M.D. OF BONNYVILLE –A campground on the northeast shore of Marie Lake is getting a new life after M.D. of Bonnyville council approved plans to re-establish the site with 150 campsites.

Council approved Development Permit 2026-D-169 at its Aug. 25 meeting, allowing applicants Bill and Lona Kenzie to develop the seasonal campground on Crown land.

The site isn’t new to camping. It was previously developed as a campground under a different provincial disposition, which has since been cancelled. The applicants have now received a new provincial disposition covering 80.6 acres for recreational campground use.

Plans call for using the existing campground footprint, roads and walking trails while making changes to the layout, including pull-through sites and a 35-metre undisturbed buffer along the lakeshore. Those changes will bring the campground to 150 sites.

A seasonal campground with someone on site

The campground is expected to primarily operate from May 15 to Sept. 15, with some flexibility to operate between May 1 and Sept. 30.

Plans include an administration office and small store, playgrounds, gazebos, a maintenance shed and other small support structures.

Portable toilets are proposed, with water and waste handled through contracted services. Bear-proof garbage and recycling containers will also be provided, and campers will have to remove their belongings at the end of each season.

During council’s discussion, Ward 2 Councillor Caroline Palmer asked whether someone would be on site throughout the season.

The applicant confirmed the campground would be staffed.

Palmer also asked about ATVs, and council was told they would not be permitted in the campground.

“There is no quad or ATV on the campsite,” the applicant told council.

Narrow road raises emergency access concerns

One of the bigger issues identified during the M.D.’s review was the road into the campground.

Administration referred the application to the M.D.’s Infrastructure and Public Safety departments and the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority. Concerns were raised about safely evacuating the campground in an emergency because the access road is narrow.

The road is under a provincial disposition. That means it isn’t required to meet M.D. road standards and won’t be maintained by the municipality.

The concern is particularly important for a campground of this size. The M.D.’s Land Use Bylaw states campgrounds require a primary access road and an emergency access road, and allows the municipality to require improvements to roads serving a campground depending on the amount and type of traffic expected.

As conditions of approval, the developer must enter into a road use agreement with the M.D. for Range Road 423 and ensure emergency vehicle access remains unobstructed at all times.

Fadeyiw hears concerns from Marie Lake residents

Deputy Reeve Ben Fadeyiw said he had already heard from people around Marie Lake concerned about the amount of traffic a 150-site campground could generate, particularly ATVs travelling along the road.

“Some of the residents around Marie Lake, just some concerns are, you know, 150 campsites, two, three people, the quads just up and down, up and down that road,” Fadeyiw said.

At the same time, he acknowledged the property has been used as a campground before.

“Overall, it’s been there before. So, I assure them that that shouldn’t impact their way of life there. So, we’ll see how it goes.”

Questions about the former campground

Ward 4 Councillor Ed Duchesne also wanted to know what happened after the previous campground ceased operating and whether remediation of the Crown land had been completed.

Administration told council it did not have information on how far that process had progressed because the former disposition and remediation were matters involving the province.

Duchesne noted there had been “some challenges” associated with the former operation and questioned whether the new applicants could inherit issues left behind.

Ultimately, having new operators actively looking after the property helped address his concern.

“In light of the fact that there will be somebody looking after that area properly, I would like to make a motion to go with option one,” Duchesne said.

Option one was administration’s recommendation to approve the campground.

Cold Lake First Nations sends letter of concern

Council also learned that Cold Lake First Nations had submitted a letter of concern regarding the application.

Administration confirmed the letter had been forwarded to council.

The specific contents of the CLFN letter were not included in the material available for this article, so council’s discussion did not establish the precise nature of those concerns.

No adjacent landowner notices were sent because the properties surrounding the proposed campground are also Crown land.

Campground approved with conditions

Council ultimately approved the campground as a discretionary use.

Along with the road and emergency access requirements, the campground must follow FireSmart guidelines, with fire pits requiring approval from the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority.

The development is also subject to M.D. noise and nuisance rules and applicable provincial safety codes. Buildings generally require a minimum 30-metre setback from the high-water mark unless a professional geotechnical engineering study determines a smaller setback is suitable.

The M.D.’s Land Use Bylaw also requires campgrounds to operate in a way that protects public health and safety, minimizes fire hazards, avoids creating a nuisance for surrounding areas and prevents contamination of groundwater or surface water off site.

With council’s approval, the former Marie Lake campground site can now move toward welcoming campers back under new operators.