Provincial framework specifically prohibits development on significant wetlands, therefore a determination of the status of the MRD wetlands must be established and made publicly available.

As per the Town of Bracebridge Environmental Protection Policy[3] the site being considered for rezoning for this development requires a wetlands assessment to ensure ecological and natural heritage protection, as well as flood-prevention. According to the PPS, Natural Heritage is to be protected for the long term; 2.1.2 of the PPS states “The diversity and connectivity of natural features in an area, and the long-term ecological function and biodiversity of natural heritage systems, should be maintained, restored or, where possible, improved, recognizing linkages between and among natural heritage features and areas, surface water features and ground water features. 

The Provincial Policy Statement states that Development and site alteration shall not be permitted on adjacent lands to the natural heritage features and areas...unless the ecological function of the adjacent lands has been evaluated and it has been demonstrated that there will be no negative impacts on the natural features or on their ecological functions.

Town of Bracebridge Environmental protection policy: Economic Development Policy Natural Attributes - A7.3.2.3: “To encourage the protection of the Town’s natural attributes, such as its rural character, water quality of its lakes and rivers as well as other natural environmental features in order to ensure that the recreational and tourism uses that rely upon these attributes continue to thrive.”



Thank you for taking action to protect the Bracebridge Wetlands!