Friends of Norway Point Park have asked, on Feb. 8, for a written public apology from Lake of Bays mayor Janet Peake and Mike Wilmon, bylaw enforcement officer, and we have not received that apology to date.
Firstly, in the Feb. 3 Huntsville Forester article by Pamela Steel entitled Norway Point Advisory Committee to begin discussions, Mayor Janet Peake was quoted as saying: ‘The letters that have been written by various people…there’s been a lot of half-truths or they don’t understand the basics of the bylaws.’
We, The Friends of Norway Point Park have proven that Bylaw 08-10 does govern the entire piece of property known as Norway Point Park on Plan Survey 35R-20079 dated Dec. 3, 2003 with a three-hour parking bylaw. We want the mayor to acknowledge that the above statement is correct in its entirety.
There are no parts of this park that are not included in the bylaw.
Also, a public apology from Mike Wilmon for his statement in the same article.
“There are two parking lots on this particular property.
“The parking area that is regulated under the parks and parkland bylaw is the parking lot located on (parts) 19 and 20.
“Basically the area where they want the parking in place falls into Part 1,” he said. “Part 1 is not in the park’s bylaw.”
He has repeatedly and wrongfully stated that Part 1 is not in the bylaw when in fact Part 1 is the entire piece of property called Norway Point Park.
This should clarify any confusion that we feel Mike contributed to the public and at the Feb. 5, 2010 advisory committee meeting.
We have spoken to several people on the committee and several of the general public who were at the meeting, who were still confused about the bylaw and property after Mike’s explanation.
Don Chevalier confirmed to Henry McClelland on Feb. 2, that the Friends of Norway Point Park were correct in interpreting the survey plan noted above and that Part 1 is the park, and that in speaking with Carol Campbell on Feb. 5, disclosed that he was instructed by council verbally to instruct staff not to enforce bylaw 08 -10 on Part 3 BR-1657 (the larger area of the park where the parking and launch areas are located in Part 1) of the Norway Point Park property.
In speaking with several councillors after the meeting, they were unaware of this directive.
After speaking with a bylaw officer at both the Town of Huntsville and the City of Mississauga, a directive by council to not enforce a bylaw as written has never been done due to the fact that such a directive would be an interference with the administration of justice.
Who and when was it said “Don’t enforce the bylaw on the main portion of the Norway Point Park area?”
We have 430 signatures against development of the park for Bigwin Island cottagers.
We welcome anyone interested to attend the next Advisory Committee Meeting at 6:30 p.m. on March 12 in Dwight, at the Lake of Bays Township Office.
Henry McClelland, Sue Smith & Carol Campbell