The Township of Muskoka Lakes is divided into three Wards, each of which is represented by one District Councillor, and two Township Councillors. The Mayor is elected by all eligible voters in the Township, making a Township Council of ten elected members.
Prior to the All Candidates’ Meeting that the Muskoka Ratepayers’ Association sponsored prior to the 2022 election, each candidate running for office was sent a list of questions to answer. These questions were designed to be open ended so that the candidate would have to think about their response rather than reply with a simple “yes” or “no” type answer. The questions covered a wide range of topics including taxation, community, development, environment, affordable housing, etc.
All but one of the candidates responded, and the answers of the elected councillors are provided here so that you can see what each thought was important prior to the election.
The questions are listed here, and then referred to by number in their individual responses to avoid repetition of the full question.
- What improvements do you believe the next council needs to initiate to make the Township of Muskoka Lakes a better community for all residents and businesses?
- Property owners are concerned with constant tax increases. What changes, if any, would you promote to drive a more cost-effective delivery of services to your constituents?
- The Township has been updating its Official Plan and By-laws for Site Alteration and Septic Inspections. The changes proposed are intended to improve the environment, especially in waterfront areas, but could impact costs and reduce current property rights for the majority of owners.
- Given that there is no data to support many of the proposed changes, what would you do to build a database which would justify the proposed changes?
- What major environmental improvements do you believe will result from these enhanced regulations, how will they be measured, and what additional costs will the average taxpayer incur?
- Housing affordability/attainability is a significant issue? Many of the affordability issues relate to zoning regulations especially those applicable to locations for multiple family units. What changes would you promote to make housing more affordable in Muskoka Lakes?
