Responsible waterfront stewardship
Protect lake water quality and shorelines with sensitivity to the their ecosystems.
Recognized by those who know the lakes best
Ahead of the 2026 election, the Muskoka Lakes Association named Jo as the candidate it believes is best suited to protect Gravenhurst’s shorelines and water quality, as part of a slate of candidates it is recommending across the Town.
“I am incredibly honoured to have been selected as the recommended candidate of the Muskoka Lakes Association for Mayor of Gravenhurst.
For 150 years, the Muskoka Lakes Association has been a strong voice for the lakes, communities and people who make Muskoka such an extraordinary place to live, work and visit.
Protecting our lakes and natural environment while supporting responsible growth and a strong local economy has always been central to my way of thinking, because I firmly believe these priorities go hand in hand.
Thank you to the Muskoka Lakes Association for recognizing my commitment to these priorities. I will continue working hard to gain the confidence of residents across our community.”
The Muskoka Lakes Association (mla.on.ca) is a registered third-party advertiser under Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act, 1996. This is a third-party recommendation, not a formal candidate endorsement.
Experience that started before Council
Before her time on Council, Jo served as President of the Muskoka Bay Property Owners Association, where she led critical efforts in waterfront stewardship. That work is the reason this pillar exists.
“Potential alone won’t restore our downtown or protect our lakes.”
Why the lakes, for Jo
In 2014, Jo and her husband Geoff sold their home in Markham for a year-round cottage on Lake Muskoka. That decision changed how she saw the water — not as scenery, but as something you’re responsible for. They later replaced the cottage with the year-round home they live in today, and Gravenhurst has been their permanent residence ever since.
That conviction is the same one she’s carried onto Council since 2018 — that protecting the lakes means protecting the Town.
Monitor it, and publish it
Lake data belongs in public view, not in an appendix. Residents should be able to see how their lake is doing without filing a request.
Protect the natural edge
Vegetated shorelines do the work that engineering can’t. Development standards should reward keeping them, not clearing them.
Responsive, not reactive
Clear expectations up front so applicants know the rules and neighbours know what’s coming, decided at the table.
The lakes, as they are
