There will be a special meeting called to learn more about the operations of Lower Beverley Lake Park.
Rideau Lakes council voted 5-4 Monday, July 6 to hold a special meeting on the township-owned, board-run park, with councillors seeking answers from engineers, provincial officials and staff before revisiting the proposed tourist campground licensing bylaw.
The motion, introduced by Coun. Paula Banks directs staff to arrange a special council meeting, if required, with park manager William Morris, representatives from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Cambium Engineering and township staff.
Council is seeking a comprehensive update on the park’s remaining planning, engineering, building, sanitary servicing and regulatory work, along with estimated costs, implementation timelines, the status of the Environmental Compliance Approval process and details surrounding the temporary sewage holding barrel system.
Banks said councillors still lack critical information needed to make informed decisions.
“Taxpayers deserve transparency and so do councillors,” she said. “We have all had questions that have gone unanswered and it is time that we get the answers.”
She said the request follows discussion at the June 23 Lower Beverley Lake Park Board meeting, where the manager, William Morris indicated additional planning applications similar to one involving Site A-33 could be anticipated.
“We have not heard from the engineer,” Banks said. “No one on Lower Beverley Lake Park Board or at this council can tell me what the scope of work is, how much it will cost, when it should be done, and that’s what we’re looking for.”
Banks said she wants Cambium Engineering to explain the remaining work required to meet anticipated 2027 regulatory requirements and provide council with an estimate of the project’s cost.
Coun. Dustin Bulloch opposed the motion, arguing much of the requested information is already available through park board reports or is still being developed as engineering work continues.
“There have been requests from this council already passed,” Bulloch said. “That information has already been requested and is expected to come to this council.”
Bulloch said Cambium Engineering reports to the Lower Beverley Lake Park Board and noted councillors are welcome to attend those meetings to receive updates directly.
Deputy Mayor Jeff Banks supported the motion, saying council has received conflicting information from different sources, particularly regarding the proposed use of temporary sewage holding barrels and the Environmental Compliance Approval process.
“I have absolutely no idea because I have never seen anything that makes any sense from any of these people,” he said, adding that council needs consistent answers from the professionals overseeing the project.
Coun. Debbie Hutchings also supported the request.
“There’s nothing wrong with having a talk and having everything out in the open,” she said.
Before considering the special meeting motion, council unanimously approved a separate motion directing staff to prepare a follow-up report assessing whether additional planning or regulatory applications are anticipated at Lower Beverley Lake Park, identifying the township’s financial, governance and enforcement responsibilities, and recommending any implementation changes before council considers third reading of the proposed tourist campground licensing bylaw. That report is expected no later than the September regular council meeting.
The motion requesting the special meeting passed in a recorded 5-4 vote.
Voting in favour were Couns. Paula Banks, Linda Carr, Sue Dunfield and Debbie Hutchings, along with Deputy Mayor Jeff Banks.
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