Pine_lake_residents

Jeff Green | Mar 29, 2007

Back toHome

Pine Lake residents want in, says David Roseby Jeff Green

David Rose brought a clear message to North Frontenac Council on March 22.

In his role as president of the Pine Lake Property Owners’ Association, a group that was formed in response to the building being undertaken by the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFNA) at the Pine Lake boat launch, Rose said that he represents “the one group that is most directly affected by this development, and as such we would like Council to keep us fully informed as to what is happening.”

AAFNA representatives attended a meeting at the invitation of the Pine Lake Association way back on August 5th, but a letter from the Association to AAFNA outlining their concerned regarding the development, dated August 13th, has not received a response. In October, an invitation to AAFNA to attend a meeting of the Association also received no response.

It could be that some of the language in the letter put AAFNA off.

While the contents of the letter dealt mainly with issues of practical concerns, it described the Pine Lake project as “an illegal occupation by AAFNA of lands currently titled to the Crown and managed by the MNR.” AAFNA contends that they have legal title to the boat launch at Pine Lake and other land in North Frontenac.

David Rose also told council that he had a telephone conversation in December with Brent Whetung, an AAFNA family head dealing with communications.

On February 17th, Brent Whetung sent David Rose a letter stating that he had been “instructed by the Family Heads Council to cease all communication with you. It is our belief that the Pine Lake Association prides itself on ‘indian’ bashing, promoting hatred and especially pressuring North Frontenac Township, (Cole) in challenging our community into ‘confrontation’ by creating misconceptions and inaccuracies about AAFNA.

AAFNA Family Heads will make every attempt to maintain peace and order in our community, our only expectation is that you do the same.”

Last week David Rose told council, “We are concerned that the township is involved in meetings that we know nothing about, that we are not copied with correspondence about Pine Lake that could have an effect on our interests.”

Mayor Ron Maguire apologized for taking a long time to respond to a letter that Rose had sent him in October.

“But as you know, things were changing, and I didn’t want to write a letter that would be out of date by the time you received it. I met with you on New Year’s Eve, and you have my phone number. You can always call me,” Maguire said.

“Our main concern is with safety, and the environment,” Rose said, “We are a stakeholder in all of this, more so than the OPP, who I see are copied with all correspondence. What does the OPP have to do with any of this?”

The Pine Lake Association did receive a letter from David Ramsay, the Ontario Minister of Natural Resources, on January 9th.

In it Ramsay wrote, “If MNR is to consider authorizing AAFNA to develop facilities on Crown land at Pine Lake, the applicable Environmental Assessment process would have to be completed. This process would include public notice to adjacent landowners and interested stakeholders soliciting their comments on the proposal.”

Ron Maguire informed David Rose that the entire North Frontenac Council, and senior staff, had been invited to a meeting of the AAFNA Family Heads Council on March 25th.

He promised to request that the Pine Lake Association be included in as many meetings as possible, and said he would keep the organisation informed as to what is going on.