By fall, cottagers involved in the province's land tax reform should have received their assessment notices, and their first tax bill will be due next spring. This was the message from Terry Fyke, who has been following the issue closely, on behalf of members.  "This is going to be a big issues, regardless of where you reside," he said.  The property owners' association is one of the biggest in the country and Fyke is the chairman of the Government Affairs and Planning Committee. The association's annual cottage show in Winnipeg in May attracted 3,000 visitors.

The reform is meant to level the playing field by updating assessments for property owners in unincorporated areas for taxes they pay the province. However, some of these owners haven't been re-assessed since the 1940s, which means there will be some real shocks ahead.

Staff from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation visited the area in 2007, but aren't expected to revisit, unless it's part of an appeal process. This led to some talk of simply flooding the bureaucracy with appeal requests, but Fyke stopped short of endorsing the idea. He also talked about a four-year phase-in period for the tax increases, but the picture is still far from clear, he noted.  For example, he doesn't know what models will be used to providing current market value for properties assessed two years ago. Nor does he know what tax rates will be used when the calculations are made for the final bill.

On the one hand, there are people in areas such as Black Sturgeon who pay municipal taxes and they want to see a broader tax base to spread out the burden. There are also those on the lake, who are dead set against paying more for services they don't receive. This is particularly true for those on a fixed income, who are worried about trying to absorb a large tax increase.  "There's going to be implications and ramifications for everyone," Fyke acknowledged. "There's going to be people upset on either side of the issue."

Cooperation solution to algae

Getting governments from Canada and the U.S. to work together on pollution reduction will be the key to controlling algae blooms on the lake.  While Minnesota has already declared their southern portion to be impaired and are taking steps to improve water quality, they aren't able to coordinate their efforts with Canadian governments.  It would also be helpful, if researchers and governments could link strategies for the Rainy River and Lake Winnipeg basins with Lake of the Woods. This would help define and regulate the flow of nutrients that cause algae, such as phosphorous, said Todd Sellers, the executive director of the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation.  "It's no good if all those organizations run off in all different directions," he told camp owners Wednesday. The foundation is also involved in sponsoring research, as well as contributing to working groups and forums focused on water quality on the lake.   The state of the basin report is due next month and will be posted on the association's website.

Clearcut meeting in Minaki

Cottagers concerned about clearcutting along the Winnipeg River have scheduled a meeting for Saturday in Minaki.  "We're very concerned," said Mary Fuchs, a seasonal resident near Little Sand. While travelling by boat, Fuchs has been concerned about dramatic changes to the scenery, and she was concerned about the long-term impact for both recreation and tourism.   Along with higher gas prices and fishing restrictions, the logging is only adding to the stresses on an aging population, who are wanting to hand-off their properties to their children and grandchildren, Fuchs added.

Town Island update

Neighbours around the city-owned Town Island are worried about the possibility of having 75 new cottage lots on the land, and they're inviting interested people to attend the second half of a public meeting on the issue Saturday morning in Kenora.  This will follow the June meeting, where an inventory of the island's ecology was discussed. Seasonal resident Dyke Van Etten Williams said the Kenora area has the potential to become more like the Muskokas, and should develop their natural habitats rather than sell them.  He felt the city could make more from tourism in the long run than they could through the sale of the property in the short-term.