We welcome Spring to the municipality of Ivry and Lac Manitou with the hope that it is a harbinger of normalcy and vitality – and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Winter 2021 slunk away at the start of April, unlike Winter 2020 which held its grip until May. Spring marched in a month early with sunshine and unusually warm temperatures, bringing honking Canada geese flying in a V overhead, robins to the worm-rich earth where snow had just melted, mallard ducks to the ponds and flocks of hungry juncos to bird feeders. With Spring comes the promise of much activity and community to the AALM and to Ivry municipality’s 425 households.
Gabi Opas - OR Images
THE AALM
AALM was founded in early 1912 as the Lake Manitou Improvement Company and changed its name to L’Association pour l’amélioration de lac Manitou et de ses environs. At 109 years old, it is one of the oldest lake owners association in the Laurentians. Many AALM members go back more than 3 generations.
The goal of AALM is to keep the lake pristine so as to preserve and maintain the quality of life we enjoy so much. Another is to ensure that its members are adequately represented on the local municipal council and that their views are made known to the council. A third goal is to provide a way for area residents to meet and discuss issues of general interest to the community as well as to enjoy sporting, artistic and social events together.
“We have over 200 members,” says Michael Prupas, AALM President. “The AALM welcomes all residents to join and participate in the community and its many events. Don’t miss out on all the benefits the AALM offers.”
The annual membership fee of $75 goes toward covering the expenses of AALM’s various committees as well as to support the Ste Agathe Hospital Foundation and Conservation Manitou. Invoices for membership dues together with instructions on how to pay were sent out at the beginning of April. If you haven’t already paid your annual dues, please do so now.
THE FIRST NATIONS OF LAC MANITOU: A BRIEF HISTORY
Before describing the many AALM activities and committees, we thought we would tell you about the Algonquin people who lived in our area, in the Western Laurentians and along the Ottawa Valley and its tributaries.
“They, or an ancestral Indigenous people, first arrived following the retreating glaciers and travelled over these hills before the bible was written,” says Joseph Graham, Laurentian author and historian. Accomplished craftsmen and hunters, the Algonquins lived in framed birchbark and hide wigwams, travelled on snowshoes in the winter and navigated the lakes and rivers in canoes. When the first colonists arrived, almost two centuries ago, they used Algonquin trails through the forests and to get around the rapids in the rivers.
The Algonquin belonged to their world, not the other way around. Their role was stewardship, so permanent structures did not fit into that idea. “They respected a fundamental ethic of balance and sharing, and the Europeans benefited from this. The Europeans were not excluded,” says Graham. “To the Algonquin, the health of land and water was central to their culture, laws and spirituality - as was the responsibility to care for it. They moved around in a fixed rotation so as not to deplete the game in the forest and the fish in the rivers.”
The name of our lake has important Algonquin origins: ‘Manitou’ means ‘Great Spirit.’
When the forests were cut, and townships created 180 years ago, the Algonquin people and their livelihood were destroyed. Most survivors moved to Kitigan Zibi (established by the government in 1852) near Maniwaki, in the Gatineau Valley, north-west of Montreal. “Those who stayed did not fare well, many succumbing to diseases and no doubt profound depression at the visible destruction of their world,” says Graham. Since historically they did not live in any one place, but returned and moved around, their footprint is almost non-existent, except, “We fail to realize that their home, the Algonquin forest, was a human artifact itself.
“That was a part of their fundamental ethic of stewardship. Gone are the Algonquin forests that were stewarded, the rivers that were filled with fish, and skies that were darkened with flock of birds.”
AALM’s activities and committees
CONSERVATION MANITOU
AALM provides continued support to Conservation Manitou, a local success story. Conservation Manitou is financially supported by over 180 mostly Ivry residents. Since its foundation in 2013, it has acquired nearly 1,400 acres of eco-sensitive land within and around the Lac Manitou watershed, protecting these areas in perpetuity from development.
Stephen Takacsy, Chair of Conservation Manitou, says that the organization is now at the center of one of the most important environmental initiatives in the Laurentians. “With the creation of the first wildlife crossing in the Laurentians located in Ivry which we spearheaded with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, we have now rallied other like-minded organizations into helping create a key wildlife corridor to maintain ecological connectivity in the region.”
In 2021, Conservation Manitou is continuing to acquire more land to protect the area around Lake Manitou. “Residents who have not yet donated are strongly encouraged to become members and support our conservation efforts which benefit us all. Landowners are also asked to consider the tax benefits of Environment Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program through land donations or discounted sales,” he says.
MAINTAINING WATER QUALITY
AALM volunteers undertake micro bacterial testing of the lake water every year. We are happy to report that in 2020, the results were good overall. Only two warm spots were identified, but even these, which are largely due to natural effluents, are well within acceptable norms.
In 2019, the AALM sounded the alarm about Eurasian Water-Milfoil, an invasive aquatic plant introduced to North America by ships from other continents via ballast water. The fast-growing perennial, which forms dense underwater mats that shade out other aquatic plants, has been moved around Ontario and Quebec lakes by recreational watercrafts. As it decays, the weed reduces oxygen levels in the water killing off fish, and in the long term, also killing the lake. AALM urged the municipal council to defend Lac Manitou by building a boat-washing facility so that boats from lakes infected by milfoil do not transfer it to ours. In the summer of 2020, the municipality installed a new boat washing facility behind the municipal garage. It was a success, with more than 204 motorized boats, 137 non-motorized craft and 204 trailers washed.
Any craft that was removed from the owner’s property last fall and placed in winter storage, will have to be washed in the facility this spring and sticker decals must be acquired and shown as proof. The municipality is strictly enforcing boat washing requirements for watercraft and boat trailers.
WATER SAFETY AND BOATING
Water safety, respect among neighbours, lake enjoyment, and shoreline preservation are ongoing issues and causes of concern to Lac Manitou residents. Recently, some public and private conversations on the lake about these matters have become quite heated. The AALM Board deliberated on these fractures within our community and consulted with various lake residents. Based on what it learned, the AALM Executive felt that it was important to bring a small group of residents together informally to see how we could take positive steps towards improving how we all enjoy the lake together safely, responsibly, and respectfully. This informal group of residents (it has no name) includes tow boaters (water skiers, wakeboarders, etc.), motorboaters, kayakers, sailors, windsurfers, swimmers, and other water enthusiasts from all regions of the lake.
As Boyd Fuller, AALM Vice-President and the Chair of the informal group, says, “If you talk to people around the lake, it’s clear that everyone loves the lake and wants a peaceful and respectful community. It’s also clear that a few parties on all sides have, on occasion, acted disrespectfully to their neighbours. Despite some very busy schedules and Covid-19, a small group of lake residents are devoting hours of their time to talk through the issues and brainstorm ideas to move things in a better direction. Right now, we are discussing one or more fun and educational water sports activities for this summer.”
BUOYS
The municipality purchased several new buoys for the AALM to install in the lake this summer with which to identify speed zones and limits, towing hours as well as rocks and other obstacles.
NEW LAKE MAP
The municipality has issued a new map of the lake which is available on the municipality’s website that shows shallow and hazardous areas as well as speed limits in each of the bays.
NAUTICAL PATROL
A Nautical Patrol, hired by the municipality, will give warnings and advice about laws and safe boating practices during the coming summer. And for the first time, this year, it is legally authorized to issue fines to law breakers.
IVRY TRAILS CLUB
The Ivry Trails Club, established in 2013, has grown from a dozen members to over 100. Its initial objective was to resuscitate and maintain the historically established cross-country skiing and hiking trails that pass through Ivry, such as the Laurentian Trail and the Maple Leaf Trail, created by Jack Rabbit Johannsen in the 1930s and 1940s. Working with many volunteers, the club has greatly expanded and mapped the network of trails in the hills and valleys of Lac Manitou allowing cross country skiers, snowshoers and hikers to enjoy their sports year-round.
The Ivry Trails Club is chaired by Joyce Arsenault assisted by Alice Lehrer, Vice-Chair. Once the Covid pandemic is over the Trails Club will resume its traditional programme of community hikes in the summer and cross-country ski and snowshoe excursions in the winter. The always necessary and popular, Trail Clearing Day, followed by a community potluck dinner, will also hopefully take place again this October.
Only AALM members can gain access to a password-protected internet site where they can download the Ivry Trails Club Map with detailed descriptions of more than 25 popular trails. To become a member of the Ivry Trails Club, please complete the form here.
THE ARTS AND CULTURES COMMITTEE (MACC)
This committee was established last year to “share our diversity of cultures and backgrounds and promote a sense of community,” says Jerry Golick, committee chair.
Over the winter, the committee has facilitated and hosted Zoom events for residents, including a book review with author Ann Lambert, a photo history presentation "Out of the Forest" by Sylvia Sklar, a drinks mixer, a photography mixer, and a music mixer.
Coming this summer will be a Scotch Tasting mixer (organized by Michael Vineberg), a 3- session Identifying Wild Mushrooms Workshop (hosted by Betty Palik) as well as the return of last year's very popular Vernissage à la Plage (hosted by Alan Coopersmith). More events are in the works so please check the MACC Events web page or the AALM Facebook page to keep current with all the news.
LAKE MANITOU COMMUNITY CENTRE SUMMER CAMP (LMCC)
The LMCC holds a parent-run cooperative summer programme that Includes instruction for children and teens in swimming, tennis, canoeing and golf. It runs from July 5 – August 13.
For more information please email: lacmanitou.lmcc@gmail.com
The LMCC Board of Directors are:
Geoffrey Harling, President;
Kathie Swim, Past-President;
Tassie Fyon, Vice-President;
Mark Barber, Director;
Barbara Parker, Director;
Lucy Raikes, Treasurer.
MINING ISSUES
A publicly traded U.S. based company called Venture Vanadium Inc. has acquired mineral permits covering numerous properties located in Ivry-sur-le-Lac, including rights to the old Titanium mine off Ch. Lac La Grise as well as the Desgrosbois mine near Highway 117, covering over 450 acres of land. It should be noted that underground mining rights are separate from surface property rights and the owner of the surface rights does not own the mining rights. “Vanadium” is a type of rare earth used for manufacturing batteries for consumer electronics and electric vehicles.
To the best of our knowledge, Venture Vanadium has only conducted preliminary tests on the sites in Ivry in 2019 and will need to renew its mining permit rights in 2023 if it wants to maintain these permits. It is not clear whether this company has the financial resources to follow up on its exploration plans. During its October 2020 meeting, the Ivry Municipal Council passed a resolution stating that it wanted the MRC of the Laurentides to take the necessary steps to prohibit mining activities within the municipal territory of Ivry and thus blocking the plans of Venture Vanadium
The Mayor of Ivry, M. Daniel Charette, has been able to obtain support for Ivry’s resolution from several of the municipalities that form part of the MRC des Laurentides and the MRC intends to prohibit mining within Ivry in the Schema d’Amenagement which it has drafted. The MRC is, at present, awaiting the opinion of the Ministère des Affaires Municipales et Habitations on the draft Schema d’Amenagment to see if modifications are required. Once that step is completed the MRC will submit the Schema to the Ministère des Mines for official approval. However, even if the Schema d’Amenagement is approved as proposed, the existing mining claims will not automatically be extinguished because they are possibly grandfathered.
The executive of the AALM is working closely with Conservation Manitou in monitoring developments in this file.
MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS
The Ste Agathe Ecocenter is being expanded and is temporarily relocated to a new site on Route 329, just west of Route 117.
The municipality reports that there has been improper disposal of residents’ recycling at the municipal garage and requests that residents only leave their recycling in the appropriate recycling green containers and not loose on the ground.
The municipality is enforcing its rules regarding lakeshore plantings and landscaping, and is reminding residents to respect them.
The municipality recommends that batteries in smoke detectors be verified and changed every year. Discarded batteries can be recycled at the Town Hall in a special bin.
A new garbage collection schedule is available on the municipality’s website or at City Hall. There is also an updating of cadastral registers taking place by the province.
IVRY REAL ESTATE
Local brokers report a healthy market, with stable and increasing prices, strong demand but fewer than usual listings. There are very few available rentals, and many buyers are looking for homes on Lac Manitou.
That’s all folks!
Wishing you all a safe and glorious summer. Betty Palik, Peter Cohen