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Carling Council settles with Tokyo Smoke CEO over cottage built without permit

Photo Courtesy of the Township of Carling

A dispute over a controversial cottage built on a Georgian Bay island has finally been resolved.

On Nov. 7, the Township of Carling, a three-hour drive north of Toronto, entered into a settlement agreement with Alan Gertner, the owner of an in-progress cottage on Morlock Island. Gertner, the CEO of Tokyo Smoke, a lifestyle brand with ties to cannabis, started construction on the cottage in the fall of 2020 without a building permit.

As part of the settlement, Gertner will be allowed to keep his cottage where it is but has lost building permissions for other structures on the island and will have to pay for all staff time that went into negotiating the outcome of his cottage.

Gertner bought the three-acre island in 2018. At the time, a small, 1960s cottage sat on the property. In 2019, Gertner applied for and received two building permits from the Township of Carling. One permit was for a 49-square-metre sleeping cabin, and the second permit allowed for a 17-square-metre enclosed porch to be added to the existing cottage.

In the fall of 2020, Gertner determined that the enclosed porch couldn’t be added to the existing cottage due to its structural condition. Instead, he broke ground on a new cottage on the opposite side of the island without applying for a building permit. Contractors started work on the new structure, building it within 4.6 metres of the waterfront, violating Carling’s shoreline protection bylaw, which stipulates that all new builds must be 20 metres back from the waterfront.

In December 2020, Gertner applied for a building permit for the new cottage without telling the township that construction had already started. When the township discovered how close to the water Gertner planned to build, Carling’s planning department said that a survey of the property needed to be conducted to see what kind of impact the build would have on the surrounding ecosystem before a building permit could be issued.

Soon after, the township started receiving complaints from neighbouring properties about a cottage going up on Morlock Island next to the water’s edge. The township’s chief building official, Naythan Nunes, visited the site in May of 2021 and found contractors working on a structure that had already been framed and roofed. He issued a verbal stop-work order to the contractors, who complied.

 

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All work on the property froze and the township fined Gertner for building without a permit. The township didn’t release the fine amount, but under Ontario’s Building Code Act, an individual who builds without a permit can be fined up to $50,000 for a first offence.

In the meantime, the township debated whether to grant Gertner a building permit with an amendment to the township’s official planning act, allowing him to keep his cottage in its current location. If the township decided not to grant the amendment, Gertner would have to pay to relocate his cottage 20 metres back from the water.

This process extended into the winter of 2021/2022. During this time, Gertner negotiated with the township to allow his contractors to put up the cottage’s siding to protect the interior from the elements. The township agreed, but let Gertner know that there was still the possibility the cottage would have to be torn down, making the siding a gratuitous expense.

In late January 2022, the township held a council meeting to allow Gertner to plead his case while also hearing from neighbouring property owners about their thoughts on the cottage.

The neighbours were unforgiving. Most speakers said the township should not grant Gertner the amendment, voicing concerns that the decision could set a dangerous precedent, convincing others that they could also build without a permit.

During his opportunity to speak, Gertner apologized to the community for betraying their trust by building without a permit. He did, however, point out that from an environmental perspective, his cottage was in the best location on the island. Gertner’s lawyer, Michael Cook, expanded on the argument, noting that the cottage damaged minimal vegetation and didn’t impact fish habitats or any endangered species in the area.

Council deferred its decision on the permit until an outside professional planner could draft a report on the impacts of the build. Gertner said he would also have an outside planner conduct an assessment.

In July, council reconvened to decide the fate of the Morlock Island cottage. John Jackson, a planner based in Parry Sound, recommended that council deny Gertner’s application for a building permit, stating that the cottage is unlawful.

“The appropriate requirement is to have the owner remove the offending structure,” Jackson wrote in his report.

After listening to Jackson, council was quick to deny Gertner’s application.

Unwilling to tear down his cottage, Gertner filed an appeal with the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), which adjudicates on matters of land use and planning in the province.

But before an OLT hearing could be scheduled, Gertner’s lawyer sent the township’s solicitor a settlement agreement on October 21. After careful consideration, the township agreed to the settlement, allowing Gertner to keep his cottage.

In a statement, the township said that it agreed to the settlement because all other structures on the island were legal, the planning report showed that construction of the new cottage caused no negative environmental impacts, and there was concern that Gertner’s OLT appeal would succeed. The township’s solicitor also pointed out that Carling had granted permits to builds in the past that were less than 20 metres from the water without a site-specific official plan amendment.

“Carling Township Council, after much deliberation, careful review, and extensive discussions with the Township Solicitor as well as the Solicitor’s internal planning staff, has come to the decision that it was in the Township’s best interest to enter into a settlement agreement with the owner of Morlock Island,” the township said.

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Non-Resident Speculation Tax increase deters Americans looking to cottage in Ontario

Photo by Shutterstock/Diego Grandi

The cost of purchasing property in Ontario has become steeper for non-residents. On October 25, the provincial government increased the Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST) from 20 per cent to 25 per cent. This is the second tax bump to the NRST in the last year.

The NRST applies to foreign nationals, meaning someone who isn’t a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident in the country and is purchasing or acquiring residential property in Ontario. It’s a one-time tax applied at the time of sale. The government estimates that the tax will generate $175 million this year.

The government introduced the tax in April 2017 to deter foreign buyers from purchasing rental properties and driving up housing prices. At the time, the government set the tax at 15 per cent, limiting it to the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area, which stretches throughout southern Ontario, covering Niagara Falls, Toronto, Barrie, and Peterborough.

In March 2022, the tax increased to 20 per cent and expanded provincewide. The government claimed the increase was part of its pledge to fight Ontario’s housing crises, prioritizing Canadian families and homebuyers.

The October NRST bump to 25 per cent shows that the government feels foreign buyers are still a contributing factor to the province’s housing crises.

“We are working to end Ontario’s housing supply crisis—both by building 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years, and by ensuring Ontarians are able to access our existing housing supply,” said Steve Clark, the province’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, in a statement.

The NRST increase accompanies a series of federal government initiatives aimed at improving housing affordability, including a two-year ban on foreign investment in Canadian housing, starting January 1, 2023.

The prime target of these initiatives is foreign buyers snapping up investment properties in urban centres, but Americans looking to buy a cottage are also being caught in the crosshairs.

Sara West, a realtor in Pointe au Baril, north of Parry Sound, says that the area has a strong American cottager contingent, but real estate interest from the south has been waning in recent years. “There was a fair amount of interest until there was the pandemic, so [Americans] couldn’t come,” West says. “And then there’s the tax. I’ve heard from a few American people saying, ‘I can’t buy’.”

Attracting Americans to the area stimulates the local economy, West says. American cottagers stay for long periods of time, they use local contractors and make purchases in the town’s stores. Introducing barriers will impact that.

The two-year ban on foreign investment is also confusing the issue. West was recently working with an American couple, one of whom is a Canadian citizen, to find a cottage in the area. When she started looking into the two-year ban and how it would affect the cottage purchase, she couldn’t find any information. “We called lawyers and they couldn’t tell us,” she says.

The details of the ban have yet to be published, so it’s unclear whether it will apply to cottage properties. The Finance Department did not respond to Cottage Life’s questions about what the ban will cover.

This doesn’t mean Pointe au Baril is immune to Ontario’s affordability crisis, though. West says property prices skyrocketed during the pandemic. But that wasn’t driven by American buyers, and she doesn’t think deterring them will bring prices down. It’ll just hurt local businesses, she says.

Terry Rees, executive director of the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations (FOCA), points out that it’s not just potential American buyers being targeted, it’s also Americans who’ve owned cottages in Canada for generations.

Starting January 1, 2022, the federal government introduced the Underused Housing Tax. This is an annual, one-per-cent tax on residential properties owned by non-Canadians that are occupied for less than six months a year. Three-season cottages that aren’t winterized are exempt, but Rees says that if an American owns a four-season cottage, it’s likely they’ll have to pay the tax.

“These are our friends and neighbours,” Rees says. “It’s been [FOCA’s] contention with the feds that taxation on these people has unintended consequences because it’s a penalty that really doesn’t address housing shortages or affordability.”

Americans buying cottages in Canada represent such a small segment of the real estate market that increasing their taxes likely won’t free up housing for Canadians or cause prices to ease in urban centres, Rees says. It’ll just hurt the cottage communities that Americans are a part of or want to become a part of.

“In the north, people count on [cottagers],” he says. “There’s a lot of Americans all over the province owning waterfront property, and most people are part of the community. I don’t think that the intent should be to dissuade people from investing in our rural communities.”

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How to thaw a frozen pipe before it bursts

By Phonlamai Photo/Shutterstock

1. Act quickly. Start troubleshooting as soon as you notice a drop or stop in water pressure. A small ice blockage can be quickly thawed, but wait too long and you may have to contend with burst pipes.

2. Turn off the water supply and have a mop and bucket on standby.

3. Turn up the heat. If part of your plumbing is frozen, chances are other areas may be at risk. Turn up your heat tape and heating to prevent anything else from freezing.

Cottage Q&A: Should we heat our empty cottage?

4. Locate the frozen area. Turn faucets on and off along the plumbing line to find the affected area. If you get no water or just a trickle, the pipe leading to that faucet is likely frozen. Frosted pipes are a telltale sign of a frozen section. Invest in an infrared thermometer gun ($30-$100) and take temperature readings along the line until you find the frozen section. (I have also found these devices handy for troubleshooting an overheating engine, monitoring a woodburning stove, and achieving the perfect dough temperature for baking sourdough bread.)

5. Thaw the frozen section by wrapping an electric heating pad around the pipe. Ensure the affected faucet is open to relieve pressure on the system as it thaws. Alternatively, use a portable space heater or a hair dryer. Start at the section nearest the faucet and work your way back, applying heat until full water pressure has returned.

6. If your pipes have already burst or you arrive at the cottage to find the plumbing frozen solid, it’s probably time to call the plumber.

This article was originally published in the Winter 2021 issue of Cottage Life.

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Cottage Life

The Ontario government to introduce Swedish-style 2+1 highway to cottage country

Photo Courtesy of the Ministry of Transportation

The Ministry of Transportation issued a request for proposals for a 2+1 highway pilot on Highway 11. But what exactly does that mean?

In May of 2018, Mark Wilson travelled to Sweden to examine the country’s highways. Not the most touristy attraction. But as it turns out, Sweden has developed a highway system, known as the 2+1 road design, that could benefit Northern Ontario.

“The purpose of the trip was to gain information to determine the feasibility of implementing 2+1 road profiles in Northeastern Ontario, particularly on the Trans-Canada, Highway 11,” Wilson, a member of Going the Extra Mile for Safety (GEMS), a road safety advocacy group in Northern Ontario, wrote in a report.

He spent five days driving 1,200 kilometres along 2+1 roads, capturing dashcam footage and photographic material. His conclusion: It’s a road design worth implementing in Ontario.

A 2+1 road is a three-lane highway with a centre passing lane that changes direction approximately every two to five kilometres. The oncoming lanes are separated from one another by a steel median. The design is intended for smaller highways that see fewer than 20,000 vehicles on the road each day.


Sweden introduced the design in the early 1990s as the country was experiencing high rates of traffic fatalities and serious injuries, particularly on its two-lane highways where head-on collisions were being caused by people trying to pass. The design was part of Sweden’s Vision Zero road safety program, which operated under the assumption that humans will make mistakes while driving, so the road systems need to be designed to mitigate human error.

At the time of Wilson’s visit, Sweden had built 3,000 kilometres of 2+1 roads and seen a 75 to 80 per cent drop in its road fatality rate.

GEMS, which was created in 2016, in cooperation with the Temiskaming Shores and Area Chamber of Commerce, has been lobbying the Ministry of Transportation for the last six years to introduce the 2+1 design on Highway 11, which begins in Toronto as Yonge Street, extending north through Muskoka, North Bay, and other sections of Ontario’s cottage country. The majority of Highway 11 between North Bay and Temiskaming Shores is an undivided, two-lane highway.

According to GEMS, there are eight road fatalities per 100,000 people each year in Northern Ontario. Whereas in Southern Ontario, that number sits at 3.6. By introducing 2+1 roads, GEMS aims to reduce the number of road fatalities along Highway 11.

The Ontario government has taken note of GEMS advocacy.

“This first-of-its-kind highway pilot in North America will keep people and goods moving safely across Northern Ontario,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation, in a statement. “This is a key next step to get shovels in the ground on critical infrastructure projects that will support a strong transportation network.”

The government has selected two sections of Highway 11 to pilot the 2+1 design, both between North Bay and Temiskaming Shores. The first is a 14-kilometre stretch from Sand Dam Road to Ellesmere Road, and the second is 16 kilometres from Highway 64 to Jumping Caribou Lake Road.

Ministry of Transportation
Photo Courtesy of the Ministry of Transportation

“The highway model is used in other jurisdictions around the world and is more cost-efficient than twinning a highway,” the government said. According to GEMS, a 2+1 highway is approximately 70 to 75 per cent cheaper to build than a divided, four-lane highway.

North Bay Mayor Al McDonald voiced his support for the project, saying that the 2+1 design will make it safer for North Bay residents who drivein the winter.

The government’s call for proposals is open until December 2022. It will then announce the successful bidder in 2023. On the government’s bid submission site, the project completion date is set for May 16, 2025.

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Cottage Life

Buy the Way: This couple snagged a bargain by buying land through an estate sale

Photo courtesy Evan Timusk

The search: After five years of looking for a wilderness retreat, Sault Ste. Marie-based couple Evan Timusk and Jenn Vosper were beginning to lose hope. They had budgeted up to $80,000 for an isolated property surrounded by Crown land, ideally with water access. Mature forest was another objective that further pigeonholed their search. “It seems like most people clear the trees before they sell the land,” says Evan. “We were getting tired of looking at saplings and skidder trails.”

The compromise: In October 2019, they received a surprise tip on a remote, 76-acre parcel located in the headwaters of the Thessalon River, 40 km north of Bruce Mines, Ont. The former mining claim property hadn’t been visited by the family in more than 50 years and was about to be offloaded in an estate sale. Sensing a great opportunity, the couple bushwhacked there by GPS and discovered old-growth pine, rugged hills, and a clearwater river with gravel shores. “We instantly fell in love,” says Jenn.

Evan and Jenn hustled to make a bid before the property was listed. They offered $32,000, hedging that difficult access would dissuade competition. The family countered at $36,000, and the couple accepted. The deal closed after an eight-month wait while the estate was settled in court, which Evan says is normal for this type of purchase.

The silver lining: Evan and Jenn decided to build their own cabin, settling on a 16-by-20-foot structure using locally harvested (and milled by hand) rafters on stick-framed and insulated walls. They found trailer-loads of rough cut lumber on Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace, along with windows and a stove for a sauna. (Building in an unorganized township allowed the couple to bypass graded lumber.) Total material costs— enough for a cabin, sauna, and shed— tallied $24,000.

Photo courtesy Evan Timusk

After making six weeks of concerted effort and hauling endless loads of materials to the building site, the cabin took shape. By first snow, they’d framed and sheathed the cabin and added a steel roof. The couple plan to finish the interior this year, with the goal of being able to relax and enjoy the place in 2023. “There was still a bit of uncertainty while we waited for the legal proceedings, especially during the pandemic,” says Jenn. “It’s been a great experience to work together on such a lengthy project. Every new step now feels like a victory.”

Owner advice: How to navigate an estate sale

Evan and Jenn admit they got lucky in many ways. For starters, pre-pandemic prices for recreational land in northern Ontario’s Algoma district typically ran $1,000 per acre, and they’ve surged since. It also isn’t easy to find an estate sale. The couple cast a wide net by leveraging contacts in real estate offices and speaking with agents who specialized in their target area. Finally, they made an informed offer: being aware of the remoteness of the property, the difficult access, and the fact that “no one in the family had likely stepped foot there and had no attachment to the place” enabled them to score a lowball deal, Evan says.

Have you recently purchased a cottage in a unique way? Tell us about it: edit@cottagelife.com

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Cottage Q&A: Should I use vinyl flooring in my unheated cottage?

By Dmitry Kalinovsky/Shutterstock

We are removing the 1960s yellow shag carpeting in our three-season cottage and considering vinyl flooring instead. Which vinyl should we use? We want waterproof. And we want something guaranteed not to shrink or expand.—Cathy O’Brien, via email

Go with “floating” (as opposed to glued-down) vinyl planks or tiles, and look for a product designed for cold spaces or temperature fluctuations. One option is SPC (stone plastic composite) vinyl planks, says John Haswell of Quality Red Tag Floors in Edmonton. 

Will it shrink or expand? Yes. But that’s kind of the point. “All floating floors expand and contract,” says Haswell. They’re meant to move without individual pieces buckling, since during installation, you leave an expansion gap around the floor’s perimeter. 

Cottage Q&A: Best shed flooring options

And vinyl floors are, by nature, waterproof, says Shannon Currie, a sales manager with Taylor Carpet One Floor & Home in Huntsville, Ont. Waterproof within reason, in that vinyl can stand up to water falling on top of it as opposed to water seeping through from underneath.

“Vinyl is basically a plastic, to dumb it down a whole lot,” says Currie. “Most vinyl flooring is guaranteed waterproof for up to a certain number of hours.” So, the floor would be fine if, for example, the cat knocked over a glass of water, and it took a day for anyone to notice the spill, she says—assuming, of course, you installed the floor correctly, with a silicone bead around the perimeter to stop any water from getting in that way.

But, c’mon. It’s the cottage. You’re not concerned about water glasses and cats. Three months’ worth of water from a leaking roof in the spring likely would damage the floor. As it would pretty much any floor. But with click-together vinyl planks, it’s often possible to remove wet pieces, dry them out, and reinstall or replace them, says Currie. 

Cottage Q&A: Dealing with buckling laminate flooring

Not sold on vinyl yet? There are plenty of other flooring options available. And all of them will be better than yellow shag carpet.

This article was originally published in the September/October 2022 issue of Cottage Life magazine.

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Email answers@cottagelife.com.

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What to pack for lifelong memories at your first family cottage rental

So you’ve found and booked the perfect vacation rental on Vrbo. Before you check in at the cottage and check out all the great amenities, it’s important to know what you might need to pack for your next family getaway. And beyond those basic cottage essentials, now’s the perfect time to consider how you want to spend your “together” time to make memories that last a lifetime.

Here are nine things to pack that can help make your family’s first cottage trip extra special.

A cozy sweater for chilly nights

We all hope for a sunny weekend at the cottage, but even if you get your wish, you’re going to be contending with chilly evenings. Be sure to pack cozy blankets or your favourite wool sweater. There’s no better place to wear it than under the stars on the deck at night.

A book you wouldn’t have time to read anywhere else

Even if you find time to read during your busy weeks in the city, there are certain books that require a special kind of immersion. With its slower pace and lazy days in the hammock (or even rainy days without wifi), the cottage is the perfect place to break out that extra-long read that’s been collecting dust on your nightstand.

The perfect cottage playlist

A different environment calls for different music, and you may find that your tastes change when you’re in nature. Be careful about blasting tunes on the dock—sound travels over water a lot better than people realize—but preparing a cottage playlist for the drive to the lake is the perfect way to prep you and your family for the memories to come.

Binoculars (or a telescope)

Depending on where you rent, you’ll likely see wildlife that you’d never see back in the city. When you’re sitting on the dock at dusk, watching beavers ferry harvested shoots across the placid lake, you’ll be thankful you brought binoculars. And if you have a telescope you rarely use, it’s worth making space in your trunk. There’s no better place to embrace the stars than a remote cottage that’s void of city light pollution.

A birding guide

Speaking of binoculars, you’ll be seeing (and hearing) plenty of Canada’s incredible bird species at the cottage, and many a cottaging family has fallen in love with the art of birding while at the lake. A simple birding guide can help you identify the species you and your family spot.

Broken-in hiking footwear

You’ve picked an amazing rental location, you researched the local trails, and you’ve even upgraded your hiking boots in anticipation of time in the woods. Trust us on this one: you’ll want to break them in long before you lace up for that family hike. Wear them to the grocery store or whenever you walk your dog back in the city so your cottage memories won’t be blemished by blisters.

A tree-friendly hammock 

In a perfect world, every cottage rental would have a hammock placed in a just-right spot—ample shade, a breeze off the lake, and far enough from the deck that friendly chatter won’t disturb your afternoon nap. But don’t let the lack of a hammock deter you from an otherwise rental. There are plenty of tree-safe options that are simple to pack and easy to hang once you arrive.

A nostalgic board game

Plenty of cottages will have well-stocked games cupboards featuring the cottage classics, from Jenga to the oh-so-Canadian Sorry! But if there’s a game on your shelf that you haven’t played in years—or even a new board game you’ve been eager to try—you won’t find a better place to embrace it with your family.

Water shoes for pain-free swimming

If you’re renting a lakefront cottage—or a rental property near a beach—it goes without saying that you’ll be packing swimwear for the whole family. But you never know what to expect from a lakebed, whether it’s a carpet of jagged zebra mussel shells beneath a cottage-country lake or the rough, pebbly bottom of Lake Huron, so water shoes could be crucial—especially for the kids in your crew.

Customized s’mores kits

Many of us have great memories of roasting s’mores over campfires as kids, but even though the standard recipe—graham crackers, melted chocolate, and golden-toasted marshmallows—has stuck around for a reason, many cottaging families have built summer memories around their own variations. If you’re feeling fancy, candied bacon or berries can liven up the classic treat, while salted caramel is a quick fix for non-chocoholics. And if you don’t dig graham crackers, store-bought chocolate-glazed wafers are a Scout-perfected cheat code for simple s’mores.

Want to embrace the ultimate “together” experience this season? Learn more about renting a cottage with the help of Vrbo.

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8 Newfoundland foods you’ve probably never heard of

By stbar1964/Shutterstock

Canada has plenty of regional foods—we all know that poutine is associated with Quebec, and that the Nanaimo bar comes from B.C. But Newfoundland and Labrador is home to some dishes that you’re probably not familiar with—and may not have even ever heard of.

No. 1 Toutons

These small, round, pancake-like pieces of bread dough (also called “damper dogs”) were traditionally pan-fried in pork fat; nowadays butter (or healthier fats) is more common. It’s a breakfast or brunch item, often served with molasses, syrup, or jam. Yum!

No. 2 Cod au Gratin

The name explains it all: cod fillets baked in a creamy sauce topped with cheese and breadcrumbs. Newfoundland has a number of traditional cod dishes, including salt dried cod (No. 3) and crispy cod tongues (No. 4). The tongues are dredged in flour and fried in oil. C’mon! Anything fried is tasty.

No. 5 Scrunchions

These are essentially bite-sized cubes of pork fat, fried until the fat is rendered and the cubes are crunchy. Scrunchions are often served as a side dish (mixed with onions) over fish or fish and brewis (“hard bread”—No. 6).

No. 7 Bakeapples

These berries—also called cloudberries—ripen in August in marshy, boggy areas. They’re delicious in pies and tarts or made into jam.

No. 8 Jiggs’ Dinner

A typical true Jiggs’ Dinner includes salt beef (or other salt meat), root vegetables, and yellow split peas, soaked and boiled for hours.

6 unique Christmas traditions found in Newfoundland and Labrador

 

 

 

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8 reasons why you should go to the Fall Cottage Life Show this weekend

The Fall Cottage Life Show is back and bigger than before. Hundreds of exhibitors will be demonstrating the latest and greatest cottage toys, technology, and trinkets. It’s all going down this weekend, Nov. 11–13 at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont. For more information about the show such as times, stage presentations, etc. click here.

  1. Enter to win a paddleboard at the Cottage Life booth. All you need to do is fill out a ballot and sign up for Dockside, Cottage Life’s weekly newsletter.
  2. The show is the best time to renew or subscribe to the magazine because there is a special show discount. You also will get a bonus gift. Hint: It will keep you organized.
  3. Score up to a 22 per cent discount on Cottage Life’s Province of Canada merchandise including the popular vintage half-zip throwback sweater by buying them at the show.
  4. Parking is free! That being said, arrive early to help guarantee you a spot closer to the door.
  5. Get a sneak peek at Loons: A Cry From the Mist, a new documentary special airing on Cottage Life Television on Nov. 18 at 8 p.m.  Show attendees can watch sneak peeks at the Cottage Life booth.
  6. Show attendees will get a first look at the winning photographs from the 2022 Cottage Life Photo Contest. Check them out at the Cottage Life booth.
  7. For the price of one admission, you get into both the Cottage Life Show and Seasons Christmas Show. Buy your tickets here.
  8. Meet the Editor of Cottage Life, Michelle Kelly, when she sits down to discuss short-term rentals on the Main Stage. Find presentation times here.
Get your tickets for the Fall Cottage Life Show

The show is taking place on November 11–13, 2022 at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont.

Buy here

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Cottage Q&A: Seagulls fighting loons

By Petr Simon/Shutterstock

Last October, I was out on our dock when I noticed three seagulls, one flying and shrieking, and two others harassing two loons in the water. Every time they dove, the seagulls would do a flap-jump type of lift and then settle beside the loons when they emerged. I have never seen this before. Were they fighting over the same food?—Trudy O’Brien, Lake Newboro, Ont.

Bingo! Well, probably bingo. “This sounds like a feeding issue of some sort,” says Kathy Jones, the volunteer manager of the Birds Canada Canadian Lakes Loon Survey. “Both species eat fish.” Beyond that, “I can’t say for sure what was happening,” she says. “Perhaps the loons were on a particularly good raft of fish and the gulls wanted to use it? Perhaps the loons had wandered into the gull’s feeding territory? Perhaps both species were fishing on their own, but loons and gulls just don’t do well in the same space?” 

Cottage Q&A: Loons attacking ducks

Maybe, except, “I would think gulls fishing on their own are more efficient than them trying to steal food from loons,” says Jones. Loons scarf. A loon could probably easily gobble down a catch before a gull could snatch it away. Then again, gulls are known for stealing food from other gulls, from other birds, even from people. (Try eating French fries on a beach filled with gulls.)

This article was originally published in the September/October 2022 issue of Cottage Life.