The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The 2,162 cottage owners in Saskatchewan's provincial parks will soon see changes to the lease fees for cottage lots in the parks. Cottage owners in provincial parks pay two types of fees: land lease fees and direct service fees. The new land lease fee structure was determined through consultations with the executive of the Saskatchewan Provincial Parks Cabin Owners' Association (SPPCOA). The new fee structure uses a recent assessment value of the cottage lots within provincial parks. "We would like to thank the cabin owners' association for working with us on the lease fee changes," Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Bill Hutchinson said. "Based on the recent assessment, land values nearly tripled since the 2002 base year. That said, we listened to the SPPCOA and agreed on a formula that will significantly lessen the impact on cottagers." A key part of the consultations included a commitment by government to reduce the impact of the fee change by only increasing them to reflect the cost of inflation. However, the individual impact on cottage owners will vary based on the value of the land. Sixty-eight per cent of cottage owners will either see a decrease in their lease fee or annual fee increases of less than $300; 32 per cent will see their lease fees increase by $300 or more a year. Fee increases will be staged in maximum $300 annual increments and capped at $1200. "Members of the SPPCOA lease fees committee and staff from the Ministry's Parks Branch cooperated and consulted to establish the new lease fees," Saskatchewan Provincial Park Cabin Owners' Association President Judy Riou said. "As a result of that cooperation we were able to develop a new lease fee structure that will be in place for the next four years. We are satisfied with the result of our consultations and feel that the members of our association will recognize that the new lease fees, which are based on the most recent property assessments, are fair and equitable." Meanwhile, direct services fees are also being updated. While some of these fees will increase in certain parks, overall they will be slightly less than in 2009. Direct service fees are cost-recovery fees that vary from park to park and reflect the cost of services provided to cottage owners, ensuring that taxpayers are not subsidizing services to cottage owners. The new fee structure will stay in effect for the next four years.
