August 6, 2021

Page 1

The Creemore

ECHO

Friday, August 6, 2021 Vol. 21 No. 32

www.creemore.com

News and views in and around Creemore

INSIDE

Back packing it in

Community school supply program PAGE 3

Publications Mail Agreement # 40024973

INVESTORS TAKE NOTE 151 MILL ST. AKA CREEMORE MEAT MARKET PLUS APARTMENT BUILDING MLS#40018368 Vicki Bell, Broker 154 Mill St.Creemore 705-446-4539

LOCATIONS

ORTH B R O K E R A G E

PERSONAL I PROFESSIONAL I PROGRESSIVE REAL ESTATE SERVICES

No Airbnb in Clearview

Simcoe County worker drops off new garbage bins to downtown businesses. For more information on the waste management program see page 12.

Farms for Change Returns By Bonnie MacPherson Farms for Change is back. After COVID restrictions forced the event to go virtual last year, the annual fundraiser will return to The New Farm this September 11. Organizers promise the best music, the best food and the best audience for a magical night in the barnyard. This year’s musical line up is full of surprises hosted by the band Communism. Farms for Change is a partnership between the organic New Farm, near Creemore, and Community Food Centres, Canada. Since its inception in 2009, the event has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the cause of providing access to healthy organic food to all members of the community. Farms for Change now

works with fourteen food banks in Southern Ontario and organizer Gillian Flies says the demand continues to grow at an insane pace. Farms for Change has become a year-round initiative, with the event at The New Farm as its marquis fundraiser. Tickets for the annual dinner and concert are a hot item, usually selling out within a day. In the first 10 years, the event grew to contribute between $130,000 and $150,000 to food bank coffers annually. When COVID restrictions forced cancellation of the onsite event in 2020, organizers got creative. Four hundred meals were delivered to homes in Barrie, Collingwood, Thornbury and the GTA, accompanied by a curated playlist to provide a soundtrack for

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the evening. The virtual event raised $70,000 for the cause. With COVID restrictions easing, the Farms for Change fundraiser will return to the New Farm this fall with a few small changes. Because the event is largely held outdoors, the province’s Stage 3 reopening guidelines mean the usual number of tickets can be sold. Guests will be asked to wear masks when in the barn, the bar will be moved to a less congested area, washroom facilities will be a bit further afield, and food stations will be separated with plexiglass shields. Flies says organizers are asking that only those who are double vaccinated attend, as volunteers will include staff from foodbanks who serve vulnerable (See “Farmers” on page 9)

By Bonnie MacPherson Short term rentals are not allowed in Clearview township, except in licensed hotel and bed and breakfast establishments. That reminder comes from Mara Burton, Director of Community Services. Marketing materials for the new Brix Condo development promote the investment potential of the 70 plus units, saying Creemore allows for an all-year round vacation investment…. There is very little “down season” for vacation rentals in this location and you can Airbnb all year round. Airbnb is a popular online marketplace for short term rentals. Representatives of MDM Developments, the builder behind The Brix could not be reached for comment, but as of press time, the reference to short term rentals remains on their website. Short term rentals have been prohibited in the township since enactment of the Consolidated Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw in December 2017. The full bylaw is available in the Building and Planning section of the Clearview.ca website. Burton says the ban on short term rentals, defined as fewer than 30 consecutive days, is intended to protect the supply of housing stock. The township recognizes housing as a human right, and short-term rentals decrease the supply of housing for people who actually make their homes in the community and contribute to our neighbourhoods. While tourism is vitally important to the local economy, having neighbourhoods become commercialized is not desirable. Burton cites research presented by David Wachsmuth, Canada Research Chair in Urban Governance at McGill University to the Ontario Professional Planners Association. Wachsmuth has studied the impact of short-term rentals (STR’s) extensively and reports that they often yield two to three times (See “Investors” on page 3)


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August 6, 2021 by The Creemore Echo - Issuu