Saving bay owned through historic charter from development still on Ontario city agenda

The City of Pickering is still trying to get its hands on 34 valuable acres around the foot of Liverpool Road, as well as 133 acres IN Frenchman’s Bay itself, with council getting a confidential update of the progress at Monday’s special meeting.

The city hired KPMG earlier this year to help prepare the city should “anticipated” funding from the federal and provincial governments arrive to acquire the lands, which has been Pickering’s wish list for decades.

“We’re staying the course and continuing our due diligence,” said Councillor Maurice Brenner after hearing the in-camera update on progress from Shawn Oakley, a real estate specialist with KPMG. “The offer is still on the table.”

The city has already been rejected twice in trying to buy the bay by Harold Hough and his East Shore Marina, who have owned the waters of Frenchman’s Bay since he bought the Pickering Harbour Company – and with it a Queen’s Charter signed in 1853 by Queen Victoria – more than 60 years ago.

Pickering Councillor Maurice Brenner said there is a tentative agreement in place to purchase the bay and the city is just waiting to hear back from Ottawa and from Queen’s Park.

“We have a warm and fuzzy feeling from the province and we’re continuing our discussions with the federal government but they’ve been very supportive,” Brenner said. “We’re still optimistic.”

The properties were put on the market in 2023 with an initial price tag of $60 million for the lands (and waters) zoned residential at 600 Liverpool and $20 million for a commercial property at 591 Liverpool Road that housed a boat storage/maintenance and marine services business.

Pickering offered $30 million to buy all lands and water rights owned by Pickering Harbour Company. That proposal was rejected. The city then proposed to buy only the waters of the bay and a portion of the eastern spit lands. That proposal was rejected as well.

It is the city’s desire to move the lands from the hands of developers – who could, in theory, propose a floating home development on the waters of the bay, not unlike the Friday Harbour townhouse development on Lake Simcoe – and into public ownership for all residents to enjoy.

The price for the new offer remains confidential but the $10 million set aside in the 2025 budget and the “anticipated” addition of $10 million each from the provincial and federal governments hints that the city’s proposal hasn’t changed much from the initial offer.

Getting Frenchman’s Bay in public hands is the real goal, Brenner noted. “This could be a real game changer.”