By John Francis, Bruce Peninsula Press
BPDS Tennis/Pickleball Court
Early this summer, the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula (MNBP) reached an agreement with Bluewater District School Board (BWDSB) to permit community use of the Bruce Peninsula District School (BPDS) Tennis Court, on condition that MNBP pay half the cost of refurbishing it.
Facilities Manager Mark Coleman was directed by Council to get tenders for reconstructing the facility, which has become almost unuseable from neglect.
Manager Coleman’s Report in the Agenda for Council’s August 12 Meeting recommends that the lowest tender, from MEI Paving of Chesley, be accepted.
The tender calls for removing and replacing the asphalt, applying new surface coating, painting all lines for tennis and pickleball, replacing all chain link fencing and providing new nets for both sports. The tender fits within the costs projected in the agreement with BWDSB.
Unfortunately, it can’t happen until 2025. The report states:
“The project start will need to be deferred to July/August of 2025 due to contractor availability and the 30-45 days required for the new asphalt to cure and night-time temperatures above 12 degree Celsius needed for the curing of the court surface coatings and line painting.”
Tobermory Harbour — Outer North Wall
A bylaw scheduled for passage at MNBP’s August 12 Council Meeting will authorize an agreement with Transport Canada for MNBP to take over Tobermory Harbour’s outer north wall. Longtime residents will remember this as the former moorage for the ferry Nindawayma.
The outer north wall allows Tobermory to accommodate larger boats than can’t maneuvre in the inner harbour. The outer north wall is also immediately adjacent to the Harbour Master’s office and the fuel dock.
Facilities Manager Coleman recommended the agreement at Council’s July 22 Meeting; Deputy Mayor Rod Anderson, who has been working around Tobermory Harbour off and on since the 1970s, agreed, pointing out that it also “gives us control of who’s impeding our fuel dock”.
Tourism Strategy Delayed
A letter from Tobermory Chamber of Commerce appears in the Agenda for MNBP Council’s August 12 Meeting.
Signed by Chamber President Lindsey Griffith, the letter points out, politely, that the municipality and the Chamber came to an agreement under which the Chamber would create a Tourism Strategy Master Plan.
But it notes that this was to be funded by revenues from the Municipal Accommodation Tax — the 4% tax levied on stays at Short-Term Accommodations (which are residential properties rented out for periods of less than one month).
The letter points out that 2023 MAT revenues fell well short of expectations and funds provided to the Chamber were not supplemented to make up the shortfall. Here are a few excerpts:
The letter begins:
“We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for your trust and partnership with the Tobermory Chamber of Commerce, particularly as it pertains to the Municipal Accommodations Tax and the tourism information services provided in the Municipality.”
But the letter goes on to point out that:
“The amount of MAT funds received by the Chamber in 2023 were not sufficient to cover the entire cost of wages to have our tourism information centres fully staffed. This means that while we were able to provide information to visitors, we were very limited on what we were able to accomplish outside of that basic information sharing. This also means that we have been unable to retain our previous Coordinator at the promised rate as we were not able to fund the position full-time, year-round, as is required for the amount of work the position assumes.”
The letter concludes that:
“…Until the budget is adequate enough to retain our Coordinator full-time, year-round, preferably with an assistant – and knowing the increase in funds is not expected in the near future – we feel that it will be difficult to meet this deadline in a more meaningful way.
We look forward to discussing this with Council further.”
The full letter can be found in the Meeting Agenda, online.
Disclosure: I am a member of Tobermory Chamber of Commerce Executive but had no part in drafting this letter.
