Heard Back from the Township of Innisfil

[Aaron Shirley]

This is what I was sent today from the Township of Innisfil as a reply to my concerns regarding the restricted access to parking at Big Bay Point (below). I heard TonyB had a similar reply. If enough people contact them, it just may make a difference, who knows. These restricted lots are going up all over, and I find it a slap in the face since non-resident ice anglers contribute so much to their local economy during the winter months. limiting access spots for non-resident ice anglers is ridiculous, especially when I see big parking lots for residents that are pretty much empty on a weekend. If the township was smart, they would open up the lots to everyone and charge non-residents to park.

 

Here is what someone from the Innisfil township in customer service sent me with copied replies to the clerk's services Kim Creamer <[email protected]>, Michael Dorion <[email protected]>:

 

The non-resident parking restriction at Big Bay Point was approved by council this past summer in relation to scuba diving off the dock.

 

The project was coordinated by the Clerk's dept and bylaw.

 

I have forwarded your e-mail to Clerk Services for inclusion on Council's agenda.

 

Regards

 

Maureen Wester

Customer Service Representative

Town of Innisfil

2101 Innisfil Beach Rd.

Innisfil, ON L9S 1A1

705-436-3710, Ext. 2522, Fax 705-436-7120

E-mail: [email protected]

 

This information is intended only for the person, persons, entity, or entities to which it is addressed; does not necessarily represent the views of the Town of Innisfil; may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by return e-mail and delete the correspondence from your computer.

 

-----Original Message-----

Sent: Friday, January 21, 2011 11:33 PM

To: Mark Asseltine; Inquiry Customer Service

 

Submitted values are:

 

Name: Aaron Shirley

Address:

Phone Number:

Email: [email protected]

Inquiry:

 

To whom it may concern;

 

I am an avid angler that has enjoyed spending a lot of time fishing on Lake Simcoe during every season, including ice fishing in the winter. I have spent

a considerable amount of my hard-earned money over the years in the township of Innisfil. Accomodations, fuel, bait, tackle and food are some of the

examples. One of my favourite spots to go ice fishing in the winter is Kempenfelt Bay and Big Bay Point.

 

It has been recently brought to my attention that the small parking lot at Big Bay Point to access Kempenfelt Bay and Big Bay Point has been closed to

everyone but local residents. As an angler that has spent a lot of money in Innisfil over the years, I find this to be a huge slap in the face. This is

completely unacceptable. You are biting the hands that feed you, and your recent decision to close the Big Bay Point parking lot to anglers will be met

with major backlash in the angling community.

 

I will personally make it a point to not spend any more of my hard-earned money in the township of Innisfil until suitable parking for anglers is

established at the Big Bay Point area. Furthermore, many people I know will be doing the same. And if this doesn't raise your eyebrows, we will be asking every angler we know and meet to also avoid spending money in the township of Innifil until suitable parking for anglers is established at Big Bay Point as well.

 

Please do not respond with "oh but there is a parking lot over 'there' on the lake. If you would like to keep enjoying the economic benefits that anglers

bring to the township of Innisfil, you must establish suitable parking for anglers at the Big Bay Point area. Period.

 

Sincerely,

 

Aaron Shirley

[toca]

should have replied saying if they still practice scuba diving under the ice.

[Grimace]

Nice Aaron.

 

Members of Council | www.innisfil.caMayor Barb Baguley Mayor Barb Baguley [email protected]

 

Maybe a letter to Barbara is in order. She has not screamed any death threats at council meetings like the last mayor so maybe she will listen.

[Aaron Shirley]

Thanks Grimace, may as well bring her up to speed on the situation as well

[misfish]

should have replied saying if they still practice scuba diving under the ice.

 

To answer your question,yes they do. They are hard core divers that will chain saw a triangle hole.Seen it many a times here.

 

 

Aaron atleast you got some kind of response,although nothing of importance.Side stepping sorta speck.

 

Now that they have given thier email contact,time to step it up.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

She has not screamed any death threats at council meetings like the last mayor so maybe she will listen.

 

 

Yeah we now have him on our council. You can bet it,s due to the fact that Barrie took land from Innisfil and he still has contacts with the small city and trying to keep them from annexing more.Jacksons a

Edited January 25, 2011 by Misfish

[ravinerat]

Try targeting the Chamber of Commerce. They are the busniess people of the town who are loosing money from tourist dollars. If enough of them complain to council maybe they will have to listen. Every season people send letters in and get answered by a person who still gets a pay cheque regardless of the results. Just a thought.

 

RR

[Aaron Shirley]

Thanks RR. I'm sure that will help as well. Just sent an e-mail to the mayor, Chamber of Commerce will be next.

[Grimace]

Try targeting the Chamber of Commerce. They are the busniess people of the town who are loosing money from tourist dollars. If enough of them complain to council maybe they will have to listen. Every season people send letters in and get answered by a person who still gets a pay cheque regardless of the results. Just a thought.

 

RR

 

 

[email protected]

 

http://www.innisfilchamber.com/contact/

Edited January 25, 2011 by Grimace

[Aaron Shirley]

Thanks again Grimace, sent!

[NAW]

 

This information is intended only for the person, persons, entity, or entities to which it is addressed; ...... any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited.

 

Hahaha..

 

 

Thanks for posting this Aaron. The e-mail mentioned they closed the parking lot because of Suba divers. I know lots of guys who scuba dive in the area. I wonder why residents don't want them around.. Seems a littel weird to me

[bigugli]

I also got a copy and paste reply that my concerns were being forwarded to the Clerk

[Governator]

I live near Mapleview/Yonge in Barrie and spent just as much $ in Innisfil as most of their own residents (I do my grocery shopping and lunch & coffee runs in Stroud, let alone gas runs and bait/tackle). It's such a slap to the face to those who live in the area for them to keep doing this. Makes me furious. I've been wanting to write to them about this for quite a while, people all over contribute to their town. They offer various services to attract visitors which keeps their local businesses in tact yet they neglect us with cheapshots like this.

Edited January 25, 2011 by Governator

[spinnerbaitking]

I sent this to the C.C. both clerks & the Mayor, I fish more in the summer but started a bit of ice fishing, the more that send in the better chance of something happening Thanx for starting it Aaron

 

Hey

I'm not sure what the Council of the Town of Innisfil was thinking when they shut down the parking to outsiders regarding the restricted access to parking at Big Bay Point, most areas would be lining up to grab all the Anglers money that we will eagerly spend to catch fish, There are a lot of spots to fish in our wonderful Province & I can drive any direction to catch fish Lake Simcoe just seems to be a favorite spot, I would like you to know if my money isn't good enough in the Winter it won't be going your way in the summer either, with the new open season on the Kawartha Lakes, they have already got a lot of my buddies going that way, I guess I'll be joining them, we'll wait & see if there are any changes or maybe your customer base is big enough.

Tight Lines Richard Elliott Jr.

[bigbuck]

I'd also contact some of the local businesses that you frequent and let them know that they won't be seeing you any longer. When the individual ratepayers get hit in the pocketbooks, they may start to chirp a bit.

[NAW]

I talked to one of my buddies who dives at BBP. According to him, which may not be the most credible info. He tells me that there is a resident who lives very close to the public docks, who doesn't feel divers should be using the public dock. I guess boating only?? Supposedly this guy is a big lawyer from the city..

 

A dive shop owner from the city has had enough of this guys giving him grief for using the dock. So I guess, as of lately, this resident lawyer, and dive shop owner have been going at it on a regular basis.

 

May not be true, or story maybe be one-sided.. Just passing on what I herd.. Fuel for the fire right.

[Oggie]

Thanks for pursuing this issue. The least we can all do as anglers is support your efforts with our own e-mails.

 

Dan O.

 

My letter went like this.

After staying at the Hampton Inn in Barrie this past Saturday evening, I was most annoyed to drive down to BBP at dawn only to find new signage indicating I couldn't park in my usual spot. Apparently only residents can obtain the required permit to park in this area. I specifically stayed overnight in your area to go ice fishing the next day. I did shop at the new MEC store and we did have dinner in your area.

 

I realize ice fishers are not angels and they can be noisey at times but I'm wondering why your Municipality would pass a bylaw that excludes the other residents of Ontario. I live in a sudivision near Fergus, immediately next to one of the best brown trout streams in Ontario. We have a constant flow of anglers from May until October. They make the usual noise as they arrive early and fish late into the dark. They do leave garbage and other unwanted "stuff" yet I have not petitioned my municipality to post all roads adjacent to the Grand River. In fact we organized (Friends of the Grand River) and had our Municipality build parking lots(with garbage kiosks) where possible to allow/encourage anglers in our area. We added signage to indicate access points. You can't find an opening in a Bed and Breakfast in our area once trout season opens. Our pubs are busy throughout the week with anglers after dark.

 

This problem will not be solved with signage. You are just shifting the problem onto an adjacent municipality. People are now forced to drive onto the ice to park or worse to drive on the ice to an area they wish to fish.

 

I would suggest Innisfill consider purchasing some land in areas adjacent to the lake so that as the population of Ontario continues to grow there will continue to be access to this great resource we call Lake Simcoe. Why not try to be proactive and utlize the resource to attract anglers? We all own Lake Simcoe not just the residents that are fortunate enough to purchase shoreline.

Edited January 25, 2011 by Oggie

[spinnerbaitking]

I must really rate she replied twice 10:00 & 10:08

 

Thank you for your email. I have forwarded it to Council for consideration

 

Barb Baguley

Barb Baguley - Mayor

Town of Innisfil

[email protected]

705-436-3740 x 1101

705-220-4963 cell

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Richard Elliott Jr [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2011 9:17 AM

To: [email protected]; Kim Creamer; Michael Dorion; Mayor Barb Baguley

Subject: RE: Tourist Dollars your way or not (Big Bay Point Parking)

 

Hey

I'm not sure what the Council of the Town of Innisfil was thinking when

they shut down the parking to outsiders regarding the restricted access

to parking at Big Bay Point, most areas would be lining up to grab all

the Anglers money that we will eagerly spend to catch fish, There are a

lot of spots to fish in our wonderful Province & I can drive any

direction to catch fish Lake Simcoe just seems to be a favorite spot, I

would like you to know if my money isn't good enough in the Winter it

won't be going your way in the summer either, with the new open season

on the Kawartha Lakes, they have already got a lot of my buddies going

that way, I guess I'll be joining them, we'll wait & see if there are

any changes or maybe your customer base is big enough.

Tight Lines Richard Elliott Jr.

 

 

[toca]

To answer your question,yes they do. They are hard core divers that will chain saw a triangle hole.Seen it many a times here.

 

 

thanks misfish

 

I guess that arguement is thrown out the window..... stoopid hardcore divers

[phiphntek]

Thanks for pursuing this issue. The least we can all do as anglers is support your efforts with our own e-mails.

 

Dan O.

 

My letter went like this.

After staying at the Hampton Inn in Barrie this past Saturday evening, I was most annoyed to drive down to BBP at dawn only to find new signage indicating I couldn't park in my usual spot. Apparently only residents can obtain the required permit to park in this area. I specifically stayed overnight in your area to go ice fishing the next day. I did shop at the new MEC store and we did have dinner in your area.

 

I realize ice fishers are not angels and they can be noisey at times but I'm wondering why your Municipality would pass a bylaw that excludes the other residents of Ontario. I live in a sudivision near Fergus, immediately next to one of the best brown trout streams in Ontario. We have a constant flow of anglers from May until October. They make the usual noise as they arrive early and fish late into the dark. They do leave garbage and other unwanted "stuff" yet I have not petitioned my municipality to post all roads adjacent to the Grand River. In fact we organized (Friends of the Grand River) and had our Municipality build parking lots(with garbage kiosks) where possible to allow/encourage anglers in our area. We added signage to indicate access points. You can't find an opening in a Bed and Breakfast in our area once trout season opens. Our pubs are busy throughout the week with anglers after dark.

 

This problem will not be solved with signage. You are just shifting the problem onto an adjacent municipality. People are now forced to drive onto the ice to park or worse to drive on the ice to an area they wish to fish.

 

I would suggest Innisfill consider purchasing some land in areas adjacent to the lake so that as the population of Ontario continues to grow there will continue to be access to this great resource we call Lake Simcoe. Why not try to be proactive and utlize the resource to attract anglers? We all own Lake Simcoe not just the residents that are fortunate enough to purchase shoreline.

 

Very well said. Bravo.

[Aaron Shirley]

Good stuff to everyone that sent letters in, it all helps. The township more than likely did not consider the massive ice angling tourism when they shut out the parking to non-residents. Hopefully we have made enough noise to promote change. Time will tell.

[ravinerat]

Well the issues of the divers is a tough one. This is what one of the councilors told me. The divers who were there numerous weekends parking everywhere including as far as they could get on the dock. This blocks fire as they use the dock to get water for fires at the point. This is summer I'm talking. They were telling local kids who swim at the dock they couldn't swim there. Boaters were turned away from using the dock. Town council held a meeting to figure out what to do about the esclating situation with the residents. I believe that the divers are now going to have to purchase a special events permit from the town to proceed with their dives. The no parking signs were erected to help inforce this.

 

 

RR

[misfish]

I recieved this back today Aaron,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

Good afternoon ,

 

 

 

Thank you for your letter regarding parking in the Big Bay Point area. The Town has received letters with similar concerns. The Municipal Law Enforcement Service Area is reviewing the Parking By-law to ensure that signage is proper and will be reporting to Council for further direction.

 

 

 

The Town on Innisfil is in the middle of developing a strategy (Inspiring Innisfil 2020) to develop future opportunities in economic, tourism and culture. One of the initiatives for Inspiring Innisfil is a review of parking throughout the Municipality, because of the attraction of the Lake.

 

 

 

In the meantime, Council will be receiving these complaints at the February 2, 2011 meeting.

 

 

 

If we can be of any further assistance, please contact Municipal Law Enforcement at 705-436-3710.

 

 

 

Yours in business and community,

 

 

 

sandra

 

 

 

_____________________________________________

 

 

 

Sandra Green, General Manager

 

The Greater Innisfil Chamber of Commerce

 

7896 Yonge Street, Innisfil L9S 1L5

 

Phone: 705-431-4199

 

Fax: 705-431-6628

 

[email protected]

 

www.innisfilchamber.com

 

 

 

ONE VOICE FOR A PROSPEROUS INNISFIL

Edited January 26, 2011 by Misfish

[Grimace]

Sandra is also the one that got back to me with a similar message. Barbara's message was a cut out. At least Sandy took the time to type something up. Lol.

[spinnerbaitking]

X3 Just got mine too

SBK

[misfish]

Since it,s just down the street,I,ll be attending to see if it,s true and what comes of it.Wonder if they will let me vid it?