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Ever dreamed of owning a golf course on the cheap? Norfolk County may have a deal for you.
Published Oct 29, 2025 • Last updated 12 hours ago • 5 minute read
The owners of a golf course in Port Dover have until Nov. 5 to cough up nearly $200,000 in unpaid property taxes before the 154-acre property along Highway 6 goes up for auction. Photo by J.P. Antonacci /Local Journalism Initiative ReporterArticle content
Ever dreamed of owning a golf course on the cheap? Norfolk County may have a deal for you.
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The owners of a golf course in Port Dover have until Nov. 5 to cough up nearly $200,000 in unpaid property taxes before the sprawling 154-acre property along Highway 6 goes up for auction.
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With an assessed value of $1.54 million, the Links at Dover Coast is the priciest of 11 properties whose owners collectively owe the county a combined $466,254.41 in back taxes.
Owners who pay up before Nov. 5 can keep their properties, and they are “strongly encouraged” to do so, the county said in a media release.
Otherwise, the properties will go on the auction block, where the minimum bid required is the amount of tax owing.
A sign advertises a future clubhouse for residents of Dover Coast, a subdivision in Port Dover whose owners are behind on their property taxes payments. Photo by J.P. Antonacci /Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On the list are some potential bargains for budding real estate barons.
A Turkey Point cottage steps away from Lake Erie with an assessed value of $305,000 could be had for as little as $49,429, while a house in a Port Dover subdivision worth $209,000 is up for a minimum bid of $22,369.
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And just over three acres of vacant land within Port Dover’s urban boundary could be available for $53,450 in back taxes, well under the assessed value of $438,000.
That three-acre parcel on Dover Coast Boulevard sits opposite the Dover Coast subdivision, a development ringed on three sides by the nine-hole golf course currently in tax arrears.
The Dover Coast website includes the nine-hole golf course on a list of amenities associated with the subdivision, along with a lakeside restaurant, pickleball courts, dog run and forest trail.
Residents of the Dover Coast subdivision currently enjoy the convenience of living near a golf course. Photo by J.P. Antonacci /Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
It is unclear why Dover Coast’s owners are so behind on their property tax payments.
Co-owner John Lennox, a Norfolk-based developer, did not return a phone message left at the golf course seeking comment, while fellow co-owner Mark Stortini, a local restaurateur, declined to be interviewed when reached at the pro shop.
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Buyer beware
Some properties detailed in the tax sale package — available online at norfolkcounty.ca/taxsale — could cause headaches for prospective buyers, whether because of their small size, landlocked location or restrictions on development, such as being zoned hazard land.
There are two small properties inside the Dover Coast development on the list, but the county says both are designated as parking for the subdivision and no other uses will be permitted.
The property with the most potential for conflict is located at 1594 Concession 2 Townsend, at the southern border of the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve.
The county describes the property as a shade under 39 acres of farmland and hazard land.
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The current owners owe $73,657 in back taxes against an assessed value of $338,000.
What the tax sale package does not mention is the property is owned by the Haudenosaunee Development Institute, a wing of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy that purchased the land in 2015 and has not paid tax on it since.
The traditional government of Six Nations claims the land as unceded Haudenosaunee territory within the Haldimand Tract, arguing it is therefore not subject to taxation by Norfolk.
Norfolk disagrees, saying the municipality is legally obligated to collect taxes on the property and no treaty rights prevent HDI from paying.
The county unsuccessfully tried to sell the property in 2021.
Reached on Monday, HDI spokesperson Aaron Detlor reaffirmed his group’s position that “treaty rights” exempt HDI from paying municipal taxes on the land.
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Were the property to be sold, HDI “would simply provide the prospective purchaser with notification that the Haudenosaunee are not prepared to relinquish possession, use or occupation of the land,” Detlor added.
Detlor said land defenders associated with the confederacy remain prepared to back the group’s asserted treaty rights by taking up positions on the property to prevent any buyers from taking possession.
Potential deals
Any property owner in Norfolk whose land ends up in a tax sale cannot claim ignorance.
While provincial law says properties that are in arrears can be put on the block after two years, Norfolk is more lenient, waiting until property owners are three or more years behind on their property taxes before taking this more drastic measure to collect.
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As a first step, each property owner gets two letters outlining the payment options available.
“These two letters are not legislatively required, but we do them as part of our early warning process,” said Rob Fleming, Norfolk’s tax collector and manager of revenue.
More notices follow, with the property finally put up for tax sale if no payment is received or no extension granted.
“Realistically, some of these properties have been receiving tax-sale notices for upwards of five years,” Fleming said.
Since the county is legally not allowed to ask more than the taxes owing on a given property, plus any applicable fees, a tax sale is a chance for new owners to acquire properties at what would be significantly below market value.
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Take the aforementioned cottage in Turkey Point, for example. Even a high bid of double the $49,428.91 in taxes owing on the Cedar Drive property would still be well below its assessed $300,000 value.
“It’s really up to the people that are bidding and what they see value in from that perspective,” Fleming said.
Bids will be accepted until Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. inside the municipal office at 185 Robinson St. in Simcoe. County staff then open the bids and check that they meet the criteria.
The highest eligible bid is “generally” chosen as the winner, Fleming said.
The public is invited to watch the process, which can take minutes or hours, depending on the number of properties up for auction and the number of bids received.
The county will announce the winning bid and runner-up for each property.
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In cases when the winning bid is higher than the minimum amount listed, Norfolk does not pocket the profit. Any extra money is kept by the province in case of future claims against the properties, Fleming explained.
The municipality hopes the threat of losing their property will compel all 11 owners to pay their outstanding taxes before the deadline.
“I think that would be a great outcome,” Fleming said. “The preference would be not to need to conduct a tax sale, for sure.”
J.P. Antonacci is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
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