The shoreline of Georgian Bay is essential to Tiny Township, and its dynamic nature is being prepared for proper management next year.
A dynamic beach management strategy cost estimate of $160,000 plus HST was approved for Aqua Solutions 5 Inc. (AQS5) at last night’s committee of the whole meeting.
“This report is being put forward to council to have AQS5 develop the proper bylaws that will blend in with our zoning bylaw and our official plan,” said public works director Tim Leitch.
In a presentation by AQS5 in March, the municipality was advised not to put hard structures into the dynamic shorelines.
Throughout recent years, residents have raised contention against waterfront encroachment and beach development, resulting in a rare one-year interim control bylaw being enacted in May to halt such new developments until a proper bylaw could be put in place.
“It’s a lot of money; it’s $160,000,” said Leitch. “But in the opinion of staff, it is a very detailed report and a lot of homework has to go into this. There’s a lot of legal implications, a lot of planning implications, and when we go through this we want to make sure we do it right the first time.”
Leitch added that while the township does control some abilities within the current official plan and zoning bylaws, “through all this we will have what we feel is a lock-solid bylaw in place giving the township the proper authority to manage our dynamic shoreline responsibly.”
CAO Robert Lamb pointed out that for the cost of the study, $60,000 would come from the 2023 operating reserve while the other $100,000 would be addressed in the upcoming 2024 budget process under the "unfunded gap" section.
In response to a question if the total cost was all-inclusive, Leitch replied that it was unless additional reports or presentations were asked for, but otherwise “this will give us our bylaw presentation to council and should put a bow on it.”
The dynamic beach management strategy cost estimate report, including a breakdown of cost and scope, can be viewed within the agenda page located on the Tiny Township website.
Information on the dynamic shoreline investigations in the municipality can be found on the beach construction page of the township website.
Archives of council meetings are available to view on Tiny Township’s YouTube channel.
