Creemore Area Residents' Association (CARA)
Welcome to the Creemore Area Residents' Association (CARA) website. For more than 30 years, CARA has been acting on local issues in an effort to preserve the unique and wonderful character of the Creemore area.
It’s Membership Renewal Time!
If you live in or appreciate the area, we invite you to become a member. Everyone in the area is eligible to join. To join or renew your membership, click here.
Please come back to this website often to review local issues and events in the area. If you have an idea, issue or concern you would like to discuss, please contact one of the Directors or email us at info@creemoreresidents.ca.
(To navigate our website, just click on the three horizontal bars on the upper right corner of our web pages.)
We look forward to hearing from you. Stay healthy and practice social distancing!
CARA Board of Directors
CARA AGM – Saturday, July 15, 2023, 3:00 pm
JULY 15, 2023: CARA will hold its AGM at Station on the Green from 3:00 pm to 4 pm. We will review recent activities including the ATV campaign and Tribute’s new development plan. Guest speaker will be Ed Starr, Consultant and specialist on Seniors’ Housing. All are welcome.
RECENT NEWS
June 28, 2023: CARA presents various recommendations to the Council special meeting concerning the Tribute designs for the former Alliance subdivision. Greg Young, Valery Dyer and Bill Mann presented several considerations regarding the Development Concept; the Servicing Concept; Phasing; Seniors’ Housing; Trees; the Architectural Control Guidelines as well as a number of issues raised by neighbours. Click here for our submission to the Township.
June 25-26, 2023: CARA submits letter to Council recommending Status Quo (Option 1) on ATV bylaw. (click here for the letter submitted to Council). Bill Mann presents our rationale at Council. Council votes for Option 2 to open Creemore and Dunedin to ATVs notwithstanding our objections.
May 30, 2023: CARA submits ATV survey findings and report to Council. The data speaks for itself, but it clearly shows very strong local support in Creemore for keeping the ATV bylaw as is, not just amongst CARA members but also the broader community. I would encourage you also to read the open-ended comments to get an understanding of the respondents’ strong views on the issues. Click here for a copy of the report to Council.
May 11, 2023: Tribute Completes its Application for an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning Bylaw Amendment. Tribute Communities has purchased the Alliance Heritage Village development and proposes to build from 473 to 536 residential units on the site. A draft plan including 46 blocks for development has been submitted. The development includes a variety of single detached frontages from 30 to 50 feet. It also includes 68 condominium townhouse units of 28 feet. Click here for details of the development application.
June 18, 2022: We held our Annual General Meeting at Station on the Green. This was our first in-person meeting in three years so it was great to see everyone again. We noted with great regret the loss of two directors since the pandemic began: Jim McCartney who had been active for many years and more recently Peter Goddard who was also a great supporter. Recent activities have included the campaign against ATVs on Creemore roads, participating in the review of the Clearview Ward system and continuing to monitor local land developments. Following the formal part of the AGM, most attendees went outside for a very informative presentation on the Village Green construction and future programming plans by Stuart Lazier, Tony Arrell and Kavi Karnaker. Thanks to all who attended including Stuart, Tony and Kavi for their excellent presentation and a huge thanks to all our members!
March 23, 2022: We deeply regret the loss of Peter Goddard, a long term director of CARA, and great supporter of the Creemore community. Our thanks to Trina Berlo at the Echo who has written a wonderful tribute here.
December 2021: Provided financial support to the Tree Society for the Christmas in the Valley and Tree Lighting ceremony in Creemore.
February 2021: We encouraged members and friends to participate in the Township’s review of the ward system, the basis on which Councillors are elected. We recommended preserving the ward system as a way of getting Creemore’s voice heard at Council.
January 2021: We invited our members and friends to share their ideas by taking part in a community survey being undertaken as part of the ‘Creemore Vision’ project being conducted by the Creemore Community Foundation. The CCF has engaged Small/ERA Architects, who led the Village Green project to help develop 'A Vision for Creemore’.
The objectives of the project broadly are to:
1. Support and elevate Creemore’s rich arts and culture community, while also promoting opportunities to encourage new and diverse programming;
2. Promote and strengthen Creemore’s heritage and established community character and identity; and
3. Promote opportunities for growth and development that serve the community residents and tourists
The results will help guide future investments and programming being supported by the CCF.
ERA has been conducting the community consultations and is helping to develop the vision. The Steering Committee for the project is Greg Young (chair), Stuart Lazier (CCF), Laurie Severn (BIA), Sara Sniderman, Rob Green (CORE) and Michael Emory (Founder of Allied Properties REIT). We expect the project to be finalized in March 2021.
December 4, 2020: Creemore Christmas Stroll: We contributed to the Creemore Tree Society who took the lead this year in developing a safe, Creemore Christmas event as an alternative to our traditional shared Tree Lighting Ceremony.
October 26, 2020: A great win at Council! Monday evening, Council passed a modified ATV bylaw that prohibits ATVs and SxSs on roads and road allowances south of County Road 9 between Airport Road and Highway 124, on Fairgrounds Road and the 6th line. This is most of Creemore and everything in the Niagara Escarpment that is south of County Road 9. There are also additional parts of the Niagara Escarpment and NVCA regulated lands that are off-limits.
So a huge thanks to Deputy Mayor Burton, Councillors Paterson and McKechnie for all their persistent work on this issue, as well as to Councillors Leishman and Lamers who supported the Deputy Mayor’s motion to restrict ATVs south of County Road 9.
Thanks to all of you also for completing our survey, writing the Mayor and Councillors, filing public statements at Council and posting the ubiquitous Protect our Roads & Trails signs.
October 18, 2020: CARA submitted requests for Amendments to the Draft ATV Bylaw to Council for the Council meeting, October 26. We also submitted comments from our ATV survey that residents have made.
Click here to go to our ATV page
Click here for our submission to Council requesting amendments to the draft ATV bylaw
Click here for recent Echo articles on ATVs
September 15, 2020: The ATV survey results are in! An impressive 146 respondents representing 400 people shared their views. Fully 92% DO NOT want increased ATV and SxS access to our roads and trails.
76 households from Ward 5 representing 208 people do not want increased access by ATVs to Clearview
27 households from Ward 2 representing 88 people do not want increase access by ATVs to Clearview
Click here for the report showing the results which have been sent to the Mayor, Council and staff.
July 27, 2020: Sent a letter to the Township Clerk and Council objecting to the motion to use all Township Roads, including undeveloped roads, road allowances and trail systems for ATVs and Side by Side vehicles.
July 7, 2020: CARA deeply regrets the loss of Jim McCartney, a long term Director of CARA who was deeply committed to Creemore. His obituary is here.
May and June 2020 Membership Drive: Time to join/renew your membership. Please click here. We deeply appreciate your support!
April 8, 2020: Participated in call with Creemore Community Foundation and community leaders to discuss COVID-19 lockdown and review local needs.
January 25, 2020: Met with MDM Developments to review plans for the Meadows of Creemore.
January 2020: The Meadows of Creemore has been acquired by MDM Developments.