Registrations
The SCOI Board has decided to take advantage of the SCOI website by moving cottage association membership registrations on-line. This move will significantly reduce the time invested by association volunteers in soliciting for members, creating membership lists, Winter Patrol lists, processing cheques and other tasks.
The French Bay Beach Association has been using the website for on-line registrations for two years. The South Sauble Cottagers’ Association began offering that option last year. Chief’s Point Cottagers’ Association is now also on-line and Block B Cottagers’ Association will start in mid-April. Along with on-line registration, all associations are offering – and prefer – an e-transfer option of payment for membership and Winter Patrol fees.
1,100 Website Subscribers ̶ 680 Members
The SCOI website has seen a dramatic increase in the number of subscribers since it first started. We currently have around 1,100 subscribers, up from under 300 two years ago. Unfortunately, of the approximately 1,240 land lease cottage owners, only 680 are members of one of the cottage associations. Last summer, at the time of membership drives, many cottage owners expressed the view that there was no need to join because they could get all their information from the SCOI website.
Access Restriction
As we move to on-line membership registration and payment, the Board has also decided to restrict access to members only. Everyone will still have access to the scoi.ca website and can also access any of the menu items across the top of the home page. All viewers will also be able to see the post headings, but when they click on “Read More” they will be blocked unless they are an individual cottage association member.
We also get lots of non-cottager enquiries, including potential cottage buyers and the media. This change will allow those people to still read about SCOI and to send us their questions.
There are also Band Council members and senior Band administrators as well as Winter Patrol and other security providers, contractors and local business interests such as realtors and community associations who have subscribed. We have created a group called “Friends of SCOI” and these people will continue to have access to the SCOI posts if they request it.
Phase-in
The implementation of the on-line registration system and password access will be phased in.
The French Bay association will begin to encourage its members to register starting later this month. This will be followed by South Sauble in early April, then Chief’s Point and finally Block B in April/May.
The web posts will be freely available to everyone until May 31st, after which access will be for members and “Friends of SCOI ” only. Each of the local associations will be in communication with their current members about this. For those that have signed up online since January 1st, you do not need to sign up again. You are registered.
For those that do not belong to a cottage association and who want to continue to access the SCOI web page posts, you can go to the website and under “member associations” on the header of the home page, and click on the appropriate association for your cottage’s location from the dropdown menu or here (https://scoi.ca/member-organizations-register/). Online registration forms can be accessed there.
Friends of SCOI need to do the same thing as described above for non-members. Along with association registration forms is a form for “Friends of SCOI”.
The registration forms are available now for French Bay, South Sauble, Chief’s Point cottage owners and Friends of SCOI if you want to try it out.
Block B’s form will be available in the next few weeks.
Have no Internet?
We know there are cottage owners who do not have internet and who will want to continue to print off a membership form and send it in with a cheque. This is still an option. The member association secretary/treasurer will have to add you to their list manually. However, please keep in mind that by signing up this way you will no longer have access to the SCOI posts.
Email and Password Required
For those who choose to sign up on-line, you will be asked for your e-mail address and to choose a password that you will need to use after June 1st.
If after June 1st you try to click on a post to “read more”, you will immediately be asked to login or to register for an association. If you forget your password, the system has a “forgot your password?” option and it will email you a link to reset your password.
We are starting this now so everyone gets a chance to register and, we hope, have a steady flow of members rather than a crush at the deadline. We know the system works but have no idea how it will handle everyone trying to sign up in the last 2 weeks of May.
Don’t miss out
There is a lot going on this year with COVID restrictions, lease extensions, septic updates, and much more. Don’t miss out. Stay informed. Sign up for more!
I fully understand the reluctance to opening up to cottagers .While living in a red zone,watching the numbers go up each day,and complying with health dept regulations,I can only hope that a compromise solution can be negotiated for controlled limited access to our cottage.
Is this realistic if the situation continues the way it is?
Doug,
We hear you. We are frequently in communication with Band leadership these days given the number of current issues that have an impact on cottage owners. The Band has made no changes to the current restrictions that forbid grey and red zone cottage owners from accessing their property. At this time there are no exceptions for those that are either partially or fully vaccinated.
If there is a change, we will post a notice on the SCOI website.
Good move!
My husband and I registered a few month’s back. We both recieve emails regarding new information. Are we both registered then or just my husband? We are members of French Bay.
Lawney,
There is a difference between subscribing to receive Notice of SCOI website posts and registering to become a member of a cottage owners association.
You indicate that you are FBBA members. Thank you for that. If you joined up in 2020, you will need to register for a 2021 membership before June 1st to continue to be able to access the SCOI website posts.
You and your husband recently subscribed to receive notice of SCOI posts. However, anyone can subscribe to receive these notices, even after June 1st. However, after June 1st only cottagers with a membership in a cottage owners association will be able to read the posts, whether they are a subscriber or not.
You and your husband both can be subscribers but with the new members-only system each member of your family must use the one e-mail address and password that was used when you signed up as Association members. In other words, you can each subscribe separately for the notifications but must use the same e-mail and password to access the posts.
I believe that the 2021 fees are due April 1st. Can you tell me when and how we will be notified as to what the new amount is? thank you.
Dianne,
We understand that we will be receiving the Service Fee invoices very soon. The Service Fee remains at $1000 this year. Normally the due date for these fees is April 1st.
We do not know what the lease rates will be. We have been assured by the Band administration that as soon as Indigenous Services Canada, who did the appraisals, and the Chief and Council have approved the new rates, we will be informed and will share that information on the website. Normally the due date for these fees is May 1st.
We find your informative information very important to keeping us up to date. Thank you for this. It is really appreciated. For those who are not members of one the associations you need to get on board and support this.
I fully support changing the website to a cottage association member’s only website rather than an “anybody” website. The Association leadership spends hours keeping association members informed of many issues including the land leases, COVID-19, beach access, parking, garbage/recycle etc.
Where exactly do I register for amembership?
Please go to this page.
Just received my service invoice – any idea when the lease invoices will arrive.
Thanks
Suzanne Huner
Suzanne,
We are aware that Indigenous Services Canada, who did the land appraisals, and the Band are in discussions about the new lease rates. As soon as those discussions have concluded, we have been assured we will be notified and will post the new rates on the website.
With the vote that occurred this week with respect to 60 plus band owned cottages being returned to the band and cottagers will be evicted, can you please clarify on next steps. I hear now 80 cottages will now be evicted and returned to the band. Very concerning as I know there will be a lot of fires and riots/law suits. Morally wrong on all aspects.
The Indian Act requires a vote by all Band members to designate 86 Band owned lots in Block A as “seasonal residential” before each new lease period.
The Band held a designation vote on March 5. We do not know the results of the vote. Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) oversees the vote, counts the ballots and reports back to the Band with the results. We understand that the Band and ISC are discussing the results of the vote but there has been no formal announcement of an outcome.
SCOI has been assured by Band administration that as soon as Chief and Council deal with the matter, we will be notified so we can share it with cottage owners. At this time we do not feel there should be any concern and encourage everyone to be patient as we await an outcome.
My neighbour and I pay our membership fee by cheque,(no online banking). We have internet service but not at the cottage, which means we would no longer have access to SCOI posts. Is there any other way we can still receive SCOI posts? Thanks!
Mary,
If you have a cell phone with data you can access the SCOI website that way. If not, another way we can suggest is to join the Bruce County Library and sign in at the library beside the Sauble Community Centre.
As a last resort you will have to rely on a neighbour with internet to keep you up to date.
Mary, some business’ also offer free wifi so you could use either laptop or cell phone.
Does the Band feel that their lease fees can ethically be collected from cottagers that cannot and likely will not have access to their cottages for the entire 2021 season? Why should we pay for property that we have no access to? Isn’t the lease an agreement on exchange of funds for access? If COVID 19 changes the rules on access…I would think it should change the rules regarding payment.
Rhonda,
The Band has the legal right to restrict access. As stated previously, the lease you signed is with Indigenous Services Canada. The Band does not have the authority to change the lease amount. In fact the lease clearly states that the lease amount can not be changed for any reason.
The lease fees are the largest source of revenue for the Band and they support everything that your taxes support at home. At home, COVID has closed schools, community centres, libraries and most other public facilities. You will not be getting a reduction in your taxes at home and you will not be getting a reduction in your lease fees due to Covid.
We are wondering if any consideration is being given , by the band , to cottage owners who are in red areas but have been vaccinated and are willing to quarantine when coming to their cottage if required. These people should be safer to the community than those who aren’t vaccinated in other colour areas.
Thank You
Please see today’s post. The answer is no.
Where is Block ‘A’? I’m concerned about the comments Matt made on March 18, 2021 at 12:02 pm on this thread. Could you give us a little more incite into this ‘vote’? What it’s all about and who it could potentially affect?
John
Block A runs from Main Street Sauble Beach South to the end of 2nd Ave. What is it about our answer to Matt that is unclear?