The Manitoba Association of Cottage Owners Inc. is your voice with the Provincial Government on such issues as the environment, land use, recreational safety, lake use and lake levels, communication, administration of resort communities, government grants, property assessment and taxation and we have met regularly with the Manager of the Provincial Water Quality Management Section. The Water Stewardship Minister, Steve Ashton, was the keynote speaker at the MACO Annual General Meeting in the fall of 2004 and he said “cottage owners are the grass root environmentalists and the Government looks to them for feedback”. So how do you get that feedback to the Government? By being a member of MACO of course.
We are continually lobbying the Minister of Education to remove school taxes from property tax. Recently other groups began lobbying on the same front so, with more groups voicing the same concern, we will have a greater impact. In fact, this issue was the reason MACO was formed in 1992. We cannot be discouraged on this; it takes time and persistent, dogged determination to succeed and MACO is doing this on your behalf.
Insurance – if you are an Executive member of your Association, have you ever thought about the possibility that you could be sued for whatever reason because you are on the Executive? Or, what if someone in your Association takes a tumble off the Association’s dock and sustains injury, or better still, what if someone walks away with the decking from the Association’s dock? Well, MACO has arranged with an Insurance Broker to cover all that. MACO holds the umbrella policy that allows member Associations to purchase a policy. What a deal but, your Association must be a member of MACO to get that price (as one Association found out when they tried to purchase the insurance without being a member). This is the only insurance policy of its kind available for Cottage Associations in Canada.
You can also use MACO to help resolve local issues. MACO has the background and experience to offer advice and assistance. Board members have attended RM Meetings in support of member Associations to help with the resolution of local issues.
MACO is a non-profit volunteer organization with no source of funds other than those received from the member Associations, Individual and Associate members. Paper, printing, envelopes and stamps cost money. MACO Directors travel long distances from such places as Boulder Bay, Oak Lake and Lac du Bonnet to meet in Winnipeg on a monthly basis and receive no reimbursement to cover their travel expenses.
We look forward to continuing our work on your behalf for the betterment of all cottagers in Manitoba; however, if we do not receive your completed membership application/renewal form and cheque, we have no recourse but to remove your Association/Name from the list of MACO members.
Thank you
Membership Director
