THE ELECTION THAT WILL MAKE OR BREAK MUSKOKA

I’m a small time, low budget prognosticator, who has a great and enduring fear that this municipal election will either be in Muskoka’s best interest, or its great undoing.

The problem is, that despite the many visions in the confluence of public opinion, sought out recently in a survey to make Muskoka a better place to live and work, the problem of expansion and progress tends to always get lumped together with quality of life issues.....which I have always insisted on separating for argument’s sake. There are those who tell me that my life will be so much better when there is yet another commercial node to assist my shopping needs, or that a residential development on a wetland will make ours a better and more vibrant neighborhood. Quality of life is an ambiguous sort of thing because we all have differing concepts on what makes a residency in a neighborhood, town or region, a wonderful, well rounded experience. Well, we can’t have it all, I suppose.

Muskoka is in the direct path of Toronto, Barrie and Orillia expansionary forces. And while the recession has cooled the sprawl a wee bit, you can bet that once the economic stormfront shifts, we’ll be back into that developmental tizzy, as to whether to accept the good fortune for the cash it will supposedly produce, or adopt a more protectionist approach to protect our number one industry......tourism. As we have found out by public opinion, tourists aren’t exactly thrilled about leaving urbanity for a vacation in the hinterland, only to find more urban sprawl into the beautiful countryside. The permanent population at this time is not enough to keep these many large scale businesses booming. We may just be a tad over-retailed. But when the next strip mall project comes to the table for a re-zoning, will we be able to say, you know what? We’re good, for now.

This is a crisis period. We not approaching it. We’re in the middle of it. The urbanization of cottage country, as the urban commentators love to label us. We may not be able to pull out of the trend to stuff the landscape with more subdivisions and commercial nodes. It’s something we should be asking our municipal candidates about because it is indeed a slippery slope we’re clinging to, and the downward stress is continually strengthening. We are the beneficiaries of Toronto’s economy and we are the victims of its prosperity at the same time. The next ten years of business between our regions will set the stage for many generations of residents to come. The distance between us and the “urban” them, is decreasing. It will soon affect daily living more than we presently know. While it’s not a good think to mire down in fear of this, it is proactive to be ready to forcefully slot change into a workable, beneficial zone.....because we anticipated correctly that we were in the way of Toronto’s ambitions.

If you don’t think this is true, then begin looking at the companies behind all the major developments in Muskoka in the past five years, and whether they were initiated, completed or financed by local interests only. Truth is, we are being urbanized by outside interests, not simply, as in the old days, local businesses re-investing in expansion.....local entrepreneurs shaping their hometowns from the inside out......for groups of local investors to build-out their communities. Outside investors are shaping our region more than ever before. It’s the free enterprise, democratic way! It could also be our death knell as a hinterland tourist attraction.

Don’t give this election a miss because you think your vote won’t count. Make a fuss, make a statement, join the debate but make sure they know you’re out there, watching their every move.