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(Photo by Patrick Marcoux)Īzouri’s property became a tourist attraction in Lake Joseph. When Roger Oatley bumped into Joe Azouri for the first time on a dock last summer, he told him he’d destroyed Sugarloaf Island. By the 10th day, more than 2,000 people had signed on, and they weren’t shy to air their feelings in the comments: “I am living in despair witnessing the wanton, selfish, ignorant destruction of our slice of heaven.” “Seeing what these ignorant rich people are doing absolutely disgusts me to my soul.” “The owner of this property has now ruined not only their property but their reputation as well-just leave Muskoka as soon as possible.” “This needs to stop. By the end of the day, the petition had 170 signatures. He called for Azouri’s building permits to be revoked until the property was properly remediated. Oatley launched a petition naming and shaming Azouri, with a drone photo showcasing a huge gap where decades-old trees once stood tall. Azouri replied that the work had been approved by the Township of Muskoka Lakes.
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Oatley told Azouri that he’d destroyed the island. Don’t ‘wake’ it up.” It was a brief conversation.
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Behind Azouri that day, a sign read: “Quiet neighbourhood. Oatley knew that Azouri, a Muskoka newcomer, was responsible for the disruption on Sugarloaf Island-he was building a massive cottage. On one trip, Oatley docked his boat at Stills Bay Landing and bumped into Joe Azouri, a successful Toronto real estate developer. His own cottage was on an island across from Sugarloaf, so he boated past the construction zone each time he headed toward the mainland. Oatley thought it looked like a quarry right in the middle of Lake Joseph. The opening revealed that a massive chunk of Canadian Shield-the exposed Precambrian rock had been blasted to bits. Only this time he saw a huge gap of missing trees along the shoreline. It was the type of warm spring day that had brought Roger Oatley to Muskoka for more than two decades: towering green trees, fresh air, and boats with familiar faces welcoming everyone back to Canada’s most coveted cottage country.Įn route to his summer home in May of 2021, Oatley, a semi-retired personal injury lawyer, drove his boat past Sugarloaf Island: 14 quiet acres filled with white pines, hemlocks and cedars.