Cottager Asks Important Questions... Posted on 2009-03-02 21:55:04 The following Letter to the Editor from Rondeau cottager and RCA member Paul Welsman appeared in The Chatham Daily News on Saturday February 28th. He submitted a copy of his letter to the RCA as well. Mr Welsman makes some excellent points worth repeating, especially in our current climate of economic crisis. Ironically, the cottage that Mr Welsman refers to was knocked-down the same day as the provincial government announced its plan to close two area hospital emergency rooms due to lack of operating funds. The letter follows... The purchase and removal of another cottage at Rondeau Provincial Park by the government is curious. Why would a cash strapped province take this action when their official position is that the leases will not be extended past 2017 and they could have the cottage taken out at no cost in a very few years? The answer..... probably Ontario Parks knows that its case for removing this community in 2017 is without merit. They are therefore buying and bulldozing cottages as the opportunities arise, a less than brilliant use of tax dollars. However, the larger question remains. Why remove them at all? What is the benefit to the public of this policy? Presumably the land occupied by the cottages would be returned to nature after 2017. But does anyone seriously believe that the area occupied by most of this community for almost a century, less than 2% of the parkʼs physical landscape, is a threat to the parkʼs ecosystem? The reality is that no study has shown any measurable negative environmental impact from the presence of the cottages. Furthermore, without this community, the province would lose significant revenue from lease and gate fees. Governments may be indifferent to this since they can raise taxes. However, those building contractors, suppliers, retailers and hospitality services who conduct several million dollars in business every year with the cottagers donʼt have this option. They would simply lose this business. The present economic crisis highlights the importance of a diversified local economy. If the cottagers are not an environmental threat, why destroy their economic contribution? This is not rocket science. Although the matter receives less attention, we should remember too that losing an entire community is no small thing. Many local writers have documented the rich social, cultural and architectural history of Rondeau Parkʼs human landscape. It is important to remember however that it is a living community, which continues to add to the fabric of life in Chatham-Kent. Apparently this is a difficult value for policy makers in Toronto to grasp, let alone accommodate. They seem oblivious to the fact that throughout North America and Europe, parks at all levels have successfully integrated local communities within their physical boundaries, whatever the historical reasons for their presence. In contrast, the most imaginative thinking from Parks Ontario involves putting bulldozers in gear. This ministry should be embarrassed to ask a Premier to defend this policy. Rondeau cottagers should take heart from a similar struggle waged years ago by Toronto Islanders. The Islanders held a collection of modest cottages on leased land set to expire. Their successful campaign to win a 99 year extension was a long and arduous campaign. However the broader public rose to support them when it became clear that everyone would be a little poorer with the loss of this community. The late Jane Jacobs, who spent a lifetime studying these issues, said it best when she rose to their defense. She said that the community shouldnʼt be destroyed because... “Its wicked to destroy lovable, unique and lovely things. When people defend a place the way you islanders are defending this, thatʼs the greatest argument of all. It says it's worth defending.” We made the decision to restore our 1920ʼs vintage cottage in Rondeau for two reasons. The first was of a practical nature. If we waited until a lease extension decision in 2017, there would be very little left to restore. The second reason, and I confess my bias as a leaseholder, is that I donʼt believe it is in anyoneʼs interest to bulldoze this community. In time this will become apparent, even to myopic bureaucrats in Toronto. And I must admit that it felt good to express my opinion on misguided government policy with my hammer. Paul Welsman back to main