Save McPhail Cove: Stop the Parking Lot on Emma Lake’s Shoreline

Update, November 2, 2026: Council has deferred this project and will revisit it after a community survey of all Lakeland residents in spring 2027. Deferred is not cancelled. Please keep signing, and make your voice heard in the survey.

The District of Lakeland has proposed a public parking lot at the McPhail Cove boat launch on Upper Emma Lake. Its work plan calls for:

• About 500 cubic yards of fill, roughly 50 dump truck loads, on the public reserve beside the lake
• 14 parking stalls, each 15 by 50 feet, covering about 10,500 square feet of public reserve
• Clearing a 5 to 10 foot wide strip of trees along the whole length of Alleyne Avenue on the lake side

Residents were not consulted before the plan came to Council.

More parking means more boats on a struggling lake. The District’s 2025 water quality report found Upper Emma Lake’s water clarity at 0.55 metres, below the provincial standard of 1.2 metres, and said sediment entering the lake must be reduced. The same report calls for more education on how boats harm water quality. A new parking lot would invite more of them.

More traffic through a quiet neighbourhood. Families walk, cycle and let their children play on McPhail Cove’s roads. Trucks and boat trailers turning and backing up near homes create real safety risks.

It would remove trees that protect the lake. The trees along Alleyne Avenue filter runoff before it reaches the water and provide bird habitat. The District’s research names lot clearing and shore works among the causes of nutrient loading.

No study shows it’s needed. No traffic or usage study has been shared. Emma Lake is already served by existing launches, and Murray Point already has docks, washrooms and room for parking.

The same rules should apply to everyone. Residents need a provincial permit to cut trees along the shoreline. The work plan does not mention one.

We are asking Council to:

• Not proceed with the parking lot or the tree removal along Alleyne Avenue
• Include direct questions about this project in the spring 2027 survey
• Give written notice to all affected property owners before any future proposal for McPhail Cove comes to Council
• Share any environmental or usage studies
• Make sure the survey reaches seasonal residents, online and on paper
• Offer a Zoom option for Council meetings, so seasonal residents can take part

Sign 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!