By Marianne Cole
Expensive Land Purchase
Clearwater County recently purchased 138 acres of land east of Leslieville for $1.76M through an on-line auction conducted by CLHbid.com. Rationale given for the need for this property was to expand the Leslieville Sewage lagoon. Concerns have since been raised as to not only the significantly high price paid but also the need for 138 acres for a lagoon. The response suggested that the portion of the property not used for the lagoon could be developed and sold for “lots”.
Land Use Bylaw Update
Following the July 24th Public Hearing in Caroline, two joint meetings were held with PAC (Public Advisory Committee) and Council on August 15th and August 22nd. A chart summarizing comments expressed at the Public Hearing was reviewed and some changes to the LUB were subsequently made. Most notably suggested changes included:
- Allowing year round camping on major campgrounds, and from April 1st to November 30th on minor campgrounds.
- Increasing the time limit to 60 days for continuous occupation of RV’s on private property without a development permit.
- Removal of the “imprisonment” clause related to enforcement.
- Allowing direct market sales without a development permit provided that they are a personal endeavor and not related to a business or commercial use.
- Increasing the number of development options exempt from requiring permits in the various land use districts.
While there have been some positive changes, it is still a lengthy document of 200 plus pages with numerous guidelines for development permit applications and signs. Revised copies of the LUB will hopefully be available shortly.
Even though there was significant support at the Public Hearing for delaying approval until after the fall election, the majority of participants at the PAC/Council meeting on August 25th supported putting final consideration of the document on the agenda for Council’s up-coming September 9, 2025 meeting. At that meeting Council will have the option to pass, amend, delay, or refuse acceptance of the Land Use Bylaw.
While the public will not have opportunity for input at that meeting it may be interesting to attend and hear the discussion as well as witness the vote on a document that determines land use rules in our county.
Special Guest Speaker Coming
Mr. Brian Hudson, IT Manager for Blue Mountain Power, will be addressing concerns about the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as well as operational concerns with data centers at the next CCTA meeting on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at 7:30PM at the Leslieville Elks’ Hall. We encourage everyone to come to this informative evening and learn more about how AI could impact your life.
Up-Coming Candidates’ Forum
The CCTA will be hosting a Candidates’ Forum on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 at 7:00PM at the Leslieville Community Hall. All Clearwater County candidates running in the up-coming municipal election in October will be invited to participate, present their platform, and answer questions or concerns from the general public. We encourage everyone to attend as we hope it will be a great opportunity for you to hear from your future councillors.
- Another fall; another turned page. Wallace Stegner
- Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go. Unknown
- Days decrease, and autumn grows, autumn in everything. Robert Browning.
