Province acts on 'medieval villages' in northern Ontario after months of 'limited response'
Orders developers behind wilderness villages in Temiskaming to follow the rules
It has ordered the developers working in unincorporated townships to show they are following the rules by the end of the year.
More than a year after first hearing concerns about these off-grid communities popping up in the Temiskaming district, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued an information bulletin on Nov. 30.
It lays out existing laws and policies around planning, building, sewage disposal and water use that need to be followed in unorganized areas outside of municipal boundaries.
In a letter obtained by CBC, the ministry further requests specific information from the Boreal Forest Medieval Villages corporation that has so far developed four of these villages in the north, and gives the corporation until Dec. 30 to reply.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has released an information bulletin listing the rules and regulations already in place for any development in unincorporated townships of northern Ontario. (Erik White/CBC)
The letter states that previous requests for information from the province have received "limited response."
It asks for a description and inventory of the structures built on these properties, information about the number of composting toilets in use and the estimated daily sewage flows and evidence of permits for waste disposal. It also requests information on plans for drinking water and emergency services, especially considering the "primitive" roads into these properties.
The ministry is also looking for information about the legal relationship between the people who buy shares in each village, entitling them to a half-acre of land, and the corporation that actually owns the undivided property.
Requests for comment from the Boreal Forest Medieval Villages corporation were not returned.
'This is happening all over Ontario'
"There are laws and policies in place and that they need to be followed," said Russell Evans, president of the Kenogami Watershed Ecological Alliance.
The group was formed after a medieval village was planned for undeveloped waterfront property on Kenogami Lake, across from Evans's home.
He and some neighbours actually tried to purchase the property earlier this year, pooling together $650,000 — about $25,000 more than what he says the village developers eventually paid for it.
Evans said that since then, there has been some "friction" around the lake, with private roads leading to the property at times being blocked so would-be investors couldn't take a closer look.
He said he believes the ministry bulletin makes it clear that a multi-unit development would not be allowed on the waterfront property, but he would still like to see the province issue a minister's zoning order to close any potential loopholes.
"We will keep lobbying because this is happening all over Ontario," Evans said. "We will continue to make sure this never happens again."
Lois Perry, a councillor for Coleman Township and president of the Temiskaming Municipal Association, said she had a big smile when she heard the province was taking action, some 16 months after she first raised concerns.
"It started to get a little scary that they weren't listening. And lo and behold, they were," she said. "We will not drop it."
The gate to the Swan Lake community, where only a handful of the 160 investors have set up trailers and small homes so far. (Erik White/CBC )
Perry said she hopes that the dozens of people who were interested in moving to these wilderness communities will still be able to come to the north.
"The north is always open to new development and more people; however, it has to be done the proper way," she said.
"You know, the north isn't a playground that is open to everyone to just come up and abuse the resources."
MPP wonders how rules will be enforced
Tanner Demers and his partner bought seven shares in a village calling itself Swan Lake, on an old clearcut, not too far off Highway 11.
They moved from southern Ontario to Kirkland Lake a few years ago so they could start planning their dream home on the bush land they purchased for about $19,000.
"Ideally if the project pans out the way it was supposed to pan out, I would love to be able to raise a family up here. I would love to be able to do it in the bush. I mean, I don't know if that's going to be possible," the 27-year-old said.
Tanner Demers, 27, bought seven shares of the Swan Lake village near Kirkland Lake for $19,000 and still hopes to build a family home in the off-grid community. (Tanner Demers)
"If this project pans out, this will be the best investment I've ever made. If it doesn't pan out, sure, I lose some money. The loss isn't that huge if we can't build residential homes there. I'm still going to go in and enjoy the property."
Demers said he hopes Swan Lake can be saved if he and his would-be neighbours plan it out properly.
"I don't think anybody that's invested into the project is trying to dodge that. If we have to move forward with proper planning, we're happy to do that," he said.
"So far I haven't been told that what we're doing is illegal, just that we have to provide information about how our project is running."
Timiskaming-Cochrane MPP John Vanthof says he doesn't fault the province for the slow response to the developments in unorganized townships, but he wonders how the rules will be enforced. (John Vanthof)
John Vanthof, the MPP for Timiskaming-Cochrane, said unincorporated areas in general have been "flying under the radar" of the provincial government for decades.
"I think it took everyone by surprise when the village concept reared its head; it took a while for the government to react," the veteran New Democrat MPP said.
"I don't fault the government for taking so long. I wish they would have acted sooner. But it's something we've never had to deal with before."
Vanthof said he does wonder how the province intends to enforce the rules spelled out in the bulletin in these somewhat remote unincorporated areas. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs did not answer that or other questions submitted by CBC.
"We have to make sure that we don't hurt people who live in unorganized who are actually trying to live by the law of the land in an attempt to stop those who aren't," he said.
"That's the quandary we are all facing."
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New off-grid, low-cost villages are growing in the northern Ontario wilderness
Ontario government says it is monitoring new communities being built in the Temiskaming wilderness
"This is it. Chez me," said the 56-year-old, who recently moved from Toronto to become one of the first citizens of Swan Lake.
That's the name given to a new community being built in the bush about a 40 minute drive north of the town of Kirkland Lake.
Standing on a hill overlooking an old logging clear cut, you can spot about a dozen trailers and other structures scattered over the landscape.
56-year-old Charles Sule moved from Toronto to become one of the first permanent residents of the community of Swan Lake. (Erik White/CBC )
It's in an unincorporated township, so there are lower taxes, less building rules and fewer costs for someone wanting a home of their own.
"Less than 30 grand for a house of your dreams. House of my dreams anyway," said Sule.
He is busy getting ready for the first winter in his new home. The to-do list includes putting in all the windows and insulation, getting his stove installed, putting in a rain barrel, getting solar panels up on the roof and getting enough firewood cut to last him through the cool months.
Charles Sule is busy getting his 10 by-24 foot house finished before winter and has future plans to add a porch, garden and pizza oven. (Erik White/CBC )
Sule also has to figure out what he'll do for a refrigerator, shower and toilet. Right now he has to walk down the hill to use the "comfort station" the community put in after consulting with the local health unit.
The board of directors for Swan Lake, who represent the dozens of investors who bought a share from the Boreal Forest Medieval Villages company entitling them to a half-acre site, declined an interview.
They and some of the other communities being built on undivided land in unorganized areas have been under fire from existing cities and towns in Temiskaming, who want to see the province bring in tighter regulations for this new type of development.
"Our whole point is to walk lightly on the land, so go ahead and regulate us," said Sule, who figures that a half-dozen people might stay in Swan Lake over this winter.
"What less can we do?"
Another one of these communities is being built on bush land on the shores of Long Lake, up stream from the existing village of Charlton, not far from New Liskeard.
A sign pointing the way to the community of Swan Lake is nailed to a birch tree in the bush north of Kirkland Lake. (Erik White/CBC )
It's being called Longview. Alex McMurray says he is one of the four permanent residents, as well as being president of the Boreal Forest Off-Grid Association that represents the 92 investors.
"I think there's a lot of misconception on what it will look like. Because I don't think it's going to progress quickly. Most of our members haven't actually been here," said McMurray.
"This concept that we're somehow a subdivision is just so far off the mark."
McMurray says while some buying into Longview are just looking for a summer campsite, for him, preparing to survive the "major environmental disasters or the wars that seem to be on the horizon" means having access to land.
The medieval villages in Temiskaming have been busy building roads through the bush so investors can access the half-acre plots they purchased. (Erik White/CBC )
He says so far the only permanent structure in the community is a building "related to waste management," adding he can't say more while in the midst of an environmental assessment ordered by the province.
"We're not ever going to be a threat to the ecology or the local infrastructure or anything like that, because our goal is specifically to do things better and to improve exactly those systems," McMurray said.
But Longview's neighbours are very concerned about what this new village could mean for the environment and local services.
Sandra Parkin, the incoming reeve for the municipality of Charlton-Dack, says concerns about the new development up the lake are 'front and centre' for her small community. (Erik White/CBC )
"It sounds absolutely dreamy," said Sandra Parkin, the incoming reeve of Charlton-Dack, a municipality of about 300 people downstream from Longview.
"But then when you start looking at the underlying issues, the effect that it's going to have on the local communities and on the lake... It's a real shame, because you want the north to grow, but it's got to be sustainable."
The current reeve, Merrill Bond, has been lobbying the provincial government to bring in new regulations for these communities, especially when it comes to protecting drinking water
The new boreal village of Longview is being built on the shores of Long Lake, upstream from the existing town of Charlton. (Erik White/CBC )
"It's ridiculous. Why can you go to this border and you got a set of rules here and a totally different set of rules here? And I mean totally different," said Bond.
"And our government from what I can see are turning their heads. You take four or five of them in a community, you're going to destroy everything around you."
So far the Ontario government isn't saying much about the so-called medieval villages, but says it is keeping an eye on them to make sure rules are being followed.
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https://savourontario.milk.org/Taste-Ontario/Celebrate-Local-with-Pizza
February 9th is unofficially recognized as Pizza Day, but we really don’t think anyone should wait to enjoy this beloved dish that has evolved to include flavour combinations from nearly every global cuisine. We encourage everyone to make tonight pizza night! If you don’t feel like cooking, it’s the perfect excuse to order takeout or delivery while supporting a local Ontario business.
In honour of this day, we caught up with Tanner Demers, Pizza Chef, to learn more about the finer points of the pizza-making art.
Tanner is a baker and chef who found his way to pizza-making as a kind of “common ground” between the two disciplines, and now he’s hooked. After culinary training in Montreal, QC, he moved to Guelph to get started in the pizza business before his career led him to Cowabunga in Hamilton, Ontario. “I’ll stay with pizza forever. I understand it fully. Pizza is the same as creating a dish, but you put it on dough. To a pizza maker, the dough is a canvas. It’s not about traditional tomato sauce and cheese.”
Taking stock of Hamilton’s growing ‘pizza scene’, Demers feels it’s diverse and innovative enough to warrant its own food tour. “We have everything from classic, to Detroit-style pizza with a tiki bar. Elevated pizzerias are doing completely different things and we’ve learned that there’s no ‘pizza type’ when it comes to customers. Everyone is coming through the door.” CowaBunga does about 250 American and neapolitan-style pizzas a day, selling out days in advance.
A true disciple, Demers has a palpable passion for all aspects of the craft. “Great pizza is about quality ingredients, and staff who are passionate about pizza making and who understand the science of making pizza. Every time you change something - the temperature, for example. If you change the temperature, you have to change the ingredients. You have to balance the ingredients with the cooking style. I try as hard as I can to frequent local markets or find local suppliers. All of my flour comes from K2. I just started diving into cheese making with rennet-free, natural cheeses as well as yogurt and kefir. Most people just mix a dough, stretch it right away and make the pizza. There's a lot of science behind it.”
While he’s happy in Hamilton for now, he recently purchased land near Kirkland Lake, ON within an off-grid community and plans to open his own northern mobile pizza business someday. “I have a passion for it, and I don’t ever see myself getting bored. It’s an endless dish.”
Tanner’s advice for home pizza makers is to stick to the same dough recipe every time and perfect it. “It's not about the dough recipe - most are very similar - it's about the timing - when the dough is supposed to be used. It's a process of repetitive trial and error, until you get it just right.”
Tanner’s go-to pizza is pesto Margherita, but for the more adventurous folks, we’re sharing some of our favourite, unique tastes and textures to adorn your daily pie. There are no ‘wrong’ pizzas, so why not explore a mix of new and classic Ontario cheeses paired with different ingredients destined to become part of your regular order.