OPEN LETTER TO THE CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES

My name is Shannon O’Donnell. I own The Roost Farm & Market in Dalrymple, located in your constituency.

My husband and I have lived here locally for our entire lives and in 2017 we purchased my husband’s family farm on Kirkfield Rd, just south of the Carden Bridge. For five to six years, we worked hard making improvements to the old farm and developing a farm business in both traditional agriculture and tourism.

In 2023, we purchased the old “Dalrymple General Store” which neighbours our farm, to expand into a broader agri-tourism venture and to provide our local community with a much needed source for local food and economic development. In October 2024, we proudly opened The Roost Farm & Market where we sell local food and gifts which are either raised on our farm, procured from local farms and artisans, or made in-house in our commercial kitchen. 98% of all of our meat products have been sourced from farmers within a 5km radius of our store, the other 2% still within Ontario. (I challenge anyone to find a grocer that can boast the same.) Even through the winter months, all of our produce came from Ontario farms and greenhouses, save for citrus, bananas and mangos. We proudly purchase produce from local growers during our growing season, which has finally begun; meaning that almost every dollar our business spends on product is going directly into the pockets of local farmers and producers in my own community. I cannot tell you what a dream it is to say that.

While we have been growing steadily with the tremendous support and enthusiasm of our local community, our first year or so in business has not been easy.Once we opened however, we were off to the races and had a wonderful fall season. We then weathered an unusually difficult winter and our farm suffered a tremendous blow during our busiest time of the year (we are maple producers) from the ice storm that left us with a loss of over $50,000 in product loss, equipment damages and tourism loss that cannot be covered by insurance as our product “was not yet made.” Alas, like any business owner with a dream, you just pick up and keep going.

Our spring season has been very successful with sales increasing daily and enthusiasm from our customers being so high. Myself and our staff have been on a high as we welcome new customers and hear stories from decades ago in the old store. We have been making summer plans and continually growing and bringing in new products for our customers, anticipating our busy season, but also the next hurdle–the impending bridge closure.

We knew that the bridge closure would have an impact, and we’ve been bracing for that. I remained hopeful that we would survive based on the D2 routes going by our store and following Dalrymple Road. I understood that southbound routes would be routed down D1 on Highway 12. I did not, however, anticipate northbound traffic from Kirkfield Rd (already on D2) to be re-directed to D1 before hitting Dalrymple. We have effectively been made an island by these closures and detours.

My husband and I invested over a million dollars to revive this historic building. We employ eight local people. We have poured our blood, sweat and tears into this development that I know is to the benefit of this community. Since the closure signage went up over a week ago, our sales have plummeted 85% and getting worse by the day now that the bridge is actually closed. (As I write this email at 3pm–24 hours after the bridge closure–my sales total for the day is $37.90.)

I have reached out by telephone and email a couple of times, as well as to the mayor, in hopes that we could discuss the closure and detour routes. I would like to propose what I believe to be a reasonable change to the detour signage which currently is unnecessarily detouring people away from my business (and others). It is my opinion that the signage detouring northbound traffic toward Brechin on the D1 option, instead of following the D2 route through Dalrymple (and further, the most efficient route to Muskoka, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, Algonquin or anywhere in North Eastern Ontario) should only reroute those travelling to Orillia or west of there. It makes no sense whatsoever to reroute people further away from their destination than is necessary. The survival of my business and livelihood depends on it. I implore you to reach out and support this change.

I can be reached at 705-345-9177 and my invitation in the fall to visit remains open. We can be found at 3310 Kirkfield Rd or on the farm next door. I hope to hear from you soon.