Cliff Bay: Muskoka’s Public Shoreline Is Not For Sale

Cliff Bay: Muskoka’s Public Shoreline Is Not For Sale

RSVP: MZO Town Hall with Matt Richter & Mike Schreiner
July 14, 2026 at 7:00 PM in Gravenhurst

This is public shoreline the government is selling off to wealthy developers, overriding local governance along the way. For 30 years, the Muskoka Regional Centre lands, more than 70 acres with 2,000 metres of Lake Muskoka shoreline, have sat empty. Now the province wants to hand them to a private developer, using a Minister’s Zoning Order to override local council and skip the normal planning process.

The plan: condos, a hotel, two restaurants, a spa, and a marina with space for 80 boats. Muskoka residents don’t get a vote, but wealthy developers get to cash in, and the zoning shortcut that makes it all possible was reportedly built into the sale agreement itself, before the public ever had a say.

It’s the same playbook we’ve seen with the Greenbelt and Ontario’s conservation authorities: sell off what belongs to everyone, and hand well-connected insiders the shortcut to make sure the deal goes through.

Invest in the housing, healthcare, and infrastructure Muskoka residents actually need, not luxury condos.
Keep the Muskoka Regional Centre lands in public hands, decided by Gravenhurst and District of Muskoka council, not a Minister’s Zoning Order.
Guarantee public access to this stretch of Lake Muskoka shoreline for everyone, not just resort guests.

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Send a message to Graydon Smith

I’m writing to express my opposition to the planned sale of the Muskoka Regional Centre lands to Cliff Bay Muskoka Corp., and to the Minister’s Zoning Order that would let the project bypass local planning rules entirely. As MPP for Parry Sound–Muskoka and Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, you have the power to stop this MZO before it goes any further. Almost no one else in this fight has that kind of leverage. This is 2,000 metres of public shoreline on Lake Muskoka, land Ontarians have owned for 30 years. Cliff Bay Muskoka Corp., a subsidiary of KS Group of Companies, wants to turn it into condos, a hotel, a spa, and an 80-boat marina. To close the deal, the province built the zoning shortcut right into the sale agreement, cutting Gravenhurst council and the people who actually live here out of the process entirely. We’re asking you to: Keep the Muskoka Regional Centre lands in public hands, decided by Gravenhurst and District of Muskoka council, not a Minister’s Zoning Order. Guarantee public access to this stretch of Lake Muskoka shoreline for everyone, not just resort guests. Invest in the housing, healthcare, and infrastructure Muskoka residents actually need, not luxury condos. We’ve seen this playbook before: the Greenbelt handed to well-connected donors, conservation authorities gutted, and now Muskoka’s shoreline sold off with the zoning shortcut reportedly built into the deal before the public ever had a say. Regular Muskoka residents don’t get that kind of access. You’ve spent nearly 12 years in municipal government here before Queen’s Park. You know what it looks like when a community gets cut out of a decision about its own land. Don’t let this be another one.

You can submit this letter as-is or change it to reflect your own priorities. Your comment will be forwarded with the subject line “You can stop the Cliff Bay MZO, Minister Smith”, including your name, email and postal code to Graydon Smith. You will also be added to the GPO mailing list but you can unsubscribe at any time.