Connor Houston is a member of the Morneau family, which has lived in the community of Thunder Beach for decades. Frank Morneau is Houston’s grandfather.
Together, the pair addressed Tiny Township council recently asking to bypass municipal and county bylaws for a minister’s zoning order (MZO) that would rezone a section of their property to make way for development.
That property is the Thunder Highlands at 360 West Shore Dr., an informal ‘backyard,’ five-hole golf course used primarily by the area residents who overlook Georgian Bay, and members who travel from as far as Barrie. It is also listed as rural, rural exception, Greenbelt, Greenbelt exception, and environmental protection three in the township zoning regulations.
At the Aug. 10 meeting of the committee of the whole, Houston and Morneau spoke to the proposed “Morneau community project” development, which includes redevelopment of the Thunder Highlands golf course from five holes to a nine-hole championship course; 23 lots built on the west side of the course; the building of 14 lots on the west side of West Shore Drive; a community clubhouse with “dining room and other country club amenities"; and various upgrades and additions.
Several deputations also came from members of the hastily formed Thunder Beach Alliance in opposition, explaining why Tiny council supporting an MZO request from the province should be declined. Council received the deputations with intent to return to the matter at its Aug. 31 meeting.
“I’m not trying to develop anything,” stated Houston by phone to MidlandToday. “I’m just trying to find what’s best for my community and figure out a way that we don’t lose the golf course that we’ve gotten a whole ton of use out of these past few months as we’ve known it.”
According to Houston, the property was owned by Peter Naylor, who built the five-hole course in his backyard because municipal bylaws wouldn’t allow for nine holes.
After Naylor’s death, the community continued to keep the informal golf club running, charging fees at a net-neutral cost. The Morneau family purchased the property in February.
Frank Morneau told Tiny council if the golf course expansion, multimillion-dollar clubhouse, and surrounding lots couldn’t be developed, there would be no other option but for the five-hole course to close down. Their presentation included their reasons, as well as images one Thunder Beach Alliance member said used “magic marker.”
Houston, as acting manager of the community project, admitted to his lack of knowledge in the matter, saying he was “learning by the seat of (his) pants” as he went along.
“We were introduced to the term MZO,” said Houston, “and I read it at face value as the minister’s zoning order. I said, ‘OK, so our issue with everything we’re trying to do is that the zoning is different than we need it to be. This sounds like what we’re asking them, to me.”
An MZO is a provincial tool that can allow the government to overcome potential barriers and delays to development with no set criteria for a minister’s decision to use it.
The official plan for Tiny Township, in the Greenlands development policies section of its land-use designation, states it is policy to protect the Nipissing Ridge feature from development or any activity, such as tree removal, that could accelerate its natural erosion or breakdown.
Houston said he had explored severing the zones to develop outside the Greenbelt area, and was told by planning departments it would have to be rezoned first to be severed after.
Following the deputation, Houston received feedback on the MZO proposal from concerned residents and fellow supporters with, as he described, roughly half in support of the request, a quarter in objection, and the remainder either apathetic or accepting of change that usually happens.
“I haven’t had anybody point out to me that it’s the wrong avenue to go yet,” said Houston. “I’ve had people point out to me why they disagree with it. But the fact remains that if we’re going to try and maintain the community we have in terms of the amenities we have today, we need zoning before we can achieve it going through the municipality or the county.
“With that, it’s still the most efficient way to find it and get that result," he said of the MZO order.
“Then again, this is just me speaking to what I’ve been told by the number of people that have reached out and given me their advice this week. I don’t know if I’m right.”
Additionally, Frank Morneau is the father of Bill Morneau, former MP for Toronto Centre and former federal minister of finance until 2020.
As of the time of this publication, more than 775 people had signed a Thunder Beach Alliance online petition to reject the Morneau community project’s MZO application.
“Since (the deputation), I’ve been doing my absolute best to be available to anybody that has questions or concerns or wants to know more,” stated Houston. “I’m of the mind that I want to be as transparent as possible and tell people what we’re doing.
“The biggest thing is to just be available and if anybody has any questions, I’m here because I live here. Stop by. If I’m walking my dog, stop me and ask. I’m not going to have all the answers; I’m just going to try my best.”
