By John Francis, Bruce Peninsula Press
As you have read many times in this space, Northern Bruce Peninsula has the lowest tax rate in Bruce County. This means we also have the smallest municipal budget and the smallest municipal staff.
Despite that, MNBP is undertaking a bewildering array of initiatives — and getting them done! In no particular order:
A Climate Change Committee has been created and is meeting regularly, devising ways the municipality can reduce its carbon footprint and adapt to changing circumstances.
A Sustainable Tourism Advisory Group has been launched, with the municipality as a co-sponsor with Parks Canada. This gives the various stakeholders an opportunity to discuss and coordinate their tourism plans. Getting decisionmakers from Provincial Parks, National Parks, Regional Tourism Organization, Bruce County Tourism, Chamber of Commerce, Bruce Trail and others all to the same (virtual) table at the same time is an impressive accomplishment. Documenting and coordinating the dizzying variety of initiatives is very time-consuming, but there are large paybacks in synergy and reduction in wasted effort.
A Bylaw to regulate Short-Term Accommodations (STAs) is in the works. Two rounds of public consultations have taken place. The STA Bylaw is scheduled to be completed this fall and implemented for 2022.
The process of hiring a new Fire Chief has been underway for several months. A candidate was chosen and hired; he begins work this week.
New public washrooms (complete with sinks and flush toilets) have been purchased and are being installed in two locations in Tobermory (more locations will be added).
A process is underway to turn Cabot Head Road into a world-class cycling trail.
Funding has been approved for a major upgrade to the arena at Lion’s Head. It won’t build itself.
Major roadwork projects are underway at Isthmus Bay and Heron Point.
And finally: paid parking is rolling out in several new locations in 2021. Parking restrictions are being implemented in several locations as well, plus the enforcement presence to manage both of these.
Council and Staff have given a lot of thought to making this as seamless as possible. Here is a quick summary:
A Resident’s Guide to Paid Parking in MNBP for 2021
Parking passes (or money!) will be required in a number of locations in Northern Bruce Peninsula this summer. Parking passes are valid for all municipal parking locations, not just the nearest ones. All MNBP residents and cottagers with a parking pass may park free (subject to availability and time limits) at all paid parking locations in MNBP.
Paid parking has been in place in the village of Tobermory since 2017; this year the coverage area will expand to include Dunks Bay Road.
New paid parking programs will be implemented in most of the village of Lion’s Head plus parking lots at Dyers Bay (top of the hill before the road dives down into the village), Cape Chin North (Borchardt Road parking lot) and Cape Chin South (Carter Road). The program will likely expand to other locations in future years.
Parking passes are free for MNBP residents and cottage owners. Passes are issued for specific vehicles; each dwelling is allowed passes for two vehicles. To get your pass, you must submit the ownership of the vehicle and proof of residency or ownership of a dwelling. (If the dwelling is rented to a full-time tenant, then the tenant would normally be entitled to the passes, not the property’s owner.)
If this sounds complicated, it turns out to be fairly simple in practice. You can submit your documents by mail or email and your permit or permits will be mailed to you. Or, you can put your documents in an envelope, put the envelope in the slot at the municipal office (during business hours) and wait in the parking lot. Your pass or passes will be ready in about five minutes. Municipal staff assure me that they are issuing many passes every day and that the process goes very smoothly. Don’t forget to bring the ownership for each vehicle you wish to get a permit for.
The Moral of the Story: Be Nice
The moral of the story: municipal staff are punching ‘way above their weight. They are trying to get things done despite being plagued by COVID protocols, shortages of labour and materials and increasing costs for materials and contractors.
Be nice to them; they’re dealing with enough aggravation already.
