The Annual Meeting of the MRA was held on Saturday, July 17. The day was hot, the air conditioning did not kick in for some time, but the meeting covered a lot of ground. Following the mandatory stuff that needs to be handled at all annual general meetings, we:

• Handed out several bursaries to local school youth, and heard from
• Patricia Arney (Muskoka Watershed Report Card),
• Sandy Bos (septic systems),
• Dr Katherine Bergman (Environment and Sustainability), and
• Outgoing President Peter Long (Muskoka Matters).

We then had an open question and answer period where the audience could ask questions of:

• the Muskoka Ratepayers' Association,
• the District (represented by Gord Adams - Chair, Mary Grady, Brian Hare Nancy Thompson - our District Councillors), and
• Township Mayor - Karen Ellis.

Questions included the upcoming District visioning study, to the Fire Department, sewage treatment, etc.

Most of you have probably not had the occasion to attend one of our Township Council meetings, held every three weeks all year. We attend them on your behalf to let you know of important happenings and to keep you, the taxpayers, informed. Believe it or not, we actually enjoy our task!

We would suggest that any of you who are here this summer would most likely benefit from sitting in on one or more of these sessions. There is so much to learn – our township staff and our Council and Mayor have a challenging job, with District By-laws, Township By-laws, and the Provincial Municipal Act. Talk about navigating a minefield! Since we will be having a Municipal Election in October, I would urge all of you to take advantage of the opportunity to attend a meeting or two. It is amazing what you will learn there.

The August township schedule is as follows (all meetings start at 9:00 am):

• Committee of Adjustment - Monday August 23
• Council (a good meeting to start with) - Tuesday August 24
• Committee of the Whole - Wednesday August 25
• Planning Committee (also a good one) - Thursday August 26


• District council meeting  - Monday August 16, 7:00 pm