The County of Barrhead wants its residents to know the rules that govern reserve lands.
Reserve lands are public land that provides a buffer between residential property and sensitive ecological areas, such as waterways.
The Barrhead Leader called the county to verify an accusation from a county resident through an anonymous letter claiming that playground equipment had been taken out of service from County of Barrhead parks and was being used in a playground installation on reserve lands near the First Avenue area of Thunder Lake.
County manager Debbie Oyarzun said they didn’t have a record of any playground installed on reserve lands and that no playground equipment had been retired.
She added that the accusation could be the result of confusion by residents who live near reserve lands, about what could be done on them and where they actually began.
That is why the county has sent out an informational brochure to residents in the Thunder Lake and Tiger Lily areas. The county also plans to publish additional information through local newspaper advertisements.
“The situation isn’t unique to lakeshore properties at Thunder Lake, it is county wide and province wide in terms of public lands and reserves,” she said, noting in the County of Barrhead what is allowed is governed by Public Reserves Bylaw 50-85.
Under the bylaw it notes that no resident has ownership or exclusive rights to the use of reserve lands. It also notes that any landscaping, digging excavation, removal of trees and other vegetation or building on reserve lands is prohibited without first obtaining written approval from the County of Barrhead.
As for whether a resident would ever get that type of approval, Oyarzun said county staff would have to look at it on a case-per-case basis.
“Because by definition, reserve lands, are public lands it would be difficult because whatever changes would have to accessible for everyone and we would have to make sure that it wouldn’t have any adverse impact to the shore line,” she said.
Oyarzun added that recently she toured the area to see if area residents were using reserve lands inappropriately.
“For the most part, from what I saw, it isn’t a big problem. There were some people who were storing their boats improperly at the wrong location,” she said. “A lot of the time I think it is just a matter of not knowing where the reserve lands start as they aren’t always marked very well. Or that they just don’t know the rules, and that is why we are working on getting the word out.”
Oyarzun also noted that any activity that has the potential to impact the aquatic environment such as the installation of piers, docks and boat lifts is regulated by both the federal and provincial government and as such any alterations to the lake bed or shoreline needs approval from the appropriate governing body.
