Introduction

In the spring of 2016, after many decades of uninterrupted use, the only public boat launch on our land-locked Bob Lake was barricaded. While advertised as a public launch and maintained by the township for its entire existence, it turns out the launch was located on private land. The owner wanted to sell and decided to block access citing liability concerns – stranding over one hundred Bob Lake cottager boats on the water. Our saga has been well documented in the public record as referenced on our Boat Launch News/History page.

The closing of our only public boat launch was actually the impetus that formed the Bob Lake Association, and it remains our top priority. The boat launch committee has been working steadily since forming in 2017 with both town Council and staff to find a solution.

Plan A & B

Our first delegation to Council was made in November 2017. Details of this and its eventual rejection can be found on our Launch Proposal Plan A web page. Our second delegation to Council was made in April 2019. Details of that delegation and its rejection can be found on our Launch Proposal Plan B web page.

Plan A2

The BLA board and the boat launch committee remain undeterred. In May of 2020 we engaged EcoVue Consulting Services of Peterborough to create an “assessment of feasibility” for a boat launch on the Claude Brown Road allowance (see our April 2020 BLAst and the EcoVue report for more). This was presented to Minden Hills Council and discussed during their August 31st 2021 Council meeting. The outcome was summarized in the September 3rd Highlander, where Council agreed to fund up to $5K to complete the next steps recommended in the EcoVue report – which was to secure a preliminary engineering design/study and legal opinion. An RFP was issued for the preliminary engineering design/study and awarded to Tatham Engineering in February of 2021 (see Report #21-008). For more than a year the BLA worked with township staff, township legal counsel, and Tatham Engineering to help formulate an engineering and legal view to present to Council. Finally, in March of 2022 the township CAO presented a report to Council which recommended to not proceed with a public boat launch at Claude Brown – largely based on their inflated cost estimates and competing priorities within the township (see Report 22-10 ADM – includes Tatham Engineering reports). The BLA was outraged by the report and its conclusion – a copy of the letter sent to the CAO and Council with our thoughts on the report can be found here. Particularly concerning was that our letter to the CAO with our feedback and thoughts on the draft Tatham report (see here) sent months earlier was never acknowledged or considered! Nor was there any mention in the CAO’s report on the BLA’s funding proposals to avoid the use of base tax dollars – addressing the primary reason for not proceeding!! A very long and expensive venture (BLA costs exceeded $12K) with an extremely disappointing and frustrating result…

Plan A3

With the battle is far from over, the BLA board has regrouped and is working on a number of different strategies, some of which were included in our 2022 AGM presentation.

As committed to during our 2022 AGM, the BLA presented a third delegation during the January 12, 2023 Regular Council Meeting (agenda here) as Launch Proposal Plan A3. This proposed the Township lease a suitable portion of their Claude Brown Road allowance to the BLA, with the BLA being responsible for all cost and liability factors of building and maintaining a Bob Lake Community Boat Launch for the exclusive use of BLA members and approved emergency/government services. Use the following links to view the Cover Letter, Executive Summary, and Presentation made as part of our Plan A3 delegation. A motion was passed to receive our presentation as information, and “…further that Council direct staff to bring forward a report to Council at a future Council meeting.“

The staff report in response to our Plan A3 delegation was finally presented during the June 29, 2023 Council meeting (see Report #23-039 (ADM)). The report contained mostly rehashed statements and recommended that Council not proceed with the BLA proposal. The outcome was not particularly surprising as both staff and Council have expressed several concerns with the Claude Brown road allowance location from the beginning. However, Council’s comments in response to the staff report were highly encouraging, and have led the BLA to refocus on solutions that no longer involve the Township’s public road allowance off Claude Brown.

Plan C

In June of 2024 we submitted our 4th delegation request to the Township, referred to as “Plan C”. Unfortunately the Township did not grant us an opportunity to publicly present our delegation as explained in the following quotes by the town clerk:

“Please be advised that delegation status to the Bob Lake Association will not be provided. Rather, that your letter with attached materials will be received by Council as written correspondence as the materials provided are sufficient to understand the request being made of Council by the Association.” June 20, 2024

“Council at its June 27th Regular Council meeting directed Staff to bring forward information to Council relating to the Bob Lake Boat Launch for review and consideration at a future meeting. Once the date of the reporting/agenda is determined I will reach out to you an let you know.” July 2, 2024

While disappointed we were not able to present our Plan C delegation during a public Council meeting, our request was received as information by Council and a resolution was passed directing staff to prepare a report in response (see Res. #2024-345 on page 4 of the June 27th Council meeting minutes).

In the fall of 2024, we met in person with both the CAO and the Clerk to clarify our request, during which we offered our assistance to staff in any way possible. Despite regular follow-ups and continued offers to support the process, the CAO presented the staff report at the March 13, 2025 Council meeting (see Report #25-06 Administration), which was also covered in the March 20th issue of The Highlander.

The report itself—as well as its presentation and the ensuing Council discussion—was deeply disappointing. Our written response to both Council and staff regarding the report and its debate can be found here.

Additionally, the BLA submitted an editorial opinion letter published in the March 27th issue of The Highlander, highlighting how poorly the report and Council’s discussion represented the matter. In that letter, we reiterated our formal request that the Township include both our Plan C proposal (which was denied delegation status) and our response to the staff report as correspondence in the next Council agenda. This is essential to ensure the public has a fair opportunity to understand how poorly this issue has been handled. While we wait for our Plan C material to be included in an upcoming Council meeting, we have decided to post it to our website for public awareness – see BLA – Plan C Delegation and a supporting letter to Council from a senior real estate lawyer.

Plan L

With the Township once again settled into their “do nothing” mode, we decided it was time to take a completely different approach. Rather than presenting solutions and asking the Township to take action, we engaged a legal firm who specializes in municipal law to provide a wholesome assessment of the situation – Jamie Cockburn from SV Law located in Guelph Ontario. Jamie and his team’s research concluded that the Ontario Real Property Limitations Act (aka “prescriptive easement”) & Ontario Road Access Act did not apply in our situation. However, the forced/trespass road angle (also presented in our Plan C and defined by section 26 of the Ontario Municipal Act) does!!

On July 29, 2025, SV Law submitted a letter (see here) to the Township on behalf of the BLA. The letter outlines the situation and demands that the Township take steps to re-open and secure permanent public access to the original public boat launch site. The letter also corrects the Township’s earlier conclusion that expropriation was an “extraordinary power” not suitable in our situation (rather the opposite!). The letter recommends the Township pursue expropriation of the boat launch lands as the easiest and lowest cost path forward, while providing fair market value to the land owner. Should they choose not to pursue expropriation, the BLA will have no choice but to file an application to the Superior Court of Justice seeking Judgment vesting title in the Boat Launch Lands in the Township as a forced/trespass road. Our case is clear and strong should such an application become necessary. If we’re successful in court, the Township would not only be faced with higher legal expenses on their side, but the BLA will also seek its legal costs and other ancillary relief from them…and the property owner would receive no compensation for the land! We’ve given the Township until September 30, 2025 to outline their plan.

On October 22, 2025, after several reminders that the September 30 deadline had come and past, our lawyer received a letter (see here) from the Township’s legal team stating that Council has decided to ignore our demand to expropriate the old public boat launch land. This leaves us no choice but to follow through and take our case to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice – forcing the Township to take action in correcting this long overdue matter! Lots of work ahead – but finally some light on the horizon!! Stay tune for more…