The property under…

The property under Application 58-C-259080 is not within the Shebandowan Lake Management Plan’s objective, which states that “to protect the coldwater ecosystem in Shebandowan Lake, a Restricted Area Order will continue to be applied to the middle and upper basin, but with measures limiting the amount of new impervious surfaces (i.e. buildings, structures and improvements that do not allow water to percolate through) particularly within 30 m (100 ft) from shore” (p. v SLMP). Creating three new shoreline cottage lots will require land clearing for buildings, parking areas, and recreational spaces, removing natural vegetation that filters runoff. Additional buildings and driveways in these lots will increase impervious cover in the Restricted Area, accelerating runoff and delivering sediments and nutrients to the lake, contrary to the Shebandowan Lake Management Plan’s stated resource management objective to “protect the cold water ecosystem in the middle and upper basins, as well as the water quality of the entire lake, by striving for a reduction of nutrients from human sources (p. 4 SLMP). New septic systems for these lots will also introduce nutrient (phosphorus) loading to the coldwater ecosystem, elevating risks of algal growth and reduced hypolimnetic dissolved oxygen concentrations, putting the lake trout habitat at risk. The cumulative effect of increased nutrient loads from the clearing for these three lots intensifies these impacts of nutrient loading on the already at-risk cold water ecosystem and at-risk lake trout habitat. The Shebandowan Lake Management Plan has been in place since 1996 (updated in 2004), and the proponent should have been aware of these protections upon purchasing this property. The SLMP states that “in recognition of the social and natural resource related issues in the Shebandowan Lake Planning Area, the MNR will not consider the development of additional cottage subdivisions on Crown land in the planning area at this time” (p. 8 SLMP). Allowing the proponent to sever the subject lands into three new shoreline cottage lots increases cottage development and goes against the protective measures in the SLMP.