As we begin another new year, we hope it will be filled with peace, good health, and happiness. We consider ourselves blessed to have enjoyed such warm weather last autumn, but in contrast it seems we already have had almost a full season’s worth of winter as we were buried with snow over the holiday season. Many were stuck in their homes without power or snow plowing for several days. As usual at this time of year, we warn you to not take any chances venturing out onto the ice until you are certain that it is safe.
Here are some things that have been happening in December:
2025 Township of Georgian Bay Budget
Council adopted the 2025 budget at their December meeting. The 2025 consolidated operating budget has been approved with an overall municipal tax levy increase of 8.44%. This results in an increase of $104.41 to an average Township property assessed at $453,000 or $23.00 per $100,000 assessment. The blended tax increase, including District of Muskoka and education, will be released in the new year. The following are some of the approved capital projects and expenditures for 2025:
- Baxter Ward Community Center Building Upgrades $123,000
- Honey Harbour Public Launch Ramp $75,000
- Fire Pumps $7,000
- MacTier Union Cemetery Upgrades $30,000
- Honey Harbour Dog Park $20,000
- MacTier Dog Park $20,000
- MacTier Ball Park Fencing and Infield Upgrades $60,000
- Fire and Emergency Services 22′ Boat $25,000
- MacTier Arena Exhaust Fan $8,000
- Road Upgrades $2,500,000
- The Georgian Bay Public Library budget allotment $496,000.
Water Quality Testing
After a successful RFP process, Greenland International/Dillion Consulting Ltd. was awarded the contract to design a Water Quality Program at a cost of $96,776.81. This will enhance our current efforts to monitor water quality on our lake to help mitigate such perils as Blue Green Algae due to phosphorus overloading.
Paid Parking at Public Launches
Following direction from Council, staff investigated the concept of a paid or partially paid parking system for Go Home Lake and Six Mile Lake public parking areas. Through the summer season we launched a survey and met several times with Brad Sokach, the township Operations Manager. He made a presentation of his findings to council and upon review it was decided this would not be a financially successful system for the Township. This still leaves the question open of non-lake resident visitors crowding our lots.
Garbage Collection
The District of Muskoka, who is responsible for waste collection, has indicated their plans to scale back the current level of service, prompting the need for proactive measures to ensure we do not see a decline in standards. To that end, Council is in the process of developing a terms of reference for a consultant who will draft a comprehensive report outlining viable options to maintain current levels of garbage collection services our in community. The end result may be that the township assumes responsibility for its own waste management, which would provide more control over service levels and costs. If you have input, please contact our councillors, Graziano and Bochek.
Important Library Survey
Georgian Bay Public Library recently launched a community survey and are looking to expand and enhance their services within our community. They’ve asked us to share the survey with the Six Mile Lake Community. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated and will assist them in planning for the future. To complete the survey, go to:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Stephanie Clare sclare.gbplibrary@gbtownship.
Help needed on the board
At our AGM at the end of October, we welcomed Brandon MacMillan onto our board and sadly said goodbye to Denise Edwards and Brian Ingham. That means we still have one position available. This is a great opportunity for someone to get involved in important decision making regarding serving the community that we all love. Please contact info@sixmilelake.net if you would like more information regarding this open position.
We are also looking for help in the following areas:
- Communications Officer. We’re still looking for someone to assist and coordinate our communications. We’ve come a long way with our monthly email campaigns and our Facebook page, but there’s still much that can be done.
- Bookkeeper. Rick Jocsak could really use some help to assist him with bookkeeping duties. This involves basic bookkeeping, such as writing cheques, billing, bank deposits, and preparation of financial statements.
Natural shore lines and environment.
Septic systems, no matter how good they are, do not remove phosphorus! Phosphorus promotes the growth of algae and plant life in our waters, which depletes oxygen. One thing we can do to mitigate the runoff of phosphorus into the water is focus on rebuilding shorelines with deep rooting plants and shrubs instead of lawns. We will be establishing a lake environment stewardship committee to coordinate information and help with education on the environment. We have several ideas on how to promote and celebrate great natural shorelines and the committee will explore and implement ideas for how to do this. If you’re interested in participating, let us know at info@sixmilelake.net .
Please be safe
Once again, we remind you to exercise extreme caution when venturing out onto the ice and out on the trails. Make sure your smoke/CO2 detectors are working and keep furnace vents clear from snow build up. Let’s have a safe, fun winter!
2019 CWS Authorization.pdf