Gravel Point Advocacy

Updates:

A SYNOPSIS OF OUR 3 YEAR GRAVEL POINT JOURNEY SO FAR……

WHERE WE ARE TODAY (July 29, 2026) – STAND FIRM: PROTECT PALMERSTON LAKE

We have retained David Donnelly, one of Canada’s leading environmental lawyers, to represent the PLA. His advice is that the PLA should be included as a Party in the proceedings and that there are strong legal grounds to challenge the appeal.

We want to work with the Township and the owner of the private road that provides the sole access to the applicant’s property to get the fairest and best outcome for Palmerston Lake.

We support responsible development. We oppose development that puts the long-term health of Palmerston Lake at risk. 

HOW WE GOT HERE:

January 2023

At a Public Meeting of Council, the Applicants presented a proposal to amend the Official Plan to permit the construction of seven new cottages and several more structures. Five of the cottages would be located on the narrow, six-acre Gravel Point peninsula. This rezoning would circumvent the existing zoning, which permits only one residential structure per lot. The proposed development threatens one of Palmerston Lake’s most environmentally sensitive areas – the lake’s largest Lake Trout spawning bed and significant wetlands that provide habitat for at least ten species at risk.

 

February 2023 – March 2024

Over the next many months, we worked to understand the process and lobby council and the county planners to consider the health of the lake particularly the trout spawning bed and adjacent wetland. We reviewed countless documents and wrote many letters.  Many of you also wrote letters to council.

April 2024

We hired Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd to bring an independent, science-based perspective to guide our approach. They concluded that the proposed density was inappropriate and put the health of our Lake Trout and endangered species at risk. The Hutchison work was funded by the generous donations of PLA members.

July 2025

The Frontenac County Planners report recommended Council approve the application.
We started our petition. Our community response was overwhelming! More than 550 people from lakes across North Frontenac signed our PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN! petition opposing the development. The strong public support played an important role in Council’s decision to reject the application.

August 2025

North Frontenac Township Council held a special meeting to consider public input on Gravel Point. The PLA board convincingly presented our views, studies and petition. 

November 2025

North Frontenac Township Council voted to deny the Gravel Point development application.

December 2025

The Applicants appealed Council’s decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT).

April 2026
The PLA applied for Party Status at the OLT but was denied. Party Status was only granted to the Applicant, the Township, and the owner of the private road that provides the sole access to the property. Those parties then agreed to enter mediation.

We believe it is unacceptable that an organization representing more than 80 lakefront property owners was excluded from a process that could significantly affect the future of Palmerston Lake. At that point, the PLA decided to seek legal counsel.

 

Previous updates:

March 30, 2026

The Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) has set April 10 as the date for the Case Management Conference.  We have submitted this request seeking Party Status and will be attending the Conference.  At that time, the OLT will determine if there is room for mediation between the Parties; if not, they will set a date for a formal hearing.  

December 21, 2025

We recently learned that the applicants have appealed the Township’s decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT). 
The Board will be monitoring the appeal process and exploring whether there are opportunities for our involvement. We will continue to keep members informed.
 

November 25, 2025

At its November 21, 2025 meeting, North Frontenac council voted to refuse the application to develop a rural cooperative on the property known as Gravel Point.  The official Notice of Refusal can be found here. 

 

September 10, 2025

As reported in our update of August 16, the Frontenac County Planners report, recommending approval of the Gravel Point development, was presented to the Township Council on August 12.  PLA board members and others, including a representative of Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd. (the environmental consulting firm retained by the PLA to provide us with expert advice) made presentations outlining serious concerns with the proposal. We also shared the Petition opposing the development – with over 550 signatures from community members.  

Council was scheduled to vote on the proposed development at the August 28 Council Meeting but prior to that meeting the Applicants (Craig and Amber Hall) requested that Council defer its decision to “allow them time to review the comments received at the August 12 Special Meeting”. At the August 28 Council meeting the deferral was approved.

Next Steps
We don’t yet know what the next steps will be but we do know that the fight to protect the Gravel Point area is not over! We anticipate that the Applicants will be revising their development proposal. We are monitoring the situation closely and will carefully review any revisions as soon as they are made available to us. 

We Need Your Help
Last year the PLA launched a fundraising appeal to cover the cost of retaining Hutchinson Environmental Science Ltd. to review and provide expert advice to us on all of the various reports and proposals that had been submitted. In just a few weeks you helped us raise almost $5,000.  

As agreed at our AGM in July, we retained Hutchinson again to review the final County Planner report. We also retained them to present their findings at the August 12 Council meeting. We now need additional financial support to pay for this work, which has cost approximately $4,000. We are asking each member household to consider donating $50 (or more, if you are able) to cover this cost.   CLICK HERE TO DONATE
Whether you can donate $50, or more – or whatever feels right for you – we appreciate your continued support!  Thank you for standing up for the lake, the land, the wildlife, and for the future of this place we all love.

 

August 16, 2025

We’re writing with an update on the August 12 Special Council Meeting at which the Frontenac County Planners report, recommending approval of the Gravel Point development proposal, was presented.
Many of our PLA Directors and other members made presentations outlining the many reasons the Council should reject the Application. In addition, Jo-Anne Lane from Hutchinson Environmental Sciences (the firm retained by the PLA) presented their significant concerns with the development. Bruce Moore (President of North Frontenac Lake Association Alliance, representing 18 lake associations across the Township) also spoke in opposition to the proposal.

We presented the Petition, with 550 signatures, to excellent effect! We thank all of you who signed, and who  wrote comments and emails to the Councillors. 

The entire meeting is available on North Frontenac YouTube.

Council will be voting on the proposed development at a regular Council Meeting on August 28.  We will continue our advocacy efforts leading up to that date and are hoping for a positive outcome. 

 

March 4, 2025

Here is the latest update on the Gravel Point issue.  

Update.  October 22, 2024

Last week, new information about the Gravel Point development proposal was added to the Engage Frontenac Website. You can find it here .

These new reports come from the applicants and attempt to address concerns raised by the technical advisors for the township and county planners. We encourage those of you who are interested in this issue to read the materials and to subscribe where indicated on the Engage Frontenac website so that you will receive project updates from the Township as they are issued.

These reports add to the large amount of technical details already available in the Environmental Impact Assessments posted earlier on the Engage Frontenac website. The PLA board is reviewing these reports to decide the best way to continue our advocacy efforts to protect the health of the lake. We are also reaching out to the county planners and the township to clarify the next steps in the process.

Please know that your board of directors is committed to this important issue and will keep you updated as things progress.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us

The PLA believes the proposed development on Gravel Point could lead to irreversible harm to our precious water quality and the thriving population of lake trout.  As part of its advocacy efforts, the PLA issued a request for donations to enlist the expertise of Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd to conduct an independent peer review of the Gravel Point development submission.  Thank you so much to everyone who donated to this important cause.  Hutchinson’s peer review, copied here, has been submitted to the Township.  

Here is a link to the Township’s website containing all the technical documents regarding the Gravel Point development proposal.  

Note that neither the Hutchinson report, nor this assessment of the proposal by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) is included on the Township’s website.  

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