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 GB5.
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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Unintentional calls to 9-1-1 happen when a mobile device carried in a pocket, purse, backpack, or other piece of clothing accidently activates the keypad which initiates an emergency call. Also, many accidental calls occur when young children are playing with cell phones. Bracebridge OPP officers responded to almost 400 pocket dials and unintentional 9-1-1 calls during the first three weeks of July 2019 alone. Between September 9th and 22nd 2019 the Southern Georgian Bay detachment OPP responded to 94 false calls to the 9-1-1 system. In 2018 Southern Georgian Bay OPP responded to 1,358 false 911 calls. This is a serious problem because it ties up police resources and can take away from real emergencies where precious seconds may be taken away from someone who really needs help. Fo
GBA is pleased to report that some of the recommendations we made have been incorporated into this new Canada-Ontario Agreement (COA), including: - Improvements in reporting protocols; Each Annex has been consistently structured to include the intention, results, and responsibilities for each level of government in a more transparent and accountable fashion; Commitments on key pollutants, including plastics and road salts; and More involvement of First Nation and Métis representatives on key consultation committees. Full analysis is still in process, so more to come. In the meantime here are some resources which may be of interest: - 2019 submission on DRAFT Canada-Ontario Agreement 2021 Summary of the Canada-Ontario Great Lakes Agreement 2021 Canada-On
Most of the Great Lakes basin is forecast to experience generally dry conditions and above average temperatures over the coming week. - Water levels continue to be well above average and near record high levels. However this month predicted outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River are predicted to be only average, not above average as they has been for at least 2 years. This shows that, under Plan 2012 balancing, the flow into Lake Michigan-Huron continues to be reduced. Lake Michigan-Huron continues to be below the level it was at this time last year – see first graph below. All the lakes are now lower than they were at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lake St Clair is unchanged, Lakes Superior and Erie are up 1 inch, and Lakes Michigan
Whoops! On the front page of the print issue of Summer UPDATE we listed an incorrect number for the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre at CCG Trenton. This has been corrected in our online copy (here), but if you’ve already plugged the Coast Guard into your phone, please make sure you are using this number: 1–800–267-7270 - If you haven’t yet, it might be a good idea to add this Coast Guard number to your contacts so that it is handy in the event of an emergency. The OPP non-emergency number, 1-888-310-1122, is also good to have and will connect you to an operator 24/7. You might also want to consider downloading the what3words app to quickly identify your location in the event of an emergency and to help make your summer as safe as possible.
Ontario has unveiled the final details of its sweeping plan to hand over its entire blue box recycling system – and all of its costs – to the industries that produce the waste. The concept is known as extended producer responsibility, which the province hopes will motivate industries to reduce their packaging. The changes will also standardize the current fragmented system so that the same items will be accepted in blue boxes across Ontario. GBA has advocated for the elimination of plastics pollution (see here) and believes that this Ontario program is a step in the right direction, but more public consultation on formulating targets and understanding the industry constraints would have been preferable. - Read about the Ontario plan here. -
Most of the Great Lakes basin is forecast to experience generally dry conditions over the coming week. - Water levels continue to be well above average and near record high levels. However this month predicted outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River are predicted to be only average, not above average as they has been for at least 2 years. This shows that, under Plan 2012 balancing, the flow into Lake Michigan-Huron continues to be reduced. Lake Michigan-Huron continues to be below the level it was at this time last year – see first graph below. All the lakes are now lower than they were at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior and Ontario are unchanged, St Clair and Erie are up 1 inch, and Lake Michigan-Huron is down 1 inch
Last summer saw a COVID-inspired surge in boating interest and as a result, a huge increase in the number of Pleasure Craft Operator Cards (PCOCs) issued: 2020: 237,810 PCOCs issued to September 2020 2019: 142,000 PCOCs issued 2014 to 2019 Average: 153,000 PCOCs issued annually Transport Canada is proposing a modernization of the current Pleasure Card Operator Competency Program (PCOCP) regulations, which develops and maintains the the regulations, polices and guidelines related to the operator competency requirements for recreational boaters. This move will strengthen the accreditation process and recover most of the costs associated with providing accreditation. The main changes involve: the addition of age restrictions for young boaters to align with other regula
Unintentionally inhibiting someone else’s enjoyment of the water can be stressful for everyone involved. Make sure you know and follow the laws whenever you are on the water. A refresher can be found here.
Another summer will fast be upon us. And with that should come thoughts as to what we can do to protect our little pieces of paradise. Here are some of the basics that you really should undertake to protect your property, and more importantly, your family and guests. The fire season is starting earlier, lasting longer and is more intense. Wildfires can spread at an astonishing rate. Forest fires can speed through a crown of trees at 15 kilometers per hour. Remember that while wildfires can be a natural phenomenon started by lightning, 90% of all wildfires that start within 3 kms of our communities are attributed to human activity. The best protection against loss, damage or injury is prevention. But there are also things you can do to reduce the risk should a wildfire occur. The FireSm
Water levels continue to be well above average and near record high levels. However this month predicted outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River are predicted to be only average, not above average as they has been for at least 2 years. This shows that, under Plan 2012 balancing, the flow into Lake Michigan-Huron continues to be reduced. Lake Michigan-Huron continues to be below the level it was at this time last year – see first graph below. All the lakes are now lower than they were at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie and Ontario are up 1, 1, 2, 2 and 2 inches respectively. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie & Ontario, are lower by 6, 18, 17, 17 & 24 inches, r
- In September 2020, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) ordered Ontario Hydro to eliminate the seasonal rate class, citing the need for customers to pay the cost of maintaining the supply infrastructure. There has been no decision yet from the OEB on the timing of this change, or the period over which it will be phased in, but these answers to questions raised by intervenors and the public from Hydro One are informative, see them here. -
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
