Floating accommodations were the latest target of the Talpines Property Owners’ Association attention, as witnessed during the recent meeting of Tay Township council.
A deputation by TPOA president Victoria Réaume addressed the issue that many waterfront municipalities have been challenged to deal with in recent years, as it could affect Tay Township.
“We call them ‘floating junk’,” stated Réaume, “because of their environmental issues and all of the other issues that these things are causing.”
Within the deputation, Réaume noted that a website had been advertising floating accommodations ranging in price from $250,000 to $600,000 which could be parked in one of six regional marinas, including Waubaushene and Midland.
The issue was one that Midland council had addressed a week earlier by voting to join a growing chorus of shoreline municipalities wanting to regulate the floating structures. Additionally, the Township of Georgian Bay had deemed floating dwelling units illegal through zoning bylaws in 2022.
The request from TPOA to Tay council was an echoed concern from the Floating Homes Not Vessel Coalition, aimed to gather an alliance and work together with other municipalities on regulations and enforcement of the floating accommodations.
Mayor Ted Walker and council waited patiently for the deputation to conclude, to which he responded with the township’s proactive endeavours since the issue arose.
“I think you’re probably preaching to the converted,” said Walker. “We’ve certainly been working with the Township of Georgian Bay and other municipalities.
“Some of the things you request though just won’t happen. I don’t think it’s in our jurisdiction to pass a bylaw to do with anything in the water; we don’t have that authority," said Walker.
"We have to make sure that Transport Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are involved as well, because the jurisdictional part of banning would rest at that level of government, not at our level… although I wish we could.”
Walker assured Réaume and her associates that the township would be doing their best to ensure floating accommodations didn’t appear in Tay, adding the municipality had engaged with local marinas throughout the summer on the matter.
The full Talpines Property Owners’ Association deputation can be found in the council agenda on the Tay Township website.
Tay council meets for committee of the whole meetings every second Wednesday of the month, and regular council meetings every fourth Wednesday of the month. Archives and livestreams of council meetings are available through the Tay Township YouTube channel.
