Attended municipal council on August 17th. The meeting went quickly. Two presentations about land zoning and roadway allowances. Both had no opposition and were tentatively approved. A shoreline purchase on Limerick was approved with little discussion. There was lots of discussion about water access paramedic response, and MNRF fire response. During the public question segment, I asked the fire chief about rumors that the MNR was going to end rural fire response. I was assured that is not the case. Limerick has a formal agreement for MNR to cover all of Limerick Lake, Dark Lake, and some of the tri-lakes area. (a map was shown) The agreement will be renewed when the current one runs out. But, on a related subject, the Limerick fire department is NOT trained for water access firefighting. The clerk and chief are researching what that really means, and what assistance can be offered. On another topic, there was a recent court decision that municipalities cannot enforce their own septic system set-back standards. The Limerick CBO tries his best to get septic systems installed 30m back from any lake, but the provincial standard is 15m and the CBO cannot mandate a standard other than that. One more council meeting for this council before the October election.
Nomination period for the municipal election is over. The list of candidates is posted on the municipal website. The four incumbents (Jan, Shawn, Glenn, and Grace) are all running for re-election as well as 3 additional candidates. Selina is from Steenburg Lake. Kevin is a local resident and longtime firefighter. Al Downey is new to the area. I do not know much about him other than he joined and then resigned from the municipal economic development committee. I will reach out to each of the new candidates and see if I can get further statements from them.
The next OLT hearing on Limerick Lake Estates is in late September. Everyone is pretty tight lipped about progress on negotiations between Hastings County Planning and the developer. I have been trying to meet with the Hastings County attorneys but have not had much success. I guess being the honorary warden does not carry much weight.
The LWRA sailboat race that was cancelled on August 2 due to the storm, has been re-scheduled to Saturday, September 5th at 2PM. The start will once again be near the Coxwell cottage at 202 Limerick Lake South Shore.
Whether renewing or becoming a new member of the Limerick Waterways Ratepayers Association (LWRA), you can do it easily on their website at: lwra.ca. Dues are $50 per year per cottage. Please support the organization that works on many issues of importance to the lake community.
An upcoming webinar on September 3 about Ontario drinking water. It is free to attend: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/99gwk82/lp/e7a03416-5bf3-4db7-bf51-ae1cb020daef
Always get questions this time of year, especially from campers, about campfire and cooking fires during the day during summer months. Here is a link to my interpretation of O.Reg. 207/96 sections 8.1 through 8.4
https://lwra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/campfire-regulations-summer.pdf
There was a news article on CBC a short time ago about people being dropped from the voter registration roles for municipal elections. At a recent MOE meeting a number of municipal officials from around Eastern Ontario chatted (off the record) about the state of their voter role. It seems that in some municipalities most, if not all voters whose eligible property address did not match their permanent address, were eliminated from the voting role. We are past the deadline for on-line registration now, but you can call the municipal office (613-474-2863) during normal business hours (Mon - Thurs. 8:30-4) and the clerk can check and register you over the phone.
This from the municipality regarding Dixon Lake access:
The waterway is open to small, motorized boats as it has traditionally been. Feel free to use it and enjoy Dixon Lake. If you are harassed while using it, contact the OPP at their non-emergency number 1-888-310-1122. The Township will continue to work collaboratively with the appropriate agencies to address concerns and provide updates as additional information becomes available. There was no discussion of the issue at the August 17th council meeting.
Similar to the iSampleon.ca website for reporting invasive species, the Ministry of Health has created eTick.ca to report tick bites or tick sightings. Like the invasive species website, you take a picture of the bug, fill in some information and submit it. You will get a reply as to what type of bug it is and whether it is dangerous or not. The black leg tick that spreads Lyme disease has not been identified north of 7 in Hastings County. But it has been identified at a similar latitude in Haliburton and Minden.
Summer burning rules came into effect on April 1. Fires under 2 meters in diameter are permitted 7PM to 7AM only through October 31st. Check the municipal website for information regarding total fire bans during the summer should that become necessary. There is also information there on how to apply for a permit for a legal daytime fire through the summer months. (conditions allowing)
Newly updated information about the municipal landfill as of July 20, 2026:
https://lwra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Dump-update-July-2026.pdf
The 2026 fishing regulations are on-line.
https://lwra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2026-fishing-regulations-summary-en-2025-12-08.pdf
The fishing seasons and regulations for this area (zone 15) remain the same as recent years. They are on pages 104-114 of the regulations book. Bass started on June 27 and ends November 30. Trout started January 1 and ends September 30 with the slot size of 16 to 21 inches to be returned to the lake. It is a one-line lake for ice fishing.
