You've toured the boardwalk, walked the marina, maybe stood on a terrace at Sunseeker and watched the sun drop over Lake Simcoe. The listing price is in your head. What's harder to picture is what actually shows up on the closing statement, and what you're buying into beyond the unit itself, because a meaningful part of the Friday Harbour promise is still being argued over at Innisfil's council table.
That's the part most buyers don't hear until they're already deep into a deal. The fee structure at Friday Harbour is layered, disclosed, and legal. It's also easy to underweight when the sales conversation is about lake views and marina slips rather than a homeowner association fee schedule. And the amenities that justify those fees, the hotel, the racquet academy, the expanded sports zone, are part of a zoning application that Innisfil council sent back to staff in August 2025 after raising serious objections, with resolution still pending as of the town's own 2026 planning outlook.
What The Entry Fee Actually Costs You At Closing
Every Friday Harbour purchase carries a one-time entry fee paid to the Resort Association on closing: 2 percent of the purchase price, plus HST on that fee. This is not a rounding error.
On a Sunseeker suite listed at $656,990 in 2026, that works out to roughly $13,140 before HST, and closer to $14,850 once the 13 percent HST is added on top of the fee itself. On a Ferretti Townhome listed at $1,979,990, the same math lands around $39,600 before HST, or roughly $44,750 all in. That's due at closing, on top of your down payment, land transfer tax, and legal fees, before a single monthly charge kicks in.
The Monthly and Annual Charges Layer On Top
Once you own, the ongoing costs start. Recent 2026 resale listings at Friday Harbour show a condo fee of roughly $730 a month, a separate Lake Club fee of roughly $230 a month for pool, gym, and Lake Club restaurant access, and an annual Resort Fee that has been quoted at figures ranging from about $1,730 to $1,760 depending on the year and source. Add those together and a Sunseeker owner is carrying close to $1,000 a month in fees alone, before mortgage, property tax, or utilities enter the picture.
Here's the fee stack as it actually appears across current listings:
| Fee | Approximate Amount (2026) | When It's Due | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resort Association entry fee | 2% of purchase price, plus HST | Once, at closing | Membership in the resort's homeowner association |
| Condominium fee | Roughly $730 a month | Monthly | Building operations and reserve fund |
| Lake Club fee | Roughly $230 a month | Monthly | Pool, gym, and Lake Club restaurant |
| Annual Resort Fee | Roughly $1,730 to $1,760 a year | Annual | Marina, boardwalk, and shared resort infrastructure |
These figures shift by building and unit type, so the exact numbers on any specific suite need to be confirmed against the status certificate before you waive conditions. But the structure itself, entry fee plus condo fee plus Lake Club fee plus annual resort charge, is consistent across the product line.
The Amenities You're Paying For Are Still Being Argued Over
Here's the part that changes how you should think about those fees. Friday Harbour was first approved in 2007, and it has evolved through a series of zoning bylaw amendments since. Back in 2021, Friday Harbour Village Inc. brought a zoning application to Innisfil council proposing to relocate the hotel, add a new 250 unit Sunseeker residential complex, and raise the total unit count permitted in Phase 2 from 1,350 to 1,500. That application didn't disappear. It was still unresolved four years later.
At an August 13, 2025 council meeting, Deputy Mayor Kenneth Fowler put it plainly: "I have so many issues with this. It's got to be revisited. It's got to be reviewed. It's got to be revamped. It's got to fit into the community, both at Friday Harbour and at (Big Bay) Point." Councillor Linda Zanella went further, comparing the proposed hotel's scale to established resorts elsewhere in the region and telling the meeting it didn't look like Innisfil.
"When I look at this hotel, it just looks out of place. I just don't think that this looks like Simcoe, it doesn't look like Innisfil."
Council sent the application back to staff rather than approving or rejecting it outright, a non-decision that let Friday Harbour take the matter directly to the Ontario Land Tribunal, the provincial body that reviews municipal planning disputes and can approve, change, or refuse a zoning amendment in the municipality's place. By the town's own January 2026 planning outlook, that appeal was in motion and a resolution on Friday Harbour's expansion plan was still expected sometime in 2026, meaning the hotel, the racquet academy, and the sports zone tied to this application remained unresolved as of the most recent published update.
The Track Record On Promises Here Is Mixed
This isn't the first time an amenity commitment at Friday Harbour has moved. During a previous council term, the town waived certain phasing requirements in exchange for Friday Harbour building a seniors' complex. A local ratepayers' group, the BBRA, has said in writing that it holds an agreement stating the hotel and condos won't be built without construction of the racquet academy, but Councillor Alex Waters questioned that commitment openly at the same August 2025 meeting, unconvinced the promise would hold.
None of this means the resort isn't real or the fees aren't earning their keep today. The marina, golf course, boardwalk shops, and Lake Club already exist and operate. What it means is that the specific amenities used to justify the newest phase of construction, and by extension some of what buyers are told they're paying resort fees toward, are still working through a municipal and tribunal process with no fixed completion date.
What This Means Before You Waive Conditions
If you're close to signing at Friday Harbour, a few things are worth nailing down before your conditions expire:
- Request the current status certificate and confirm the exact condo fee, Lake Club fee, and annual Resort Fee for your specific unit and building, since these vary and the figures above are approximate.
- Ask your lawyer to confirm how the 2 percent entry fee is calculated and whether it applies to your purchase price or an adjusted figure.
- Ask directly whether the unit you're buying is tied to Phase 2 amenities still under zoning review, or to infrastructure that's already built and operating.
- If amenity access is part of your decision, ask what happens to your fees if a promised amenity is delayed or altered through the OLT process.
None of this is a reason to walk away from Friday Harbour. It's a reason to know exactly what you're signing for, separate from what you're hoping gets built.
FAQ
Does the 2 percent entry fee ever get waived or reduced? Based on current listings, the fee is consistently described as a standard closing cost tied to Resort Association membership. Confirm directly with your lawyer and the resort's sales documentation whether any exceptions apply to your specific purchase.
What happens to my fees if the hotel or racquet academy is never built? The listings and council record don't specify a fee adjustment tied to amenity delivery. That's a direct question worth putting to the resort's sales team and your real estate lawyer before closing, particularly if amenity access was part of your buying decision.
Is there a way to track the status of the Ontario Land Tribunal appeal? The Ontario Land Tribunal maintains a public case status service where active planning appeals, including notices of hearing and issued decisions, can be searched by municipality or case number.
Friday Harbour is still one of the more distinctive waterfront communities in Simcoe County, and for the right buyer the lifestyle case is real. But the fee stack is locked in the moment you close, while the amenities backing part of that fee are still moving through council and the tribunal. If you want a clear-eyed read on what a specific unit at Friday Harbour, or any waterfront property in Innisfil, actually costs to own before you sign anything, The JRB Group can walk the numbers with you line by line. Elevate your lifestyle, request a consultation, and know exactly what you're buying before you buy it.
