Frenchman’s Bay land and water deal still on the table for Pickering

The City of Pickering is still determined to buy Frenchman’s Bay and put the waterfront lands – and the water itself – into public hands.

The waters of the bay have been the exclusive domain of Harold Hough and his East Shore Marina since he bought the Pickering Harbour Company – and with it a Queen’s Charter signed by Queen Victoria – 62 years ago.

There’s been a history of litigation since then, with the dispute gracing the Supreme Court of Ontario from 1982 until a negotiated settlement was reached in 1995 that gave Hough control of the south-east portion of the bay, plus a small plot in the north near Bayly Street.

The City (then the Town) of Pickering received title of 53 acres of bay and marshland (as well as another five acres they donated to the Waterfront Regeneration Trust) when the settlement was reached and the ensuing years were relatively dispute-free – “quiet,” as long-time councillor Maurice Brenner described it – until Hough and his family applied to build a high-rise tower just before the pandemic, a proposal that was denied, with the application eventually withdrawn.

Now, with Hough’s family is anxious to sell the properties were put on the market last fall with an initial price tag of $60 million for a 34-acre plot at 600 Liverpool Road (plus 133 acres IN Frenchman’s Bay) zoned residential and $20 million for six acres of commercial property at 591 Liverpool Road that housed a boat storage/maintenance and marine services business.

Pickering hired KPMG to develop a competitive market analysis to appraise the fair market value of the land and put in a bid for $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 Bay and a portion of the eastern spit lands. Pickering Harbour Company rejected that proposal as well.

The price for the property was dropped in March by $20 million, prompting Pickering to prepare another bid.

The details of the new negotiations were the subject of closed special meeting of council Monday and Brenner said 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.

“We are still trying to put it in public ownership. Staff is still working on it and it’s moving ahead,” he said. “I just can’t provide any details about it.”

In a statement released last year when the original bids were made public, Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe said it was “critically important” to own the assets in order to safeguard the bay from “aggressive and overly ambitious development proposals; maintain public access and recreational use; and enhance environmental stewardship of the Bay and surrounding lands.”

“Frenchman’s Bay is our shimmering jewel, and regardless of its ownership, we will continue to do what we can to protect this beloved asset from environmental degradation as well as inappropriate development, while also ensuring that it remains open and accessible for our community’s enjoyment.”

Whether Queen Victoria would or would not be “amused” that ownership of the lands she signed off on in 1853 were still being squabbled over in 2024 is open to debate. But the City of Pickering’s desire to have the lands in the public domain is not.

“We want to buy it to finally take it out of private ownership and get rid of all the challenges we’ve faced over the years” Brenner explained. “We have publicly made it clear we want to own it and put it in public hands.”