Stop the McPhail Cove Parking Lot – Protect Emma Lake
The Issue
Save McPhail Cove: Stop the Parking Lot on Emma Lake’s Shoreline
The District of Lakeland plans to clear trees, bring in fill, and build a public parking lot at McPhail Cove. Residents weren’t consulted. Most cabin owners didn’t even know.
What the District’s own work plan proposes:
About 500 cubic yards of fill, roughly 50 dump truck loads, brought onto the public reserve beside the water
14 parking stalls, each 15 by 50 feet, covering about 10,500 square feet of shoreline reserve
Clearing a 5 to 10 foot wide strip of trees along the whole length of Alleyne Avenue on the lake side, with the plan noting the area cleared “may vary” once work begins
Emma Lake is already struggling. The District’s own reports show algae blooms, spreading weeds, and E. coli advisories. Its 2025 report found Upper Emma Lake’s water clarity at 0.55 metres, less than half the provincial standard of 1.2 metres, and said sediment entering the lake must be reduced. Its own research names shoreline clearing and boat traffic as causes. This project would add more of both.
This tree line is a bird sanctuary. The forest along the water’s edge is some of the richest bird habitat there is. Once these trees are gone, the habitat is gone for good.
It breaks the District’s own rules. Residents need permits to make even small changes to their shorelines, including cutting trees. The work plan makes no mention of a permit. The District should be held to the same standard.
There are better options. Murray Point already has docks, washrooms and room for parking, with no new shoreline lost.
No decision has been made yet. Council meets Tuesday, November 17. Now is the time to be heard.
We are asking Council to:
Pause the project
Keep the tree line along Alleyne Avenue
Share any environmental or usage studies
Consult residents before any decision is made
Offer a Zoom option for Council meetings, so seasonal residents can take part
Once this shoreline is gone, it’s gone for good.
Sign now and share with everyone who loves Emma Lake.
How you can help:
- Sign and share the petition: https://c.org/VYBtVWvpqv
- Email Council: office@lakeland521.ca
- Council meets Tues, Nov 17 at 9 a.m. Requests to speak are due Wed, Nov 11.
Thank you!
433
The Issue
Save McPhail Cove: Stop the Parking Lot on Emma Lake’s Shoreline
The District of Lakeland plans to clear trees, bring in fill, and build a public parking lot at McPhail Cove. Residents weren’t consulted. Most cabin owners didn’t even know.
What the District’s own work plan proposes:
About 500 cubic yards of fill, roughly 50 dump truck loads, brought onto the public reserve beside the water
14 parking stalls, each 15 by 50 feet, covering about 10,500 square feet of shoreline reserve
Clearing a 5 to 10 foot wide strip of trees along the whole length of Alleyne Avenue on the lake side, with the plan noting the area cleared “may vary” once work begins
Emma Lake is already struggling. The District’s own reports show algae blooms, spreading weeds, and E. coli advisories. Its 2025 report found Upper Emma Lake’s water clarity at 0.55 metres, less than half the provincial standard of 1.2 metres, and said sediment entering the lake must be reduced. Its own research names shoreline clearing and boat traffic as causes. This project would add more of both.
This tree line is a bird sanctuary. The forest along the water’s edge is some of the richest bird habitat there is. Once these trees are gone, the habitat is gone for good.
It breaks the District’s own rules. Residents need permits to make even small changes to their shorelines, including cutting trees. The work plan makes no mention of a permit. The District should be held to the same standard.
There are better options. Murray Point already has docks, washrooms and room for parking, with no new shoreline lost.
No decision has been made yet. Council meets Tuesday, November 17. Now is the time to be heard.
We are asking Council to:
Pause the project
Keep the tree line along Alleyne Avenue
Share any environmental or usage studies
Consult residents before any decision is made
Offer a Zoom option for Council meetings, so seasonal residents can take part
Once this shoreline is gone, it’s gone for good.
Sign now and share with everyone who loves Emma Lake.
How you can help:
- Sign and share the petition: https://c.org/VYBtVWvpqv
- Email Council: office@lakeland521.ca
- Council meets Tues, Nov 17 at 9 a.m. Requests to speak are due Wed, Nov 11.
Thank you!
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Petition created on October 30, 2026