Author: Cottage Life

Wild Profile: Meet the red-bellied snake

Post author By Cottage Life
Post date 19 April 2022

By Mike Wilhelm/Shutterstock

Snakes don’t usually get the label of “cute”—but maybe that’s because nobody remembers the red-bellied snake. Look at that little face! C’mon. This guy’s not so bad.

Are red-bellied snakes venomous?

Like almost all of Canada’s snakes, red-bellies are not venomous. They are also unlikely to attempt to bite you, even if you picked one up. They tend to be timid when handled. They’re very skinny—more like long worms—and sometimes only as long as eight inches. Even turtles and blue jays eat them. The most a red-bellied snake will do to you is curl its upper lips back in a snarl, or attempt to roll over and scare you away with its red stomach. (Because red is scary?) As with all snakes, this one might try its best to intimidate you with fakery. But…when a snake is as small as a red-belly, its efforts kind of fall short. Well, you gave it the old college try, little buddy.

Where does the red-bellied snake live?

In Canada, you can find the red-bellied snake from southeastern Saskatchewan east as far as Nova Scotia—although they seem to be absent around Lake Superior. If you can find them. With their dark backs and small size, they blend in with dead pine needles and other leaf litter. Plus, they tend to only emerge from rock crevices and under logs at night, to hunt for their dinners of slugs, earthworms, and beetle larvae.

Is this snake endangered?

Red-bellies mostly breed in April, after hibernating over the winter. But a mother doesn’t give birth—to a litter of up to 14 live, baby snakes—until August or September. The snakelets shed one layer of skin within an hour; after two years, they’re mature and able to reproduce. But it’s hard to monitor this snake’s longevity and numbers, in part because of their nocturnal, super-secretive nature. Currently, they’re not assessed under COSEWIC or SARA; under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species—it catalogues the extinction risk of the world’s animal and plant species—they’re considered “of Least Concern.” So that’s a better outlook if you compare it to the future of plenty of other snakes.

Tags herpetology, nature, red-bellied snake, red-belly snake, redbelly snake, reptiles, snakelets, snakes, spring, wild profile

Cottage Life

Real estate agents oppose Nova Scotia’s new taxes for non-resident property owners

Post author By Cottage Life
Post date 18 April 2022

Photo by Shutterstock/Sam and Brian

At the end of March, Finance Minister Allan MacMaster released Nova Scotia’s 2022-2023 budget. As part of the budget, the province has introduced two new taxes that target property owners who live outside of Nova Scotia: a Property Tax and a Deed Transfer Tax. Both taxes took effect on April 1.

The Property Tax requires non-resident owners to pay an annual $2 per $100 of the property’s assessed value, as determined by the Property Valuation Services Corporation. Non-residents who rent their properties to Nova Scotians are exempt from this tax.

The Deed Transfer Tax requires any non-resident purchasing a residential property, including vacant land classified as residential, to pay a five per cent tax on the property’s purchase price or assessed value (whichever’s greater). Non-residents are exempt from this tax if they permanently move to the property within six months of purchasing.

The Nova Scotian government estimates that the two new taxes will generate $81 million of revenue in the 2022-2023 fiscal year. The earnings will be used to combat the housing crisis that’s plagued the province for the last three years. The price of properties and rent have skyrocketed in Nova Scotia, particularly around the Halifax area, and affordable housing is in short supply.

In October 2021, Halifax’s vacancy rate dropped to one per cent, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, tying the area with Victoria, B.C., and Peterborough Ont. for the lowest vacancy rates in Canada. Halifax’s vacancy rate first hit one per cent in 2019, the area’s lowest reported rate in the past 30 years.

In part, the government holds the high percentage of non-resident property owners in the province accountable for the low vacancy rate.

In 2020, 3.6 per cent of Nova Scotia’s residential properties were owned by non-residents, a higher percentage than both Ontario and British Columbia. Nova Scotia’s Finance Department estimates that around 27,000 of the province’s residential properties are owned by non-residents, with 52 per cent of those owners coming from Ontario.

The government theorizes that the new taxes will convince the province’s non-resident property owners to sell or rent their properties to Nova Scotians, opening up more affordable housing. The majority of people impacted by the new taxes, however, will be out-of-province cottage owners.

“Nova Scotia has a lot of people that come back because the cottage has been in the family for two or three generations, and it just happens that the children have moved to different provinces, but they still consider [the cottage] as going home,” said John MacKay, owner and broker of MacKay Real Estate. “They keep the cottage because it’s a great place to get together with family, cousins, relatives, and things like that. And now you’re doubling or tripling the taxes. People are going to question that.”

In a letter opposing the new taxes, real estate agent Stan Rose wrote: “Non-residents are not covered under Nova Scotia health plans and have to pay for any and all medical expenses. They are not a drag on our welfare system. They have no kids in school and most of them are only here from late spring to early fall. I don’t think any are in our prison system. They only use our roads during the period they’re here, and that doesn’t contribute to the damage done in the winter season.

“Actual benefits to Nova Scotia: They buy land and build expensive houses and then are taxed accordingly. They hire carpenters, roofers, painters, plumbers, and other tradespeople. They buy furniture, cars, trucks, trailers, boats, build wharves, buy clothes, food, alcohol, and oil, and support local restaurants and tourism events. They pay HST on most of these items and do not get any back. Looks to me like we already have a win-win situation. Why mess it up?”

Both Rose and MacKay are concerned that the non-resident taxes will deter out-of-province buyers from purchasing property in Nova Scotia and convince cottage owners to sell, impacting the province’s economy. It’s unfortunate, MacKay said, as he sees the demand driving the housing and apartment shortage in Nova Scotia as separate from the demand driving the cottage market. “The two are apples and oranges.”

With the ability to work from home, there’s been more demand for people to get out of their rental accommodations and buy a house, which is driving the housing shortage, MacKay said. Whereas cottage demand is being driven by people who’ve decided not to vacation internationally due to the pandemic and are instead looking for a domestic retreat.

Regardless, the government has moved forward with the taxes, and, in its 2022-2023 budget, has devoted $15 million to affordable housing programs.

“We will do what needs to be done to make sure Nova Scotians can afford a place to call home,” MacMaster told the province’s legislature.

Tags cottage owners, Deed Transfer Tax, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Cottages, property tax, Provincial budget

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Cottage Q&A: Cleaning pontoons

Post author By Cottage Life
Post date 15 April 2022

By Mark Herreid/Shutterstock

I have a 10-year-old pontoon boat. The pontoons are dirty. What can I use or do to bring back the lustre of their original shine?—Wes Green, Meadow Lake, Sask.

Their original shine? That may be unrealistic, especially if you haven’t cleaned them in a decade. “Pontoons are tough because they stain and oxidize over the years,” says Sean Horsfall, the owner of Len’s Cove Marina in Portland, Ont. “It’s very hard to make them ‘new’ again.”

That said, he recommends pressure-washing to get rid of as much loose surface grime as possible, then washing the pontoons with an aluminum-specific cleaner. There are plenty of brands; check marine retailers. Follow the product’s application instructions carefully. “Some of these chemicals are strong,” says Horsfall. You’ll need skin and lung protection, “and be aware that the products can damage the paint on boat trailers.”

After an aluminum cleaner, Mitchell Wolfe, with North American pontoon boat-maker Bennington, recommends following with an aluminum polish, then buffing (you can use a car buffer). “Boat ‘fouling’ is natural when water meets aluminum,” he says. “But you’d be surprised how much buffing can help restore it.”

If you want a gentler, greener option—and for the sake of the environment, we’ll always recommend that—you can mix a mild dish detergent, such as Dawn, with water, says Wolfe. Use a sponge, a soft-bristled brush, or a one-gallon sprayer to clean the pontoons—well away from the lake, of course.

Let’s be real: dish soap and water (or baking soda and water, or vinegar and water, or magic and water) won’t remove stains that have built up over years. If shiny pontoons are really important to you, and you don’t want to deal with scary, paint-stripping acid washes, take the boat to a professional.

“We do this job with a forklift,” says Horsfall. “And respirators for the staff.”

This article was originally published in the March/April 2022 issue of Cottage Life magazine.

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

Tags aluminum boats, boating, cleaning, cottage q&a, éco, evironmentally-friendly, pontoons

Cottage Life

This cottager carved a wildlife tribute on his ATV shed

Post author By Cottage Life
Post date 15 April 2022

Photo by Bob Hayward

“It’s not uncommon to see wildlife such as foxes, bears, and even moose near the cottage,” says Bob Hayward, who has cottaged on Salerno Lake, Ont., since 2012. So when he set out to build a shed for his ATVs last winter, he looked to his surroundings for inspiration. “This was my tribute to the natural environment,” he says.

Needing a large, level surface to work from, and to protect his project while it was in progress, Bob built the doors out of 5⁄4-inch pressure-treated pine at home on his basement pool table. After sketching the deer onto graph paper, he transposed it onto the shed doors using chalk and string. He then used a Dremel tool to carve the image and a chipping tool to deepen the grooves. He finished it off with an Epifanes marine varnish to protect it from the elements and then transported the shed doors outside—which was no easy feat. Negotiating his basement’s curved landing, Bob carefully manoeuvred the doors up and down until he could squeeze them out through the tight space. “We only had one inch to spare,” he says. The weight of the doors also added to the challenge—Bob used three sets of iron hinges to securely attach the door to the 12-by-7 foot shed. “Next time, I would probably use a fence board, which is thinner,” he says.

While the project took longer than Bob had originally anticipated—60 hours spread out over three weeks—he’s happy with the outcome. “I got a lot of enjoyment from carving the design and playing around with the depth and shadows of the image,” he says. As for his next project? He plans to carve bears and moose into a pair of deer antlers that he picked up at a garage sale.

Tags deer, diy, dremel, reader project, wildlife, wood, woodworking

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Timmins man fined for leaving his camper trailer on Crown land

Post author By Cottage Life
Post date 14 April 2022

Photo by Shutterstock/dvande

Turns out storing your camper trailer on Crown land can come with a hefty price tag. On April 8, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) announced that it was fining Ralph Miller of Timmins, Ont. $7,000 for leaving his camper trailer and personal belongings on Crown land over the 21-day limit.

In January 2018, a conservation officer encountered Miller’s camper at the Pharand Lake boat launch, approximately an hour and a half southwest of Timmins. The trailer remained there over the winter, exceeding the 21-day limit for camping on Crown land. In May, conservation officers ticketed Miller and told him to move his camper. Miller neither paid his ticket nor moved his camper.

Over the winter of 2019, Miller left his camper in the same location. When discovered by conservation officers, they charged Miller under the Public Lands Act and removed his camper from the site.

Justice of the Peace Jean-Marie Blier presided over the case, but Miller failed to attend any of his scheduled court dates. Finally, on March 24, 2022, Blier heard the case remotely in the Ontario Court of Justice, in Timmins, and found Miller guilty during a trial in absentia, fining him $7,000.

In some regards, Miller got off light. According to the MNRF, failing to remove personal property from Crown land can constitute a maximum fine of $15,000, with an additional fine of $1,000 for each day the offence continues. If it’s a second offence, it can warrant up to a $25,000 fine.

Under Ontario’s Public Lands Act, all Canadian citizens are allowed to camp on Crown land for free for a maximum of 21 days. After that 21 days, you need to move your camping equipment a minimum of 100 metres from your previous site to be entitled to another 21 days. You’re then not allowed to camp on your previous site for an entire year.

Not all Crown land is open to camping, though. You can check which Crown land locations are available for camping here. The MNRF advises that you check before heading out as you could be fined for camping on prohibited Crown land.

Non-residents can also camp on Crown land, but if you’re a non-resident camping north of the Mattawa and French Rivers, you must purchase a permit through Service Ontario. It costs $9.35 per person per night. Even with a permit, non-residents are still restricted to the 21-day limit.

“As with all campers, the 21-day temporary use ensures that sites are available to others and helps reduce environmental impacts,” the MNRF said in an email.

Our 20 favourite camper van and trailer conversions

Tags Camper trailer, camper van, crown land, crown land camping, fines, Ministry of Natural Resources and Foresty, Ontario Crown land, timmins

Cottage Life

Cottage real estate region: South Shore, Nova Scotia

Post author By Cottage Life
Post date 14 April 2022

Photo by gvictoria/Shutterstock

The most famous town on Nova Scotia’s South Shore lends its name to a prized Maritime architectural feature: the “Lunenburg bump,” a protruding dormer over a house’s main entrance. It’s not exclusive to Lunenburg but is seen as a mark of historical authenticity. Chester, closer to Halifax, is known as a summer playground for the well-heeled. Gatsby-esque waterfront places here are priced accordingly, so many people settle for a cottage on a side street, within walking distance of pubs and restaurants, the yacht club, and the theatre. From Chester, the ferry goes to Tancook Island, with its isolated, less expensive waterfront properties. Just west of Lunenburg, Bridgewater is the area’s commercial centre. Downstream, on both sides of the LaHave River, are some lovely shoreline properties with boating opportunities on the tidal estuary.

Along the South Shore, an affordable waterfront home may require some work and renovations to retain its historical character. Drive toward Liverpool and Shelburne and there are spectacular white-sand beaches.

Tags cottage, east coast, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, real estate, South Shore, VRBO

Cottage Life

Lumber is still expensive—can you mill your own trees?

Post author By Cottage Life
Post date 14 April 2022

Photo by Chad Higgins

Since lumber prices remain quite high, cottage builders and DIYers are turning to felling and custom-milling lumber from their own properties. “It’s quite beneficial for a lot of property owners who have trees to turn into lumber that they can then use for a project,” says Chad Higgins, the owner of Westcoast Custom Timber in Victoria, B.C. Prices for custom felling and milling timber vary widely depending on the project, but Higgins says it usually costs a third to half of the price that you’d pay to buy the lumber from a retailer.

For Westcoast Custom Timber, for example, a tree that has already fallen might cost as little as $150 to remove and mill; prices could shoot upward to $1,500 if Higgins has to bring in extra equipment and take additional safety precautions to take the tree down. But in general, his clients usually pay between 75 cents a board foot up to $1.05—still considerably cheaper than big box store prices, which were upwards of $1.50 even before the pandemic.

Photo by Chad Higgins

Higgins also notes that in order to use the lumber for home construction, a lumber grader or engineer must certify the wood to ensure it’s safe to build with. Ungraded lumber can be used for any building project not intended for habitation, such as a shed, dock, or deck. Getting the grading could cost between $250 and $1,000 for common projects, but it depends on the size. Custom milling services can also be found on sites such as Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace.

Tags building, diy, lumber, mill your own trees, milling, project, wood

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