There are so many ways you can get involved in and around the Bay.
Take a minute to learn about all the organizations working to protect the Bay by exploring our guide to the GB4.
Or see how you and your entire family can contribute by becoming a Guardians of the Bay.
Who Does What on Georgian Bay? Your Guide to the GB5 Organizations Working to Protect the Bay
Read More...The “Guardians of the Bay” (GOTB) is an initiative to permeate a mentality of protection and preservation across all parties that touch Georgian Bay, in any way, big or small.
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Lake Michigan-Huron is 9 inches below its level at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron & St. Clair are down 3, 1 & 1 inches, Lake Ontario is up 2 inches and Lake Erie remains the same. Lakes Superior Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie & Ontario are lower by 6, 9, 11, 6 & 5 inches, respectively, than they were at this time last year. Lakes St. Clair & Erie are 2 & 4 inches above their long-term January averages, and Lakes Superior, Lake Michigan-Huron & Ontario are all 7, 5 & 4 inches below their long-term January averages. All the lakes remain well below their January record highs. - In a month, Lakes Superior & Michigan-Huron are expected to fall by 2 & 1 inches, respectively. Lakes St. Cl
Recent incidents on Lake Ontario, Lake Scugog, and Lake Simcoe are a stark reminder of the dangers of thin ice at this time of the year. Last week a Toronto man in his 70s tragically died after falling through the ice while skating on Lake Ontario, two people fell through thin ice on Lake Scugog but managed to escape safely, and a lone fisherman on Lake Simcoe was rescued after being trapped on an ice floe 450 when strong winds broke the ice, leaving him stranded. Recent cold weather may give some people a false sense of security about ice conditions, but the OPP have a simple message for anyone venturing out onto any frozen bodies of water: NO ICE IS SAFE! Even if the ice appears thick enough, there are still risks. Ice quality and thickness can change quickl
Lake Michigan-Huron is 10 inches below its level at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior & Michigan-Huron are down 4 & 2 inches, Lakes St. Clair, Erie & Ontario are up 4, 3 & 3 inches, respectively. Lakes Superior Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie & Ontario are lower by 6, 10, 4, 5 & 4 inches, respectively, than they were at this time last year. Lakes St. Clair & Erie are 7 & 6 inches above their long-term January averages, and Lakes Superior, Lake Michigan-Huron & Ontario are all 6, 6 & 4 inches below their long-term January averages. All the lakes remain well below their January record highs. - In a month, Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron & St. Clair are expected to fall by 2, 1 & 2 inches, respecti
A recent report from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) reveals that sea lamprey populations have spiked in all five Great Lakes due to a significant reduction in control efforts in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission reports that the number of adult sea lampreys captured in 2024 was 8,619 more than the three-year pre-COVID average of 38,167 (2017-2019). The largest increases were observed in Lakes Superior and Ontario. Although still above target, lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie have seen flattening trends in abundance since treatments returned to pre-pandemic levels. The report also notes that elevated and variable adult sea lamprey abundances should be expected over the next year or two before turning bac
The recent resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the prorogation of Parliament have left several tax changes in limbo, including proposed changes to the capital gains tax. The 2024 federal budget had proposed an increase to the capital gains inclusion rate from 50% to 66.67% on gains greater than $250,000 realized on or after June 25, 2024. However, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has confirmed it will continue to manage the tax under the proposed rules included in the Notice of Ways and Means Motion tabled on September 23, 2024 and will be issuing forms to allow taxpayers to file in accordance with the new capital gains rules by January 31, 2025. For now, taxpayers have two options: Pay capital gains tax at the higher inclusion rate To avoid poten
Lake Michigan-Huron is 8 inches below its level at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior & Michigan-Huron are each down 2 inches, Lakes St. Clair, Erie & Ontario are up 7, 3 & 3 inches, respectively. Lakes Superior Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie & Ontario are lower by 5, 8, 2, 4 & 2 inches, respectively, than they were at this time last year. Lakes St. Clair & Erie are 9 & 6 inches above their long-term January averages, and Lakes Superior, Lake Michigan-Huron & Ontario are all 4 inches below their long-term January averages. All the lakes remain well below their January record highs. - In a month, Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron & St. Clair are expected to fall by 2, 1 & 4 inches, respectively. Lake Erie
Lake Michigan-Huron is now 8 inches below its level at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie & Ontario are down 4, 2, 1, & 1 inches respectively, and Lake Ontario is up 2 inches. Lakes Superior Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie & Ontario are lower by 6, 8, 7, 6 & 3 inches, respectively, than they were at this time last year. Lakes St. Clair & Erie are 2 & 4 inches above their long-term December averages, and Lakes Superior, Lake Michigan-Huron & Ontario are 8, 5, & 4 inches below, respectively. All the lakes remain well below their December record highs. - In a month’s time, Lakes Superior & Michigan-Huron are expected to fall by 3 & 2 inches, respectively, while Lake S
Did you know winter is the best time to prune your coniferous trees? Did you also know that removing low-lying branches is a great way to help reduce the spread of wildfires? With the trees in a dormant state, pruning is less stressful for the tree, there's little risk of insect infestation and you can more easily identify and remove necessary branches. By pruning live or dead branches from the ground up to 2 metres up the trunk, you'll promote healthy tree growth, reduce potential fuel for wildfires, and create a defensible space around your home to better protect your property! So if you're looking to spend some time outside this winter, consider cleaning up your conifers and help make your property more wildfire resilient! Learn more about making your property wildfire resilien
Lake Michigan-Huron is now 9 inches below its level at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie & Ontario are down 2, 4, 2, & 2 inches respectively, and Lake Ontario is up 2 inches. Lakes Superior Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie & Ontario are lower by 4, 9, 6, 5 & 2 inches, respectively, than they were at this time last year. Lakes St. Clair & Erie are 1 & 4 inches above their long-term December averages, and Lakes Superior, Lake Michigan-Huron & Ontario are 6, 6, & 3 inches below, respectively. All the lakes remain well below their December record highs. - In a month’s time, Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron & Erie are expected to fall by 3, 2 & 1 inches, respectively.
A dramatic rescue operation was undertaken in Ontario's Frontenac Provincial Park on December 8, 2024, after a 30-year-old female hiker slipped and fell down an embankment, injuring her leg. Her fellow hikers contacted emergency services, who were able to pinpoint her location by using the what3words app. Once on the scene, a paramedic firefighter determined that the hiker had likely broken her leg. Due to the remote location and deteriorating conditions, it was decided that airlifting the hiker to hospital was the safest option. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were contacted for air support, and a search and rescue helicopter from the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Trenton was dispatched to airlift the hiker to Kingston General Hospital for medi
A second person is facing charges in connection with the fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake that occurred on May 18, 2024, killing three and injuring five others. The operator of the fishing-style boat that was struck now faces charges under the Canada Shipping Act for allegedly failing to display the boat's required lights and not having enough lifejackets. He will appear in court on January 13, 2025. The collision happened around 9:30 p.m. in the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, roughly 140 kilometres southwest of Ottawa, when a speedboat struck a small fishing-style boat, ending up on top of it. The driver of the speed boat was charged in October with 12 criminal offences, including three counts each of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing death, dangerous operation of a conve
What’s your name and what’s your connection to Georgian Bay? Sheila Williams and I (Celesta Bjornson) are the co-presidents of the Bay of Islands Association (BICA) and have been enjoying our summers in the Bay of Islands since we were toddlers. My family is from Pittsburgh and we originally found the Bay of Islands in the 1950s by vacationing at a fishing lodge called Moredolpton Lodge. Sheila's family is one of the founding families of the Bay of Islands. Her grandfather discovered the Bay of Islands in early 1900s while working on the lakers, travelling from southern Georgian Bay to the North Channel, transporting lumber back south. He fell in love with the area and purchased an island around 1924 and began building a cottage. Why is being a Guardian of the Bay important to yo
Luc Voorn is a cottager in the South Channel and a passionate advocate for Georgian Bay. He currently serves as the Membership Chairperson for the South Channel Association (SCA), Editor of the SCA “On the Waterfront” newsletter, and as Director, Friends of the Massasauga Park. This past summer (2019), he was nominated as a Guardian of Georgian Bay for his ongoing enthusiasm and efforts to protect and preserve the Bay. Note from Jamie Drayton, GBA Chair of Guardians of Georgian Bay Committee My Dad used to take us camping. His lure to get us to bathe was to promise us ice cream if we ran into the water first thing in the morning for a swim. I recall the water being absolutely freezing at 7 o’clock in the morning… I don’t recall ever getting any ice cream. A few years l
As nominated by Heather Sargeant My Phragbuster Hero About 5 or 6 years ago, at an event jointly put on by the Georgian Bay Association, Georgian Bay Forever, and featuring Dr. Gilbert, an ecologist with Phragmites expertise , I first learned about invasive Phragmites and the harm it can have on wetlands. I decided to investigate if Phragmites was a threat in Woods Bay (my favourite area of Georgian Bay), and that’s when my journey tackling this plant began. I wasn’t sure if a plant across from the family cottage was indeed the invasive type, and so I was nervous and queasy about leading people to help me cut it. What if it was the native plant, and I’d taken all these people out to cut down something benign? One of my neighbors told me there was a hero on Georgian
The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario has just released a useful guide on how to how we can all reduce our environmental footprints. Being a Guardian of the Bay also means doing what we can to reduce our individual consumption of carbon based fuels. - Here is a very good fact sheet and here is a full presentation on this topic. -
What’s your name and what’s your connection to Georgian Bay? Cory Kozmik, Anthony Laforge, Samantha Noganosh, Chevaun Toulouse. We are the Lands and Resource Department for Magnetawan First Nation, in Britt, Ontario. - Source: Magnetawan First Nation Our connection to the Bay is the dense biodiversity that it hosts and the role its ecology plays in our lives, including the environment. It is also where ancestors of the Anishinabek Nation walked and practiced each day what it means to live with the land in reciprocity. The connection to the land and water is sacred to the Anishinaabe culture, and held very close to the communities that inhabit the area. - Why is being a Guardian of the Bay important to you? We take great pride in being “Guardians” because it is our
My name is Eileen Maynard; I am 10 years old and the eldest of the 5th generation in my family at our cottage in Cognashene, part of the Georgian Bay Archipelago. Georgian Bay is so special to me. It is where I spend my summers and any weekend we can get free of our crazy life in the city. In the summer you can go swimming and tubing or out to islands for picnics. In the fall, it is so pretty with all of the colorful leaves and trees and a great time to go for a walk on Beausoleil Island. Being a Guardian of the Bay is important to me because Georgian Bay is vital to us and the animals around us. Being a Guardian of the Bay is a responsibility that we all have for keeping it healthy for the next 5 generations. Last year, with my grandfather, I applied for and was accepted as a vo
Sticking it to Garbage Along the Shoreline What’s your name and what’s your connection to Georgian Bay? My name’s Chloe Drayton and I’ve been going to Georgian Bay with my family since I was born - I’m only 7! It’s a nice, peaceful place and it’s nice to go swimming, look for turtles, go exploring on the rocks along the shore and spend time with my family. - Why is being a Guardian of the Bay important to you? Because I want to help all the animals and plants in nature and because it’s nicer to enjoy the cottage when there isn’t garbage lying around. I also want to enjoy Georgian Bay for a long, long time so we have to keep it nice and clean. - What’s your story that helps to show your Guardian of the Bay values? Every year we walk around the shoreline of ou
Go Wild and Protect the Bay What is your connection to Georgian Bay? I came from a family of campers. We didn’t have a cottage. This was back in the 1960s and early 70s and Killbear Provincial Park was one of my favourite campgrounds. It’s where I saw my first rattlesnake and caught my first smallmouth bass. I was introduced to the South Channel in the early 1980s when my wife, Beth, invited me to her family cottage. We bought our own property in the late 90s and have made the annual trek from Alberta to Georgian Bay every year since. - Why is being a Guardian of the Bay important to you? I believe that an individual’s actions are as important as government regulations for protecting Georgian Bay. We are the guardians of our property’s ecological health. Collectively, Guardi
