BSRA NEWSLETTER – SPRING 2016

WATER LEVELS IN LAKE HURON ARE RISING ↑ Bluewater shoreline residents are well aware of the dramatic rise in Lake Huron’s water level over the past two years. The combination of minimal ice cover on the lake this past winter, high winds and wave action, and large amounts of rain this spring, has narrowed the beaches and may lead to erosion issues along the lakefront. → What impact will high water have on your property? Become informed. Come to the June 4th BSRA General

Meeting to learn more about this water level issue. Our speaker will be Lynne Peterson from the University of Toronto and a study leader for the Great Lakes Water Levels Integrated Assessment – a project sponsored by the Graham Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan. This project is examining the current status, trends, causes and consequences of changing water levels along the shorelines of the Great Lakes, and particularly in Huron County. Find out what you can do to adapt to and/or manage higher water levels. The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) has issued an alert about the increased risk for slope failures in the gullies and on the bluffs along the lake. Read more about this at www.abca.on.ca. ABCA also is currently reviewing/updating its Shoreline Management Plan. This plan most likely will set out new boundaries for hazardous zones along the shoreline, will reset the “top of the lake bluff” line, and will affect future lakefront development. Plan to attend public Open Houses in August 2016 and learn how your property might be affected and what measures you can take (or not take) to minimize erosion. Go to the ABCA website to read the Shoreline Management Plan Newsletter No. 2 and the discussion paper Climate Change Impacts on the Great Lakes. →What can you do in the meantime? To maintain your beach and hillside, your best option is to encourage and protect the growth of the dune grass. The dune grass traps sand, builds up the beach and makes it more difficult for wave action to reach and affect the toe of the bank. THE ASSESSMENT VALUE OF YOUR PROPERTY $$ (and, therefore, the amount of municipal tax you pay) The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) is mailing out its 2016-2020 assessment value for your Bluewater property on May 24, 2016. Do you agree with their assessment? Could you have sold your property for that amount on Jan. 1st, 2016? To compare your property to other nearby similar properties, go to AboutMyProperty.ca. Check out Bluewater’s real estate market trends. If you disagree with the MPAC assessment, you can file a Request For Reconsideration (RFR) within 120 days of the notice being issued (i.e by mid-September).

Notes for your 2016 Calendar

BSRA General Meeting: Saturday, June 4th at 9:30 am. Coffee at 9:00 am BSRA Annual Meeting: Saturday, August 27rd at 9:30 am. Coffee at 9:00 am

Both meetings will be held at the St. Peter’s Church Hall just north of St. Joseph on Hwy 21.

WIND TURBINES: WHERE ARE WE NOW? FLASHING RED LIGHTS! WHERE TO FROM HERE? During the last few months the scenery along highway 21 between Grand Bend and the Kippen Road has changed dramatically. 48 of the HUGE 3 megawatt Wind Turbines that make up Northland’s Grand Bend project have been completed and are operating and delivering power to the grid. The structures are awe inspiring but at the same time they detract in a major way from the peaceful rural countryside most of us have so enjoyed in the past. At the time of writing this update, the aviation warning lights are blinking continuously. However, by the time you read this, the radar activated control system Northland is installing should be operating; let’s say the end of May or the beginning of June. Then the red lights will only flash when a low flying plane is in the area. High flying commercial planes will not activate the warning lights. It would appear that there are many more Industrial Wind Turbines in rural Ontario’s future. On April 5, 2016 the government announced that they will be requesting submissions for an additional 930 megawatts of renewable energy. That would be 310 more turbines of the size recently installed along highway 21. Lakeshore residents, full time and part time, would be well advised to remain vigilant. Should the provisional moratorium be lifted, an ideal location for large wind turbines exists just offshore all along “Ontario’s West Coast.” THE HURON COUNTY HEALTH UNIT and its WIND TURBINE INVESTIGATION Beginning in May, the Huron County Health Unit will be conducting an investigation into potential health concerns associated with wind turbines. If you think your health is being affected by a nearby wind turbine, then register for this investigation by going to www.huronhealthunit.ca or call 1-877-837-6143. SHORELINE CLEANUP ALONG THE BLUEWATER SHORELINE Get credit for work you already are doing! Those casual walks along the beach when you gather up garbage can be recorded as part of the national Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup and Bluewater’s Communities in Bloom project. Go to www.bluewaterblooms.ca to find out how to have your efforts acknowledged and recorded. BURNING IN BLUEWATER Open air burning in Bluewater is regulated by By-law 48-2013 and full details can be found at www.town.bluewater.on.ca. Note that floating lanterns are banned in Bluewater. They are a fire hazard as they cannot be controlled, once released, and may land in a dry crop field or in dry underbrush on the lake bank.

THE 2016 CENSUS: What should you do with the census questionnaire you received at your cottage? If your cottage is your usual or only residence in Canada (where you live most of the year), please complete the questionnaire online or return the paper copy in the enclosed green envelope. If your cottage is used primarily for vacations or recreation and your usual residence is elsewhere in Canada, please complete the questionnaires for both your cottage and usual residence.

For your cottage, complete the questionnaire by following Steps A and B.

Mark the circle beside SECONDARY RESIDENCE and provide your contact information, including the address of your usual residence.

To complete your questionnaire(s) online, visit www.census.gc.ca and enter the 16-digit secure access code printed on your questionnaire(s). For assistance, visit www.census.gc.ca or contact the Census Help Line at 1-855-700-2016. For TTY services, call 1-866-753-7083.

Watch for the Summer Issue of the BSRA Newsletter in August. For monthly updates, sign up on the BSRA website to receive the BSRA e-Bulletin

Sue Haskett Jan Purvis BSRA President Newsletter Editor