12 ` www.georgianbay.ca GBA UPDATE Spring 2023 PRESIDENT’S REPORT We’re All in This Together Helming an organization like GBA is never boring! There’s always something exciting on the go. This past year was no exception. We kicked off 2022 with an Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) seminar for our member associations which was confirmed by all attendees as being very useful in guiding associations through ONCA bylaw compliance. (ONCA provides Ontario’s not-for-profit and charitable corporations with a legal framework to meet the needs of today’s not-for-profit sector). Coastal protection was a busy file last year (I think it always will be!) – We worked on building a framework around floating cottages as there are currently very few rules and regulations around managing these drifting accommodations. Our team delivered the – Planning Policies and Regulations guide – check it out, it is super helpful if you’re in building, removing, or rebuilding mode; and completed the first stage of the Municipal Planning Comparison Project. Our Septic Management and Maintenance Guide has a spring publishing date. All this work has been brilliantly thought out and well executed. A huge debt of gratitude goes to Cosette Shipman, Rupert Kindersley, Shannon Farquharson, and John Carson for bringing these projects to fruition! Many of our coastal protection initiatives wouldn’t be where they are if not for the input and dedication from several of our municipal councillors and mayors who lend their time and expertise to the Coastal Protection Committee. On behalf of GBA, our associations, and their members, I would like to thank you all for the work you continue to do on behalf Georgian Bay, GBA, and all your constituents! Every now and then someone on our GBA team comes up with a great idea that captures GBA’s ethos. Katherine Denune from Sans Souci Copperhead Association who chairs our Guardians of the Bay team has done just that. Katherine, who has a passion for video work, thought it would be neat to tell stories about people doing good things while giving back to the Bay. She has shot and edited six separate videos that highlight such things as wildlife habitat, young stewards, and looking forward. Check out her work on page 6 of this issue of UPDATE and here: https://georgianbay.ca/gba-member-associationvideos/. Once you’ve seen what she’s accomplished with her smartphone, it may inspire you, your family, grandkids, and others to do the same. One of the reasons we can achieve what we do on GBA is because we have a host of talented directors. Unfortunately, every now and then they retire. To those who so ably served I would like to say goodbye and thank you for all your many contributions. The Board thanks: Jamie Drayton (Manitou), Dave Sharpe (Pointe au Baril Islanders' Association [PaBIA]), Mark Gwozdecky (PaBIA), Bonnie Blanchard (Honey Harbour Association [HHA]), John Maynard (HHA), Kathleen Kilgour (Woods Bay), and Bill Steiss (McGregor Bay). While I won’t speak to our incoming directors here, I would like to welcome back Claudette Young as the interim chair of the Aquaculture Committee. Welcome home Claudette! Something to think about: with water level patterns changing throughout North America and around the world, it’s probably time for us to rethink how we approach our own water levels on the Bay. We certainly need to think and talk more about them as higher highs and lower lows might impact how we cottage and boat on the Bay. It’s not about hitting the panic button, it’s more about long-term planning. For more on water levels please see Rupert Kindersley’s article on the front page of this issue. Something we need to figure out: we need a better way to stay on top of water quality on the Bay. We need to work with the various districts, coastal municipalities, our 17 member associations, and other key stakeholders around the Bay, on how we create a universal water testing program that benefits everyone: regularly, consistently, efficiently, and cost effectively! Different things on the Bay affect people and organizations differently. Currently, development pressures are affecting more of our southern associations, while aquaculture affects us more in the upper regions of the Bay. Climate change is increasing the risk of fires everywhere. As an overarching association that is managing multiple files, we encourage all members to be aware of, and engaged in, all the things that are impacting the Bay in every way. Your promise to be an active participant will result in greater stewardship for the Bay – every day. Parting thoughts. Many years ago, my neighbour Larry called me one Saturday night and asked if I needed the spotlight above our side door on. My education on light pollution began that very night. Let’s ask ourselves if we have one of those lights, or if our walkway or dock lights need to be on all night. We need to be safe coming and going, but let’s all do more to protect the night sky, the circadian rhythms of the Bay’s natural inhabitants, and our own personal experiences. As always, I’d like to thank the Board, our Executive Committee, executive director, our communications and executive services coordinator, and coastal protection project coordinator for all the things they do for GBA, Georgian Bay. Without your passion and dedication, we couldn’t accomplish what we do! Chi-miigwech! By Rolfe Jones, GBA President
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