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Snapshot ce39e30d0b71 · verified 2026-06-13 ·
original document ·
archived snapshot ·
unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.
# Municipality of Otter Lake - Strategic Plan
## Vision
* Businesses and people thrive in the prosperous town
and surrounding area.
* The tourism industry supports jobs and job growth.
* Otter lake cultural and recreational activities make it a destination.
* It is a community where people of all ages and backgrounds have
many opportunities, are proud of their town, feel safe, have fun,
remain to raise their families and retire.
## Strengths
* Many outdoor opportunities - eg. hunting, fishing, road / off road trails, hiking, camping.
* Bilingual people make Otter Lake appealing to tourists from other provinces and countries.
* Many activities for all ages with Otter Lake RA (social events, rink, playground) and a very active Golden Age club (cards, darts, exercise, social events).
* Broad range of businesses that support the community. See the municipal internet for a complete list
* Otter Lake is located on highways (route 301 / route 303) & Chemin Picanoc with high traffic visibility.
* Many lakes and rivers in the area for boating, camping, building houses and general tourism.
## Weaknesses / Challenges
* Lack of job opportunities for young people resulting in them leaving the town and a remaining aging and declining population.
* The aging population leave Otter Lake for retirement homes in other towns.
* Limited lodging and food services in Town, which are essential to attracting tourists.
* A large portion of the business comes from seasonal visitors which makes it difficult to sustain local businesses during off-season periods.
* Slow or no internet coverage in areas surrounding Otter Lake makes attracting new businesses and younger people to the area challenging.
## Opportunities
* Support seniors remaining in the area where they grew up through a retirement residence.
* Take advantage of free services provided by the Réseau BIBLIO de l'Outaouais through a larger library.
* Attract tourists through collaboration with MRC, ATP (Association Tourism Pontiac) and ZEC Pontiac.
* Attract tourists through a local tourist information and interpretive centre that exploits our heritage & local culture (eg. timber trade, trapping)
* Create a farmers / crafters market place where locals can sell goods & services.
* Exploit local resources to create jobs eg. Leslie Park has significant unused land.
* Improve the internet so new businesses and younger people are attracted to the area and can work remotely.
## Threats
* A declining population making it difficult to sustain local businesses and resulting in tax increases for the remaining residents in order to support the same level of service.
* Lack of interest by the community in planning for the future of Otter Lake.
* Community not in agreement on priorities.
* Lack of government and municipal support (eg. grants, funding) for new development.