news flash
 October 5, 2017
Cottage Closing Food Drives
As many of you close up your cottage this Thanksgiving weekend, remember that both the Winter Pantry, serving Baysville and Dorset; and Hillside Oxtongue Lake Dwight, "HOLD" are asking for donations to their Food Drives. Non-perishable, unopened food and toiletries can be dropped off at:

   Baysville and Dorset Liquor Stores

   Dwight Garden Centre, 2876 Highway 60

   Erika's, 2832 Highway 60

   Oxtongue Craft Cabin, 1073 Fox Point Rd

   White Birches Cottages, 1016 Oxtongue Lake Rd

Have your say about the different hospital models
Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare is planning hospital care for the future - the year 2030 and beyond. 
 
A new task force with broad membership is considering three potential models to provide hospital care in the future. 
 
Be part of shaping the future of hospital care!

The task force wants public feedback on:

- each of the three models

- the criteria to be used to evaluate the models

 

Click here to complete the survey.
 
The survey will be open until Friday October 13.
To request a hard copy, call 705-789-2311 ext. 2544.

District Encourages Public Feedback As It Considers Future Council Composition Composition

 
Open House Tonight
The District Municipality of Muskoka is currently reviewing the size and composition of District Council and has retained Andrew Sancton Consulting to support the review process.  An Interim Report with background research and preliminary analysis is completed and available for review here. Council is very interested in hearing feedback from the public and will host a Public Consultation Session tonight (Thursday October 5, 2017; 7:00-9:00pm) in the District's Council Chamber (70 Pine Street, Bracebridge). Click here for a map.
"It is important that council structures like Muskoka's are periodically reviewed to ensure that the governance arrangements are fair and effective for our Area Municipalities and its residents," explains John Klinck, District Chair and Vice-chair of the Council Composition Review Committee. "We encourage all residents to come out to the public meeting and share their views and important input." 
As part of the review process, the consultant will review and make recommendations regarding how many representatives each local municipality has on District Council; how many votes each representative has; and, how those issues should be resolved given the unique challenges posed by the District's large seasonal population. Following the public and stakeholder consultations, a Final Report will be prepared for consideration by District Council on October 16, 2017. 
Draft Economic Development Strategy - Online Survey
The Township of Lake of Bays is creating an Economic Development Strategy to guide the Township's delivery of economic development services. They would like to thank everyone who participated in the first round of public consultation and provided direct input to help shape the Draft  Economic Development Strategy  - click here. They would now like your thoughts on the Draft Strategy.
 
DID WE HEAR YOU CORRECTLY?
Click here to complete this short online survey
 
The survey will remain open until October 17, 2017.
 
If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Clancy, Economic Development Coordinator at 705-635-2272 ext.235 or [email protected].

Got a Hot Tub?
Here's how to safely (and legally) drain it

At this time of year, some of you are emptying your hot tubs. Remember, it's never safe to drain your hot tub straight into the lake. The grey water should be disposed of through a sewage system. But loading up your septic tank with 1,700 litres of water at once is going to flush out the bacteria that keep the system functioning.

Instead, one week before you intend to drain the tub, stop adding chemicals and leave the cover off. Chlorine and bromine, the most common sanitizers in tub water, evaporate when they're exposed to air. You can help expedite this process by turning off the heater and running the jets for a few hours.

Once the chlorine or bromine levels are close to zero, you can start pumping out the water into your septic system in small batches over a few days.
Source: Cottage Life magazine, Winter 2016
2016 Photo Contest 2nd place winner, David Fulford - Life at the Lake
2017 LOBA Photo Contest
New Deadline, December 15, 2017
 
Open to all Lake of Bays Association members and families for submission in the categories below. Photos must be previously unpublished and submitted - one per individual, per category - in digital format to Aben Graphics; [email protected] before  December 15, 2017 . Subject line of the email, Lake of Bays 2017 Photo Contest. Contestants agree to the use of their photos for the Lake of Bays Association yearbook, newsletter, website  and social media sites.

LIFE at the LAKE:  people, pets and dwellings
NATURE: wild plants and animals
LANDSCAPE: land, water and sky

Check out the winning photos and all 2016 submissions  here.
Wishing you and yours a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

The purpose of the Lake of Bays Association is to promote, maintain and enhance a clean and healthy natural environment, a well serviced community and a safe and peaceful Lake of Bays.





Lake of Bays Association

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