HISTORY/MAPS

The book titled HISTORY & FOLKLORE OF THE WHITESHELL PARK NORTH BY ANN COTT is now on the internet.

It includes Brereton, Red Rock, Jessica, White, Big Whiteshell, Betula, Barrier Bay, Nutimik, Dorothy, Ottter Falls, Eleanor, Pointe du Bois and George Lakes.

If you are interested in acquiring it, please click on the link below:

http://www.ourroots.ca/e/toc.aspx?id=10482

THE WHITESHELL COTTAGERS ASSOCIATION  INCORPORATED

1951 IS THE DATE TO REMEMBER

The Founding of a Cottagers Association


The political and economic conditions prevalent in Manitoba in 1951 would have discouraged all but the strongest and dedicated group of cottagers from attempting to form an organization devoted to bringing electrical power into the Whiteshell Provincial Park.

At the time, the government of the day was faced with tremendous expenditures associated with the disastrous flood in 1950, when the Red and Assiniboine Rivers overflowed creating a lake out of the Red River Valley from Netley to Emerson.

It was difficult to believe that the Manitoba Government would be prepared to spend an appreciable amount of money to develop a resort in the Whiteshell Park for cottagers, campers and commercial operators. It was a great challenge and was described at that time to dream the impossible dream.

The one favourable aspect was that the government had developed a program to supply electrical power to rural communities throughout the province. Maybe, just maybe they could be persuaded to extend this into the Whiteshell Provincial Park. After all, the rural electrification program was nearing completion.
This apparently was what inspired Art Ans, Harold Brett, Sid Martin, Henry Milbrandt, Bill Morrow and Ken Hellier to call a meeting on September 2, 1951 at Brereton Lake. The result was the formation of the Whiteshell District Association.

The Park was at the time only accessible by Highway #1 that was a two lane hard surfaced road leading east from Winnipeg via Lockport, Beausejour, and Whitemouth. It entered the Whiteshell east of Rennie and then crossed the Ontario boundary three miles east of West Hawk Lake and continuing thirty-five miles into Kenora.

There was also an entrance to the northern area of the Whiteshell from a point on the Highway #1, approximately five miles west of Whitemouth where a gravel road led to the power development at Seven Sisters. The road continued through the Park past the lakes along the Winnipeg River up to the Rennie River. Later, with the erection of a bridge over the Rennie River, it was joined to Highway #1, south of Brereton Lake, just west of Rennie. The road was then described as extremely dusty and washboard. Incessant Spring rains and floods resulted in washouts and mud holes making entrance to cottages and resorts difficult at the best of times and almost impossible at others.

The Forest Service had cleared and established narrow roads or trails on the perimeters of the developing resorts and from lake to lake in some areas. Our records indicate that there were fewer than 700 cottages in the Park in 1951 whose occupants braved by-ways. Only the hardy adventurer would not be discouraged from traveling on these roads for pleasure purposes.

But this was not all. There was no telephone service as power lines were non-existent. As a result, to communicate with the rest of the world, a cottager was required to drive to Kenora, Whitemouth or to the power plant at Seven Sisters to make a phone call. Yes, those were the good old days!

Only a few cottagers and camp owners (as they were referred to at the time) had installed generating plants for electricity. The majority of the cottagers had coal oil or gasoline lamps and lanterns and wood burning stoves that were a source of heat and used for cooking.
Iceboxes were used in the summer to keep food from spoiling and blocks of ice were usually purchased from a camp owner who had the proper facilities for storing ice.

Nevertheless, even though faced with adversity the founders of our Association were not deterred. They tackled the problem of electricity, roads, water supply and lake levels that can now be handled on a collective basis. With the formative stages of the Association completed it was now time to press for the much-needed improvements.

To the sixty cottagers at the founding meeting the most important issue was to defray the Associations expenses. They determined that the only pressing need was for postage and stationary and that a nominal fee of one dollar per member would be sufficient to cover the cost.

They immediately began to work on the issue of electrical power. By the late 1950s the Association had accomplished the main purpose for which it was formed and had negotiated bringing electricity to most cottage areas in the Whiteshell at an affordable price. An incident worth mentioning that was taken from the files of the Associations Secretary Mr. Brett in 1964, who conveyed that upon approaching a woman for her two-dollar membership fee, her response was "We don't have to pay that anymore, we got the electricity in last year". Unfortunately, she failed to realize that there still were other issues of importance, like there is every year.

The Association's first President, Mr. Milbrant sent the following letter on September 15, 1951 to all cottagers requesting that they join the Association. He wrote as follows:
"There are now approximately seven hundred summer residents in the Whiteshell. In ten years there may be two thousand or more. It seems imperative that we should at this time, commence the building of an organization which may through its spokesmen, add to our holiday enjoyment in future years."

Mr. Milbrandt was able to accurately predict the future. By 1962 the number of cottage owners in the Park had grown to 2,870. Each year brought new challenges. Throughout the years Cottagers concerns kept increasing and kept the Association's officers busy.

One phase remains constant since 1951. The Association continues to operate as a volunteer non-profit organization to ensure that we are all able to enjoy our lakeside lifestyle. It is most essential that we continue in our efforts so that we and future generations will not only be able enjoy the park but continue to be able to maintain reasonable lease and service fees.

Maps of the Whiteshell may be found at these addresses.

http://www.whiteshellpark.com/older/location.html#map

http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/parks/popular_parks/whiteshell/map_park.pdf 

TOWNSITE/SUBDIVISION MAPS

*     Barrier and Nutimik Lake Subdivision

*    Betula Lake Subdivision

*    Big Whiteshell and Green Lakes Subdivisions

*   Brereton Lake Subdivisions

*   Dorothy Lake Subdivision

*   Eleanor-Margaret Lakes and Otter Falls Subdivisions

*   Falcon Lake Subdivision

*   Falcon Lake Townsite

*   Red Rock Jessica and White Lakes Subdivisions

*   West Hawk-Caddy-Star and Hunt Lakes Subdivisions




Some telephone numbers that you may find useful

  

For all of the Park

Environmental Accident Reporting line:  945-4888

Forest Fire Report Line:  24 hours:  1-800-782-0076

TIP  Turn in Poachers:  24 hours:  1-800-782-0076

Stan Struthers:  Constituency Office - 622-7630 Dauphin
Legislative Building:  234-450 Broadway, Wpg  1-800-282-8069  stanstruthers@mts.net

Bruce Bremner:  Assistant Deputy Minister 945-4842

Fred Meier:  Assistant Deputy Minister  945-7008   fred.meier@gov.mb.ca

Barry Bentham: Director of Parks & Natural Areas 945-4362

Greg Shabaga:  Chief, NRO 345-1449

Jeff Colpitts: Manager Parks  945-4406  jcolpitts@gov.mb.ca

Larry Teetaert: Regional Parks Manager, Eastern Region 345-1455 lteetaert@gov.mb.ca

Stan Kaczanowski: Regional Forest Manager, Eastern Region 345-1453

John Irwin: Planning and Development, Conservation 945-4382

Mitch Walker: Assistant Regional Director Conservation 345-1433

Christine Melnick: Water Stewardship 945-1133

Diane Oertel: Environmental Officer/Public Health Inspector 345-1486  Diane.Oertel@gov.mb.ca

Pat Martin: Engineer Development 945-0169

Bill Watkins:  Biodiversity Conservation Section, Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch  945-8481 william.watkins@gov.mb.ca

Melanie Betsill: Drinking Water Officer, Whiteshell: 345-1487

VACANT: Park Superintendent, South Whiteshell:  349-6014,

Kelvin Kowaski:  Parks Operations Manager, South Whiteshell  349-6015  kelvin.kowaski@gov.mb.ca

Heidi Kroeger: Environment Officer:  345-1490  Who to call  to report holding tank abnormalities: Responsible for the Whiteshell Prov. Park NORTH OF RENNIE   Heidi.Kroeger@gov.mb.ca

Jason Lasuik: Environment Officer:  345-1428  Who to call to report holding tank abnormalities for the Whiteshell Prov. Park SOUTH OF RENNIE  Jason.Lasuik@gov.mb.ca

Parks District Office

Falcon Lake:  204-349-2201
Rennie:           204-369-3153
Seven Sisters: 204-348-4004
West Hawk:   204-349-2245

MOTOR VEHICLE PERMITS FOR WHITESHELL PARK COTTAGERS

The Honourable Stan Struthers
Minister, Manitoba Conservation
330-450 Broadway Ave.
Winnipeg, MB R3C 0V8

June 7, 2008

Dear Mr. Struthers:

Re: Motor Vehicle Permits for Whiteshell Park Cottagers

This is the second letter written on behalf of the Whiteshell Cottagers Association Inc. to your office regarding the $28.00 charge, for a motor vehicle entrance permit, to cottagers in the Whiteshell Park.  As you are aware, the first letter was written by past President Ted Ferens on February 25, 2008 to which we received a reply on
May 29.

Your response on May 29 is unacceptable to the membership and we will provide you with the reasons.

We would first like to inform you that we have located in our files correspondence on this very issue with previous governments.

We note that in 1975, the Directors of the WDA “negotiated” with the Department of Tourism, Recreation and Cultural under the NDP government for a new lease fee rate “which included one free vehicle park entry permit for each leaseholder”.

Having located a copy of The Whiteshell Master Plan, an initiative by the NDP government, that was started in 1980, we noted that the plan called for an overview of the Park system with specific objectives for the Whiteshell Park. Contained within the Draft Plan Summary published in 1981 under Fees and Residential Summer Home Lots is the statement “ a general service levy is proposed to cover 25% of all indirect operating and maintenance costs. This would be charged against all lots, including private lots and campsites and would amount to $126.00 per annum at present levels of expenditure. No Park entrance fees should be levied on cottagers because of the general levy.”

Before The Whiteshell Master Plan was finalized the objectives were “ publicized, and reviewed at meetings and through direct communication with the public. “ Then the Draft Master Plan was prepared. The plan further states that “ Public interest and contributions were of substantial benefit in completing the Master Plan. “

Further to the history of the Park Entrance Fee, during the spring of 1982, cottagers in all provincial parks did not receive the seasonal entry permit in the mail. Members of the Whiteshell District Association then brought this to the attention of the Minister and the policy of “free seasonal passes to cottagers” was immediately re-instated.

In 1991 the department of Natural Resources implemented a fee increase to the land rental charge for vacation home lot holders. In a letter from C. Gordon Prouse, Director of Parks, to the cottagers of the park he stated “ for those who require an annual park entry permit to gain access to their cottage, attached is your 1991 park entry permit. “

The WCA would now like to address the word “free” in reference to the Motor Vehicle Permit. The permit has been given to cottagers since at least 1975 at no cost because they already pay a substantial fee for the privilege of having a summer residence in a provincial park. I note on my invoice for 2007-2008 that one of the fees is described as a West Hawk District Road Access Service fee. This fee is roughly half of the total amount cottagers have to pay each year. Does that not entitle cottagers to attend their cottages without further charge?

We are also aware that owners of residences in National Parks such as our own Riding Mountain National Park do not pay to attend their residences. I also note that I do not have to pay a motor vehicle permit fee to attend my residence in the City of Winnipeg.

The bigger concern in this issue is the lack of consultation with cottagers before this decision was made. You stated in the proposal that the vehicle permit fee is “ to help continue improve services and maintain facilities” The Provincial Parks Act states under the heading, Consultation with owners and occupiers:"18(2) When a park district is established under subsection (1), the minister shall provide an opportunity for owners and occupiers of land in the park district to review the level and the cost of providing services in that district and the service fee that should be charged for providing those services.”

That was not done in this case. Would you please explain why there was no consultation?

The WCA noted that in a recent correspondence with a member of your government on another issue, the statement was made that Manitoba Conservation wishes to continue dialogue with the WCA on issues in the Whiteshell Park as they have done in the past.

As we have shown, previous governments have discussed and resolved this very issue in the past with the WCA and have realized that providing Provincial park cottagers with a “free” pass was the right thing to do. Why does the current government choose not to consult with the owners and occupiers of the all the park districts in Manitoba and honour past commitments?

We await your response.

Sincerely

Werner Toews

President Whiteshell Cottagers Association Inc.