By Tessa Swanton, Bruce Peninsula Press
Megan Myles presented the Tobermory Active Transportation Plan to Council at the April 14th Council Meeting. The plan was prepared alongside three other University of Guelph Rural Planning graduate students in the fall of 2022, Jennie Aikman, Alex Boekestyn, and Shanley Weston. Myles stated that the Plan is “multisolving,” addressing multiple challenges in a rural community, like improving safety and accessibility for an age-friendly community while combating traffic, congestion, and parking concerns. Some key public comments include “pedestrians are the ones frequenting downtown businesses and activities (not drivers), a section of sidewalk with no bike lane on Highway 6 is dangerous, and the harbour area is confusing for visitors.” Myles indicated that Bruce County could be identified as a potential partner as there are no County-owned roads north of Lion’s Head, Tobermory has been promoted as a destination by the County, and County collaboration has lessened in recent years.
Research gathered by the authors states that, “Tobermory has a permanent population of 1,119, with an average age of 55 and a median age of 60—20 years higher than the provincial median (Statistics Canada, 2022). The population is predominantly older, with 41% of residents of MNBP (Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula) aged 65 or over, over twice the proportion in the Canadian population (Statistics Canada, 2022). Only 8.2% of the population is under 14 years old, which is half the proportion in the Canadian population.” The authors estimate that in 2019 575,000 tourists visited Tobermory. “Of those who visited the region, 61% stayed overnight, and of those who stayed overnight, 47% stayed more than six nights. Bruce County has a prominent tourist industry that results in a significant shift in seasonal inhabitants during prime tourism season, which lasts from June to September.”
The Planning students circulated a question to the Tobermory Chamber of Commerce: “If a magic fairy could grant you wishes to improve the safety, accessibility, convenience and experience of walking and cycling in/around Tobermory, what would they be?” Common themes received as responses include a pedestrian-friendly Little Tub Harbour, path expansion, bike racks and rentals, signal at Highway 6 and Hay Bay Intersection, signage and road markings, path improvements, shuttle service, carpooling promotion, and increased OPP presence.
Myles suggested priorities for the Council based on community input and research.
-“Priority #1: Continue to pedestrianize areas around Little Tub Harbour;
-Priority #2: Expand network of shared use pathways;
-Priority #3: Install traffic signal and crosswalk at Highway 6 and Hay Bay Road;
-Priority #4: Pilot a seasonal shuttle system;
-Priority #5: Pilot a bike/e-bike rental; and
-Priority #6: Update policies to support active transportation.”
Myles asked Council, “which priorities do you see as the most important, most viable, and the most impactful?” She continued, “This summer, 2025, is really your last chance as this Council to pilot some [initiatives], next summer will be lame duck (triggered when less than three-quarters of an outgoing council can be re-elected; restricts certain actions of a council under the Municipal Act), so it’s really a matter of reflecting on what you want your legacy to be. [Within] this Council, we have three people who live in Tobermory.”
Myles recommended a permeable shared use path with a width of 10-12 feet. Councillor Todd Dowd mentioned that a walking only trail (keeping bikes on the roadways) may be more reasonable and cost effective. Myles said that paid parking revenues and external funding (Climate Action Fund) could be used to fund the infrastructure. She suggested implementing pilot projects that may be tweaked as needed and a public consultation process with various stakeholders.
Looking into the future, Myles presented the concept of a seasonal, user pay system, Highway 6 (Tobermory to Wiarton) Inter-Community Transit Service with bus-mounted bike racks to allow for greater connectivity with other communities. The transit program has the potential to collaborate with Bruce County, Grey Transit Route, Park Bus or other interested parties.
Smaller, easily achievable, solutions were shared by Myles: “Implement a pricing strategy and promotional campaign for paid parking that encourages visitors to park once and plan ahead; paint the pavement; pilot car-free weekends in Little Tub Harbour; launch a pedestrian wayfinding campaign; and install bike racks at key locations.”
Myles said, “Change is hard. We all know. There are low risk ways to start piloting what things could look like. Think about the potential at The Meeting Place and the old Tobermory Primary Place Daycare site. It’s going to take a lot of collaboration with local businesses, the Tobermory Chamber of Commerce, and Parks Canada to really have an integrated system that is going to provide a good visitor and local resident experience.”
Myles has experience serving as a MNBP councillor from 2018 to 2022 which included acting as a Council representative for the Tobermory Chamber of Commerce, Sustainable Tourism Advisory Group and Climate Action Committee. The Active Transportation Plan was created as a course submission for “Healthy Rural Communities” taught be Dr. Wayne Caldwell, who Myles considers the “father of rural planning.” When pitching her Tobermory focused idea to her fellow groupmates, they appeared “keen”, and the plan resulted in one of Myles’ best group projects of her master’s degree receiving an excellent grade of 96%.
To view the presentation or read the Tobermory Active Transportation Plan, visit https://northernbrucepeninsula.civicweb.net/ and select the April 14th, 2025, Council Meeting.
21 Unit (Lot) Condominium Proposal – Island 72 Near Greenough Harbour
Bruce County Planning staff are in the process of reviewing a proposal from Arrowcross Corporation to construct a 21-lot condominium on vacant Island 72 off Greenough Harbour Lane, on the west side of the former Lindsay Township. The applicant is proposing 21 residential detached dwellings serviced by private wells and tertiary septic systems. The development will be accessed from Greenough Harbour Lane to a private road connecting the mainland to Island 73 and 72 by a causeway.
As noted in a report from the municipal clerk dated April 14th, comments received from Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) with respect to the development proposal suggest “significant concerns…including proximity to protected areas such as Provincially Significant Wetlands and Provincially Significant Life Science ANSI.” In addition, “the waters adjacent to the proposed development contain the highest larval fish concentration documented in SON Territory.” Stage 3 and 4 archeological assessments are still required.
Council reviewed the planning application on April 14th and submitted several comments to the Bruce County Planning department. Comments include that the Municipality requires 5% cash-in-lieu of parkland; the Municipality absolves itself from any road obligations as the road is private; a traffic control plan must be submitted prior to road construction; a 3% deposit shall be submitted to mitigate potential damages to municipal roads; the owner must confirm that the road has an adequate turning radius for emergency vehicles; Block 22 will be open space; as-built drawings must be provided; building permits will be granted after 95% of the road has been constructed; the right-of-way must be a minimum width of 20 metres; Stage 3 and 4 archaeological assessments with SON must be submitted; and Block 62 in the Greenough Harbour Subdivision shall not be developed.
Additional information about the application is available online at https://www.brucecounty.on.ca/active-planning-applications. A Public Meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 12th at 1:00 p.m. online and at the Municipal Office. Contact info@northernbruce.ca for information on how to attend/participate.
MNBP Awarded Tom Wayman Digital Transformation Leader of the Year Award
Kara Smith, GIS/IT Manager for the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula (MNBP) was presented with the Tom Wayman Digital Transformation Leader of the Year Award by Laserfiche, a company specializing in online document management. Formally known as the Executive of the Year, this award recognizes the visionary leader who has driven digital transformation across their organization and delivered advances in internal and external customer experiences using Laserfiche technology.
MNBP began the digital transformation in August of 2022. Smith said, “The transformation allowed the small team to digitize records and lead an organization wide shift bringing workflow automation and process optimization across every department. Laserfiche has allowed us to bridge the gap between the past and digital future allowing us to focus on what matters the most, service to our community.”
Kara’s vision for digital transformation has resulted in over 1,100 hours and $160,000 in annual savings.
