Welcome to Lake Bonavista
Lake Bonavista Homeowners Association Ltd. (LBHA)
Welcome to Lake Bonavista
Lake Bonavista Homeowners Association Ltd. (LBHA)
ATTENTION MEMBERS - IMPORTANT AGM RELATED UPDATE BELOW!
ATTENTION MEMBERS - IMPORTANT AGM RELATED UPDATE BELOW!
ATTENTION MEMBERS - IMPORTANT AGM RELATED UPDATE BELOW!
ATTENTION MEMBERS - IMPORTANT AGM RELATED UPDATE BELOW!
ATTENTION MEMBERS - IMPORTANT AGM RELATED UPDATE BELOW!
ATTENTION MEMBERS - IMPORTANT AGM RELATED UPDATE BELOW!
PRE-AGM Information Session
👥 Drop-In Q&A Session
Members are invited to attend an informal Drop-In Q&A session regarding the Special Resolution and other AGM-related matters.
➡️ Please note:
- This will be a casual, Drop-In format, so even if you can only attend at 11:30 you will still get your questions answered
- Board members will be on hand to answer questions, explain the proposed changes to the Articles, and gather your feedback.
- The Bonavista Room has limited seating and the acoustics are less than ideal, so we kindly ask members to attend with patience, positivity, and a willingness to both listen and engage constructively.
📌 Event Details
📝 What: Information Drop-In Session
📅 When: Anytime Saturday, October 4th between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM
📍 Where: Bonavista Room at the Lake
💻 Can’t Attend?
If you are unable to join us (or even if you can), the FAQ section on our website will continue to be updated on an ongoing basis. Please check back regularly for the latest information.
PROPOSED SPECIAL RESOLUTION FAQ's
Why the changes now?
Our bylaws were written in the 1970s and are out of date with somewhat archaic language and many ambiguous or conflicting statements. At the last AGM we indicated that we would take the subsequent year as an opportunity to review the articles with the intent of modernizing them compared to best practices. At the same time, we have heard many concerns in the community about the implications of rezoning and inevitable development on attendance at the lake and felt strongly that clarifying what the membership rules are was in the best interests of the membership.
What does this mean for attendance at the lake?
We have 3261 households and just over 9300 cardholders. In our 12 months ended August 31, 2025 we had 130,000 discrete visits including guests. While it is difficult to predict how any one individual will make use of their membership (we have households that never visit the lake), assuming similar use patterns an additional 139 households/members could result in a 4% increase in each of these numbers – or about 14 additional people per day. The park itself has never exceeded “capacity” and on its most crowded days and nights (summer weekends, movie in the park, Canada Day, NYE Fireworks) still has plenty of space for the members to enjoy the facilities.
I read on Social Media that this is supporting development or that the LBHA has decided to encourage multi-family development. Do you have a comment?
This is 100% incorrect. We are not taking a position either way. The LBHA’s stated purpose is to manage the lake and maintain it as it was handed to us in the mid-1970’s by agreement of Keith Homes and the City. We have no real ability to influence development. All we can do is set the parameters for membership.
The current articles have an internal inconsistency. They state that there is a cap of 3,400 households, but they also state that every residential property within the bounds of the community is entitled to membership. It’s not 100% clear what interpretation a Court would favour should the cap be challenged. Our intention with the proposed amendment is to remove this inconsistency and ensure that the cap is maintained.
Why wasn’t the community consulted more?
Ultimate consultation is a meeting with quorum and wisdom of the vote. Response to surveys is inconsistent at best, and engagement on social media limits the audience we are able to reach to people who are comfortable engaging on that platform.
Will you ever consider raising the cap?
The current board is against raising the cap. While future boards can try what they choose, we are confident that robust articles and community engagement can stop that.
Why so much change?
For a long time, community engagement with the lake was tepid at best, but then the city, with its (some would say reckless) rezoning actions has changed the playing field for organizations like ours. We have been forced to review articles, asked to take political positions and “do something”. As a not for profit with a specific and restricted mandate, our options are very limited. Having said that, in addition to being merely volunteers, we are all also homeowners and members. What we wanted to see and what we can do is deliver clarity to the membership on the rules and tighten them here and there within the parameters of what the Association’s articles permit . Will we always get it right? Probably not, but that’s what the member votes are for.
Why can’t we just do what the Lake Bonaventure Residents Association (LBRA) did and reduce the cap on members?
The LBRA articles are different than ours when it comes to altering such fundamental things as a cap on membership. The fact that one homeowner’s association can take a particular action doesn’t mean a different association can take that same action.
Explain to me in plain language what happens if a developer subdivides a lot into eight titles and this is approved by the City.
In this instance, under the original articles, each title would be granted a membership up to the cap of 3400 which as referenced earlier could be subject to court challenge with an uncertain outcome. Under the proposed revisions, membership would not apply to any of the titles. Will this stop the development? Probably not, developers make decisions taking into account multiple market factors in their decisions, but perhaps it would make someone more fully consider what it is they are trying to build and sell.
Will newly subdivided lots be subject to encumbrance and required to pay fees?
Yes. Any freehold title will be subject to the same encumbrance and fees that we all pay until we hit the cap of 3400. Once the cap is hit, new developments/titles will not qualify for membership and thus will not have any of the benefits or costs associated with that.
Will you be requiring newly subdivided properties to pay a “buy-in” on top of becoming part of the regular encumbrance?
This is an excellent question and one that we are currently studying and trying to determine best practices on. While the temptation is certainly there to “charge someone for the privilege of being in Bonavista” it can be slippery slope. The first question is how to define the value and determine what is fair. Second would be how does the charge get levied and lastly, what safeguards need to be put in place to prevent abuse of the process. For example, does the presence of a fee then allow the potential homeowner an “opt-out” from the encumbrance? Another consideration is discussed below.
Would the Board sell memberships to households outside the 3400 cap?
No.
Can you explain the condominium changes?
The current articles are silent on how to treat condominiums. The changes state that condominium developments with more than four units would not qualify for membership. In addition we have added in that a rezoned commercial property (commercial to residential) would not receive membership. This would mean, for example, if the owners of one of the buildings in the Promenade went to the city to rezone and build an apartment or condominium none of their residents would get membership. The current articles didn’t even contemplate this possibility.
Why four and not two?
Historically, development and subdivision in the Lake Bonavista community was allowed up to a fourplex as long as it was approved by the City. Since that was what was in place before the city came along with their everything all the time development approvals we elected to set the cap where it notionally was anyway.
What happens if the Special Resolution doesn’t pass?
If the Special Resolution doesn’t pass, we keep the existing articles and carry on. That is the simple reality of voting. While we developed these changes and have put them forward as a Board for the membership to consider, we must abide by the results of the vote. And to be frank, this is just one priority/project that the Board had this year and there are other projects that this and other Boards will have for years to come. If we feel that the membership wants us to try again, we will do so, likely as a Special Meeting, subject to the same quorum and vote requirements as a Special Resolution at the AGM (75% approval). We want to get it right, not just get it passed.
I don’t care much one way or another about the Special Resolution, should I bother attending the AGM?
We would like as many members as possible to attend the AGM. There are other matters on the agenda including an update on past projects, review and approval of the financial statements of the Association, and the election of directors. The more people attend the better, as we can then be more confident that the steps taken and decisions made reflect the wishes of the community as a whole. If you are unable to attend, please consider providing a proxy to someone who will vote as you direct. That can be a board member, a member of your household, or any other member of the community who is a member in good standing of the Association.
What role does the City play in all of this?
As part of the agreement between the City of Calgary and Keith Homes that delivered ownership and management of the lake to the LBHA there are a set of criteria that need to be continually met to satisfy the City that we continue to manage the lake as all the originating documents require. This includes among other fundamental items: operating as a not for profit; using member encumbrances and fees only for the operation of the lake; not borrowing against the lake property; not enlarging the lake property; not altering the basic terms of membership in the Association. The City has a caveat against the LBHA that requires us to follow these rules, and should the City take issue with any decision of the board or community on any of these matters, it has the ability to take over management and operation of the lake property. While the City has never interfered with the management of the Lake, we have no desire to test that indifference by restricting membership beyond what the current articles arguably provide.
Social Media Response Statement
There have been some comments and posts on the community Facebook pages expressing concerns with the proposed amendments to the LBHA articles that the board would like to briefly address.
Some have interpreted the proposed changes as an implied endorsement of the blanket rezoning. We would like to assure the community that is not the case. The board’s responsibility is the management, maintenance and preservation of the lake property. It is not within our mandate to take any political position on this issue.
The original articles, as written, require the LBHA to give lake access to all residential properties in the community. This means all multi-unit housing developments would have to be granted lake access up to the cap of 3,400 households. That includes condominiums and developments with more than four units. There is currently no ability or authority for the board to refuse to grant lake access to new developments.
In drafting the revisions to the articles, we sought as much as possible to adhere to the intent and spirit of the original articles from 1977. At the time the articles were drafted and until the blanket rezoning, single family homes were the norm. However, the zoning in Lake Bonavista permitted duplexes and multi-unit developments up to four units, provided the landowner applied for and received the appropriate development permit. The amendments follow that regime by providing that developments of more than 4 units will not get lake access.
Currently there are 3,261 households in Lake Bonavista. That means that there will be a maximum of 139 additional properties that will obtain lake access until the cap of 3,400.
Lake membership and the issue of blanket rezoning are separate issues that appear to have somehow become conflated. The board members want to assure the residents of this community that the board’s only goal is to preserve and improve the lake property and provide certainty about membership going forward.
YOUR LAKE AT A GLANCE
Current Park Hours
Member Fees
Swimming & Beaches
Member Fees
Click here for information on 2025-2026 annual fees including invoicing details and payment options!
Fishing
Swimming & Beaches
Member Fees
Ice Fishing is closed for the season!
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Swimming & Beaches
Swimming & Beaches
Swimming & Beaches
Swimming and Beach areas are open!
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BBQ Areas
Boating, Boats & SUPS
Swimming & Beaches
Barbeque areas are open!
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Boating, Boats & SUPS
Boating, Boats & SUPS
Boating, Boats & SUPS
Boats etc. are still available but members must see the north gate security to access.
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Scuba Diving
Other Activities
Scuba Diving
Scuba diving is now available!
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Other Activities
Other Activities
Water Temperature
Click here for information on other park activities!
Water Temperature
Water Temperature
Water Temperature
As of September 15, 2025
Temperature: 18°C
Depth reading taken @: 5Ft