Re-defining The Ontario Cottage

Today's Globe and Mail article by John Barber, Soaring prices and heritage battle: ah, life at the cottage is indicative of the dramatic transformation taking place in Ontario's cottage country. Although Muskoka is the centre of the story, the situation reflects the predominant challenge of today's changing lifestyles throughout Ontario that have re-defined the cottage as a second home, often involving the tearing down of the existing and building a four-season lifestyle house, that resembles a traditional 3 or 4 bedroom home or larger estate home.

This battle is the domain of the predominately wealthy who can afford a second home , or those middle class folk who are trying to hold on to the traditional family cottage that has been passed down to families over 2 or 3 generations, while trying to pay the increased taxes associated with waterfront properties. Barber who owns a "traditional cottage", or as he describes it as "a rickety tear-down" complains that a new development on an island across the way, will destroy his view and end up looking like a "Mississauga road with boathouses............ and cedar roofed mansions."

The traditional cottage in most cases resembles a small basic bungalow with minimal space, few amenities, no insulation, lots of wood finishes in both the walls, furniture, and exterior. Very often there is an old refrigerator which needs constant defrosting, a septic system,either attached to an out-house or an add-on bathroom with a composting toilet. This cottage style in most cases is only used from the May 24 weekend, until Labour Day or Thanksgiving weekend. The inference of Barber's article is this style is doomed to the museum as an artifact. Simcoe County Museum near Barrie has actually purchased an entire turn of the century Lake Simcoe cottage (20th century) for future display. I am not sure if it includes the out-house.

Competing with he traditional cottage or new second home in cottage country, are the traditional old resorts or summer camps and trailer parks now being converted to "fractional ownership", a lower priced method of buying into a cottage country lifestyle. Needless to say the evolving building and tearing down in cottage country is sure to continue.

Anyone who is looking for a cottage vacation north of Toronto can check out the various
Ontario cottage-types on the 400ELEVEN web site.