Portage controversy sparks regionalism debate

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Heated debate erupts over Bala portage sign
MUSKOKA - Marking a portage route on Bala Falls Road is a bad idea, according to some District of Muskoka...

MUSKOKA - One little sign caused a lot of drama at a District of Muskoka council meeting last week.
Several area mayors and councillors saw a controversial portage sign near Bala Falls as a local issue that had no place around the district council table on Oct. 22. Despite the sign’s proposed location being on a district road, some district councillors thought it was a waste of time to question the wishes of the Township of Muskoka Lakes, which wants the sign in place.
The issue sparked a debate as to whether district should have a say in what the area municipalities want to do.
Muskoka Lakes Mayor Alice Murphy explained that the portage route was integral to the Bala Falls area and had been for decades.
She dismissed alternate routes proposed by people from outside the region. One of the proposed routes, she explained, would have people walking over jagged rock to “treacherous water.”
She stopped short of demanding district council’s support of installing the sign.
“I don’t really want to bore anyone with this whole portage thing. We, as an area municipality, are asking for support to identify a portage that is of historic importance to us, cultural importance to us,” she said. “We would expect to support all of you if you had a similar issue and we expect the same thing now. It’s a reasonable request.”
Lake of Bays Mayor Bob Young pleaded ignorance on the issue, but said there is no reason he should know anything about it.
“This has nothing to do with Lake of Bays. This is a local request. I’m absolutely mystified it wasn’t rubber-stamped at the committee level (instead of) coming to council,” said Young. “I won’t be voting for it, I won’t be voting against it, I’ll abstain. I have no knowledge to add any value. I think it’s just a waste of my time.”
Huntsville Mayor Claude Doughty jumped in with his agreement. “If this were a situation in Huntsville, I would hope that the rest of district council would give us the credibility that we probably know what’s best for our area municipality. That same should apply to the Township of Muskoka Lakes,” said Doughty. “I would encourage council to go with the wishes of Muskoka Lakes. In fact, broader than that, too many of these local issues become this kind of topic around this table. In looking at the way we do business, I think there are much more important things we could spend our time on.”
Bracebridge Coun. Scott Young took responsibility for starting the debate over the sign.
At the committee level he had spoken against the sign because it was only meant to tell paddlers where the portage entrance was, he said.
He would rather see warning signs that alerted motorists that there was a portage crossing ahead.
“I don’t think it’s too much to ask council to sit around and discuss safety on a district road,” he said.
And Bracebridge Coun. Lori-Lynn Giaschi-Pacini got the last word in as she defended her right to discuss district issues regardless of which municipality she was from.
“When I come to district, I come with my district hat on. I am a district councillor,” she said tersely. “I am here to make decision about what’s best for the District Municipality of Muskoka. And it is totally appropriate for me to stand up and ask any questions I may have on any agenda on behalf of our taxpayers. Frankly, that is our job.”
In a recorded vote, council approved the portage sign in a vote of 17 to two with councillors Bob Young and Scott Young abstaining.

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