Lake of Bays agrees to participate in the District's Integrated Watershed Management initiative

The District is looking to work collaboratively with other municipalities

Lake of Bays Council agreed to participate in the District of Muskoka’s Integrated Watershed Management initiative, in the June 3, 2025, meeting.

In a presentation by the Manager of the District Watershed Programs, Glenn Cunnington, advised that they are inviting area municipalities to collaborate on initiatives that concern the region as a whole.

He said, “Issues are increasingly driven by climate change, resulting in floods and infrastructure and property damage, [and] wildfires.”

He added that other areas impacted include the economy with declining work forces, a decline in water quality, and struggles with housing and homelessness.

Changes will involve looking at things differently, advised Cunnington. This includes looking at issues collaboratively, holistically, with an adaptive evidence-based approach.

Cunnington said that the District is “currently trying to find a way to work together better.”

According to his report, it’s “about working together to share knowledge, resources, and experiences to better the lives of all those within the Muskoka River Watershed.”

It adds that efforts will involve building economic programs across the region to identify opportunities and means to address collective issues and sharing resources and solutions.

The report continues that the District was approved for a provincial grant which will allow the development of digital resources that will be shared across the regional watershed area.

Cunnington said that they propose “an interim approach to work together, identify issues, and how to structure that.”

Councillor, Mike Peppard, indicated “There are many elements to integrated watershed management that need to integrate,” given the various systems involved, including wetlands and forests, and wondered how that would be managed on a broader scale.

Cunnington said they are currently figuring out what this looks like and moving forward they will need to review the whole system which they are currently investigating.

The Township agreed that integrated watershed management needs a modern approach to management and watershed goals, and they support the District’s approach for the Muskoka River Watershed initiative and will report back about the plan once they review it.