KILLALOE – On January 17, the Renfrew County Private Landowners Association held a public meeting at the Killaloe Lions Hall about the County of Renfrew Official Plan (OP), a document which sets out policies on how land can be used in the county.
On a crisp January evening, about 80 attended the meeting.
All elected members of Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards Township (KHR) were present.
Councillor John Jeffrey welcomed everyone to the meeting before Dan Mazur led the Lord’s Prayer.
KHR Mayor Janice Visneskie-Moore was invited to address the meeting.
Visneskie-Moore explained how shocked the County of Renfrew was to receive feedback on recommended changes to the County of Renfrew Official Plan which was submitted for approval to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) in 2018, after a lengthy public consultation process.
KHR council has authorized Visneskie-Moore to, “seek audience with ministers to talk about the Official Plan and the devastation it would cause for Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards,” she said.
Of greatest concern to KHR is the areas designated by the provincial staff as being deer yards, Visneskie-Moore said. On a map on display at the meeting, the deer yards stretched from Paugh Lake in the west to Lake Dore in the east and from the boundary of Algonquin Park in the north, towards close to the Opeongo Line.
It is feared by elected county council members and county staff that designations like this, and other amendments made by provincial staff, will delay and make development more expensive.
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