Communities along Lake Erie ‘torn’ over ban on cottagers

Ontario cottage owners in popular waterfront communities along Lake Erie have been banned from their seasonal homes by the region’s medical officer of health in a bid to stop COVID-19 spread from Toronto and other cities.

The drastic emergency health order is such a hot potato, however, notice of the order, made April 23, has not yet been published or confirmed to property owners; the mayors of counties the order covers say they’re struggling with it; and a councillor inquired how to fire the chief medical officer.

“Personal property rights are fundamentally what inspired me to run in politics, so am I entirely comfortable with the decision of our medical officer of health? I’m not,” Kristal Chopp, the mayor of Norfolk County, said.

“I’m struggling with it,” said Ken Hewitt, mayor of neighbouring Haldimand County. “This is not the counties making this decision — it’s the medical officer. It’s not coming from staff, it’s not coming from the mayors.”

Despite the hesitancy, the two mayors say they accept the authority of Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, medical officer of health for the Haldimand Norfolk Health Unit.

“Every previous decision he’s made has been bang on,” said Chopp.

“His decisions come by the genuine desire to save people’s lives,” said Hewitt. “Yes, they come with economic costs on many levels, but he’s a medical officer that wants to save lives and if his decision just saves one life, then he feels gratified by that decision.

“As mayors, we’re torn. We have municipalities to run and there’s so many other aspects to our decision-making that we’re perplexed at times with some of these decision.”

The ports, towns and villages along Lake Erie, including Port Dover, Turkey Point and Long Point, are collectively promoted as Ontario’s South Coast. Some 160 kilometres southwest of Toronto, the area is popular with cottagers, especially those priced out of the woodsier north.

Karen Deans, a fourth-generation seasonal property owner in Long Point, isn’t as conflicted as the politicians. She is incensed.

“We shouldn’t be treated as second- class citizens. It’s like we’re carrying leprosy,” Deans said. “We pay taxes 12 months a year, we own the property 12 months a year. We pay dearly for what we have.”

She disputed the notion cottagers were careless with their health or those around them.

Deans is the president of the Long Point Ratepayers’ Association board, which represents property owners on a 40- kilometre sand spit that juts out into the lake. She said the community heard talk of the order last week, but was met with secrecy when asking about it.

“Nobody would tell us about the order, nobody would let us see the order. It was like it was this mystery piece of paper that existed but didn’t exist.”

A copy of the order, obtained by National Post and confirmed by the mayors, is issued under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, which gives medical officers the authority to order people “to take or to refrain from taking any action” to prevent communicable disease.

The order declares it is necessary “to decrease or eliminate the risk.”

“You are not permitted to occupy your secondary residence within the Health Unit, which includes a rented cottage, vacation home, beach house, chalet, and/or condominium,” the order states. “You are not permitted to allow anyone else to occupy your Secondary Residence within the Health Unit.”

Nesathurai did not respond to request for comment prior to deadline.

Robyn Hanson, co- owner of Sandboy Marina, which offers trailer spots, boat slips, convenience store and, an Ontario liquor store outlet, opposes the order.