Clare Shopper Ad For By Law Transparency

Hello, Clare community!

We did it! At the May 27, 2025, Land Use Bylaw (LUB) meeting, your powerful voices convinced STANTEC to promise to remove restrictive zoning rules that threatened our home businesses, backyard chickens, RVs, and livestock in R-1 zones. We also confronted them about distorted development ideas that don't align with builders on the ground. This victory reflects our Acadian spirit and the online survey’s clear message: we want Clare to stay free and flexible for hobby farms and rural living.

But the fight isn’t over—our councillors stood silent at the meeting, letting STANTEC take the lead, past issues like a delayed LUB release and last-minute meeting location changes raise concerns about transparency. To keep our momentum, we’re launching a full-page ad in The Clare Shopper to rally Clare to read the Land Use Bylaw Draft and KNOW WHAT AFFECTS THEM. This ad will call for flexible bylaws, urge residents to stay vigilant by monitoring council actions and have their voices heard. The ad costs upwards of $500, so we need your support to make it happen! Council meets again JUNE 18 and we need them talking about our voices.

Why Your Donation Matters

Every dollar will fund the Clare Shopper ad to amplify our message and connect with people across Clare who aren't online or politically active. We’ve set a $550 goal to cover the ad and small GoFundMe fees (~3%, which you can opt to cover). The best part? GoFundMe lets us keep every cent raised, even if we don’t hit $550, so your contribution—big or small—will help us place the ad or adjust its size to fit our funds. If a Canada Post strike delays the newspaper’s delivery, GoFundMe’s refund guarantee ensures your donation is protected, and we’ll refund if the ad can’t run. This draft and proposed bylaws have many different changes:

Ans so much more..

STANTEC SAYS they'll scrap these bylaws, but we need to stay vigilant and keep our council accountable. Counsellors ultimately make the decision and vote on the draft... on OUR behalf. Without our voices can they really know what the majority of the community wants?

How We’ll Use the Funds

Donate today to keep Clare’s rural heart beating strong. Share this campaign with neighbours and request council meeting minutes to stay informed. Together, we’ll ensure our councillors listen and our bylaws stay flexible. Thank you for defending our way of life!

With gratitude,

Grateful Clare Residents