November 4, 2026
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The Bruce County Community Stewardship Alliance has been granted participant status by the Ontario Land Tribunal, in the appeals by Bogdanovic Developments Inc., concerning the proposed Soaring Eagles Estates subdivision, at Bruce County Road 23 and Parkwood Road in the Municipality of Kincardine.
That's the word from the alliance in a press release, issued Monday.
The alliance filed its request and written participant statement Oct. 23, through its representative, Eric K. Gillespie Professional Corporation. The tribunal ruled in its favour at a case management conference, Monday (Nov. 2).
The proposal is for 32 single-detached lots on a new street off Parkwood Road, each serviced by municipal water and a private septic system. June 24, a motion by Kincardine council to approve the Official Plan and zoning amendments was defeated by a tie vote. The applicant has appealed the refusals, and has also appealed the draft plan of subdivision because the approval authority did not make a decision on it.
In its statement, the alliance supports council’s decision and asks the tribunal to dismiss the appeals. Its main concerns, set out with references to the documents before council, include:
Proposed lot sizes below the minimum in the Kincardine Official Plan for shoreline lots on private septic systems
The re-designation of lands from Natural Environment and the clearing of significant woodland
A stormwater design without quantity control, discharging to Lake Huron through an existing drainage corridor, where the downstream system already surcharges and floods
Water capacity, fire flow, slope stability and long-term oversight of 32 private septic systems, which were left to stages after approval
Draft conditions that, in the alliance’s view, do not secure what the applicant’s studies and the commenting agencies identified as needed
If the tribunal is inclined to approve any part of the proposal, the alliance asks that specific conditions be settled first.
The statement also acknowledges a number of points the applicant may rely on. These include that Bruce County planning staff recommended approval, that the commenting agencies found the applications acceptable subject to conditions, and that council’s decision was made on a tie vote.
"Our property already floods," says Parkwood Road resident Sarah Brown. "We've informed the municipality of the resulting property damage from poor drainage. Our concern is that the developer has not demonstrated due diligence and performed adequate ground-water table analysis and drainage studies. Being immediately down-slope of the bluff, we want assurance that additional development of this density will not exacerbate the flooding and damage our neighbourhood experiences."
“We recognize that Bruce County needs more housing, especially affordable housing, and we support growth in our communities,” said alliance director Susan Brissette. “We also want to protect our Lake Huron shoreline and the natural features that make this such a great place to live.
"The question we’ve asked the tribunal to consider is how many homes this particular site can responsibly support. Residents took part at every stage, in more than 30 public comments and at council meetings. Council heard those concerns and voted not to approve the applications. That tells me participation matters.”
The Bruce County Community Stewardship Alliance helps residents take an informed, constructive part in decisions about land use, growth, and the natural and cultural landscape of the county. The alliance gathers evidence, explains the planning process in plain language, and helps community perspectives be heard by councils and tribunals. The alliance was federally incorporated in October, 2026, as a not-for-profit corporation, with its registered office in Tiverton. It is not a registered charity.
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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