on the waterfront winter 2015 - south channel · understand the unique culture, values, and...
TRANSCRIPT
Waiting for your return . . . .
On the Waterfront Winter 2015
Snow covers cottages on Redner Bay. Visit www.southchannel.ca ‘”Links” for more of Brent Warga’s Parry Sound
South Channel Blog pictures. Inside this issue:
Presidents’ Message 2
Friends of Massassauga Park 5
Georgian Bay Association Update 6
ICE 8
SCA Committee Messages 10
Winter Fun & Bannock 12
Portraits of the Past 14
SCA Executive Contact List 17
Important Contacts
911 - for Medical, Safety, Fire
Telehealth Ontario
1-(866)-797-0000
Hydro Outage
1 - (800)-434-1235
Township of the Archipelago
(705) 746-4243
West Parry Sound Health Centre
(705) 746-9321
Fire Safety & Prevention
http://www.thearchipelago.on.ca/im
ages/fire-prevention-2011.pdf
www.southchannel.ca for colour edition
We’re thinking about your Cottage! Your Membership Means SO Much to Us!
Your South Channel Association (SCA) membership renewal form, due April 30th is included in this newsletter
package. We really appreciate your support and participation in the South Channel Association (SCA). Togeth-
er we have a voice to protect our Georgian Bay South Channel. And being a SCA member is fun!
What is included in your membership? We’re glad you asked!
Three annual newsletters—improve your cottage experience and learn more about South Channel.
Membership Directory of South Channel Members’ contact information.
Annual Meeting - a great place to see neighbours, learn of shared future issues and honour our past.
FUN DAY!!! - an event for youngsters to make new friends and spend time with old— and a party for all!!
Website www.southchannel.ca regularly updated.
NEW! Email Blasts, published with care, of timely events and opportunities.
An attractive South Channel Reflective Dock Sign (new members only) and other surprises!
NEW! Discounts on cottage insurance for cottage association members. Email us for details!
Membership to the Georgian Bay Association (GBA) and their publications—an umbrella group of 20 cottage
associations, representing over 4,000 families. Being part of the GBA helps ensure effective stewardship of
Georgian Bay. It is an active voice with government!
Questions, Sign-up or Feedback for Membership Co-Chairs?
Contact Lis Wigmore at [email protected] or Pat Blundy at [email protected]
Ask your neighbors,
family, friends or
business to join SCA.
Only $75.00 per year
Happy New Year I write this winter greeting from Caledon during a week-long visit with my son Ed, Charlene, and their 2 children —2 ½ yrs. (picture below), and 7 months). What fun for Grammy and Alan, and how we forget how busy and energized our days used to be when our own children were this age! What a delight, even if it was -17 C this morning when I took them with me for grocery shopping. I know there are many SCA members who actually favour their winter visits over summer to the cottage, for both win-ter’s quiet and the fun it can be with ice fishing, skating, cross country skiing, and of course, sledding . Whether it is with the chil-dren or grandchildren, a group of friends, or just a quiet visit to fan the winter fires with your special someone, there is some-thing to be said about the wonders of the lake in winter! But never mind this day dreaming about the cottage (I have done that every winter since childhood). Oh, and one personal announcement – My name has changed – I’m a traditionalist of sorts – mar-ried this fall and changed to my husband, Alan’s surname. So now I am Claudette (forever) Young. On with this report to you….
The Election Train
We trust the SCA was of help in the October 2014 Municipal Election, when, the Ward 4 Elections Committee (formed by the SCA, SSCA, Woods Bay, and Manitou Associations) conducted thorough interviews of the four candidates vying for the 3 seats. It was a scramble (due to late postings of the full slate of candidates), but we were able to give you timely and pertinent infor-mation in our fall newsletter, on our website, and in our email blasts to help with your duty to vote.
And did you know that way back in 1974 people who owned cottages between the swing-bridge and Amanda Island (hey, that’s our parents /grandparents ) organized and united in vision with Yvonne and Al Zanussi (SCA’s founding President and first lady), to form the South Channel Asso-ciation. They knew with great certainty, that the need to join voices and plan strategy was real. The SCA’s Executive Committee’s first task was to write up its constitution and then add its now 145 member strong voice to the already well established San Souci Copperhead Association. The politi-cal storm clouds were brewing! As a result, the two cottage Associations ( a very lucrative tax base) were well organized and ready with united voic-es, to partake in a proactive design for their future rather than submit to an amalgamation design made by a (land based) township that would not understand the unique culture, values, and requirements of a shoreline community. To the Bay folks, the option was clear – create a new Town-ship by the island inhabitants, and the dream child (ToA) was born – but not without labour pains. A municipal election to create the Township of the Archipelago was now a requirement. The first election was set for No-vember, 1979. Neither a good month for cottaging, nor for driving the long distances to cast a vote! Would the members come to the polling stations that day? Hah, many the voter gathered (and rumour has it, par-tied hardy) on a train chartered by SCA and SSCA for their transportation to Parry Sound to cast their vote. Not part of a train, but the WHOLE, five- car train was commissioned for this purpose. As a result of this creative plan-ning, the election was successful and it even made headlines in the Globe and Mail. I’d love to see a story submitted for our newsletter by someone who was on that election train. I hear it was a toot toot of a hoot! And did you know that, many of the current policies within the ToA’s Official Plan originated, and continue to be devel-oped with the help of the Associations? I hope more people will become actively involved in spreading the word and recruiting new members.
President’s Report, a message from Claudette Young
President’s Report . . . Continued
There have been more crisis situations since the SCA began (pressure to develop trailer parks, waste management, overdevelopment), and there will be more to come (environmental issues being a biggy). Just as important, being a highly en-gaged SCA member guarantees opportunities for fun – often as a byproduct of projects taken on by committed members. And guess what? The new “friends” that SCA members represent, actually listen and attend to your concerns when you contact the Executive. We push for things like walk-in health clinics, create awareness about issues such as Lyme disease, bear break-ins, boating concerns and talk to the ToA and other government bodies for your safety. If we cannot speak loud enough, then we get the GBA (our umbrella organization onto the case). That’s precisely why each cottage Association (and there are 20 of them un-der the GBA umbrella covering the eastern and northern shores of our beloved Bay) has its own GBA Director elected specifically from each catchment area (see our GBA Rep, Paul Morgan’s update inside our newsletter).
And now, I urge you loyal members to BOTH renew your own membership to SCA, AND to join your executive in our
new year’s resolution: to work within your circle of influence, to recruit new members to SCA. The extra membership form is included for this purpose with this newsletter. If you are really an eager one, (like the busy beavers on the lakefront) and plan to recruit more than one neighbor or friend, then feel free to make photocopies for distribution. Each new member we get also adds collective strength to the Georgian Bay Association (with $45 of your $75 membership) which goes to covering the expens-es for many higher levels of lobbying and far reaching Great Lakes issues - YOU CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE! And you bet – it benefits our grandchildren and theirs too!
Matt Overend’s Recovery from Natalie Overend Hello family and friends! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year to all! Now that we are all
back to the grind, we wanted to send an update on Matts’ progress. It has been almost 9 months
since Matt's fall. He has been home for four months. His first two months home were a challenge
with a few trips to hospital, but we have settled into a routine now and Matts’ health has improved
ten fold. He gets stronger and stronger each week. He has Physio in Parry Sound hospital twice a
week and we continue to drive to Toronto for additional Physio two days a week. We have just add-
ed another program to his schedule - FES (electrical stimulation) three times a week for a minimum
of 7 weeks which is also in Toronto. We have purchased two machines for home... A sit-to-stand
machine, which does just that :) stands Matt upright and a motorized leg and arm bike. At first he
could handle about 10 minutes in the sit to stand and he is now up to two hours at a time. The mo-
torized leg and arm bike provides exercise and has the feature to use the motor or not. Matt uses
the arm part without the motor and for the legs he still uses the motor. The machine senses his
muscles responding! Both these machines are crucial to Matts’ advancement and health. He uses
them five days a week at home. You can imagine how hard he is working at all of this and he is
getting better!! It is paying off!!! We could not be where we are today without all the help and
support we received from all of you!!! Emotionally and financially you have truly made a difference
in our lives and in Matt’s progress. From the assistance opening and closing Craganmor to home
renovations to financial contributions and endless acts of kindness to assist us .....you have played a
big role ...getting us to where we are today. We can not thank you enough. Matt has made huge
strides in his advancement!! His arms and biceps are very strong. His triceps are developing and
he has muscle movement in his legs that give us great hope for the future! His physiotherapist in
Toronto is so pleased with Matts’ development that she has put him on the treadmill!! Fully assist-
ed and supported but his legs are responding and the right muscles are tying to walk!! This is huge-
ly exciting for us although we know it can not be known how far this will go but it's a great start
and holds great possibilities that Matt was told could never happen. The electric stimulation (FES)
is being used on his hands hoping to stimulate the fingers back to known action. He has some
movement in the left hand, not so much in the right. Again...early stages but we are determined
and hopeful! Thank you again, all of you, for all you have done and continue to do to
support us! With much love, Matt, Natalie and Andy
Save these
2015 dates:
SCA AGM, August 9
10 – noon with lunch to
follow.
Craganmor Resort, 7-Mile Narrows.
SCA Fun Day, August 23
Craganmor Resort.
President’s Report . . .continued
Page 4 On the Waterfront Winter 2015
Your SCA Executive and 2014 Donations
Claudette Young – President (ex officio to each committee)
John McAllister – Vice President (ex officio to serve in absence of President), Chair of Environment Committee
Liane Black – Treasurer
Gervis Black – Past President
Celese Fletcher – Secretary, Chair of Communications Committee
Lis Wigmore – Co-Chair Membership Committee
Pat Blundy – Co-Chair Membership Committee
Grant Heikkila – Fun Day and Merchandise Coordinator
Paul Morgan – Georgian Bay Association Representative
2014 South Channel Association Donations are provided to:
Parry Sound Health Centre
Parry Sound Public Library
Georgian Bay Foundation
Aspen Wildlife Sanctuary
Claudette Young (Chabot) Winter 2005
YOU CAN MAKE THE
DIFFERENCE.
Renew your member-
ship.
Recruit new members
to SCA.
Extra membership
forms are included for
you to give to neigh-
bours, family, friends
and businesses.
Wood Burning Quality Based upon BTUs
Many of Ontario's Provincial Parks have an associated organization ge-nerically called "Friends of ....".
Massassauga Park has recently en-tered into an agreement with a group of volunteers who have an interest in supporting the Park in a variety of ways and are now officially the "Friends of Massasauga Park". Trail maintenance, signage, and pro-vision of new campsite grills are cur-rent examples of the types of activi-ties that this group has engaged in to date
I have recently joined the Board of Directors and am passing on infor-mation that may be of interest to SCA members.
While the details of becoming a “member” are still being formulated, the general idea is that as a mem-ber, an individual would be kept aware of developments related to the Park and have opportunities to support the objectives/projects.
Check out the Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-the-Massasauga-Park/138465632875330 for more information.
Of local interest, last fall Marion and I collected and submitted to Park Officials samples of phragmites at three South Channel sites to deter-mine whether they are the native or invasive species. Unfortunately, the results confirmed the presence of the invasive australis version (aka European Common Reed).
Friends of Massassauga Provincial Park by Don Wheeler
Page 5
You may have seen their devastating impact on wetlands at the SCA General Meeting this August. The Park through the MNR have a task force working on control strate-gies, but so far only herbicides are effective, and unfortunately they cannot be used near water. Manual removal of even small patches is difficult and prone to spreading the weed if not done at the right time and carefully.
On a more positive note, Friends and the Park will be jointly hiring young individuals for the summer to work on Park related projects. If this is of interest to you or your family members, you might want to check the Massasauga website occasionally for further information.
Don Wheeler Friends of Massassauga Provincial Park Board Member
Back on the Bay, Jan. 22, 2015. Don Wheeler makes lunch on the woodstove
Georgian Bay Association (GBA) Update by SCA representative Paul Morgan
Page 6 On the Waterfront Winter 2015
GBA is currently looking at various initiatives to help associations increase membership, especially among younger members of their community.
One consideration is having a “family” or “associate” member category as a way to encourage younger mem-bers of the community who are not cottage owners, as well as other members of the full member’s extended family, to become engaged in their local cottagers’ asso-ciation and the GBA.
In March 2015, details of this proposal and other mem-bership suggestions will be presented at the Presidents’ meeting, for discussion and consideration.
Aquaculture
This fall, the GBA has been active at both the federal and provincial level in raising concerns about open net
cage aquaculture (fish farming) in Georgian Bay and the North Channel.
Bob Duncanson and Claudette Young, the Chair of GBA’s Aquaculture Committee, appeared earlier before a Ca-nadian Senate committee in Ottawa that is looking into the aquaculture industry. They told Senators that GBA was very concerned about the long-term environmental impact of the pollution created by the discharge of phosphorus into the water from fish feces and uneaten fish food.
Most of the existing commercial aquaculture opera-tions in Georgian Bay are at the north end of the Bay and in the North Channel. There is also a fish farming operation near Parry Island. Based on their approved feed quotas, GBA estimates the operations release 46 tonnes of untreated phosphorus into public waters an-nually. This is equivalent to the discharge loads from the three largest municipal wastewater treatment plants on Georgian Bay. Another way of looking at this, is that it is equivalent to the phosphorus output that would result from 16,000 hogs defecating directly into Georgian Bay.
Recent blue green algae outbreaks in Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay have been fueled by too much nutrient in the near shore waters. Phos-phorus has been named as the primary nutrient behind these outbreaks. Having more phosphorus added to the Bay from fish farming operations is a serious issue.
To date the Canadian government and the Ontario govern-ment have decided that these operations are acceptable as long as they are located in areas that have good currents to flush the waste and help it assimilate into the public waters. Their attitude seems to be that the solution to pollution is through dilution.
We think this is unsustainable and irresponsible.
In the US, none of the eight Great Lakes states allow or have cage aquaculture operations in the Great Lakes.
The GBA does not oppose the growth of aquaculture in Cana-da or in the Great Lakes region. We believe, however, that the only way forward for freshwater aquaculture is to transition the open net cage farms to environmentally responsible closed contained systems. These systems would enable the operators to capture and properly treat their farm waste. This would be consistent with all other feedlot operations in Ontar-io. Such technology is being successfully used in British Colum-bia, Nova Scotia, and in other countries such as Norway and Denmark. We think that, with a little creative thinking be-tween governments and the industry, closed contained tech-nology could be implemented in the Great Lakes region. This would enable the industry and government to achieve their vision for growth but in an environmentally sustainable fash-ion.
Most of the members of the Senate Committee reviewing aquaculture are from Maritime provinces and the West coast. However at this meeting Senator Nancy Ruth sat in and was an active participant. At the start of the meeting, when Senators introduced themselves and stated which Province they repre-sent, Nancy Ruth proudly introduced herself as "Senator Nan-cy Ruth from Go Home Bay, Georgian Bay." At the end of the meeting, Nancy Ruth asked Claudette and Bob for additional information so that she could be prepared for a meeting she was scheduled to have with Minister Clement. It was encour-aging to have such an engaged and energetic Senator at the meeting.
Bob Duncanson and Gerry Quinn, Chair of the GBA’s Fisheries Committee, met last week with Bill Mauro, Ontario’s new Min-ister of Natural Resources and Forestry. They outlined the GBA’s concerns regarding aquaculture and urged the provin-cial government to take action to assist operators to convert to the closed containment systems we are recommending. We will be following up with Minister Mauro shortly.
Phragmites
When Bob and Gerry Quinn met with Minister Mauro, they also briefed him about the phragmites problem. They urged him to have the MNR take a leading role in developing guidance for property owners on steps they can take to safely and reliably eradicate phragmites.
Endangered Species
Bob and Gerry also discussed endangered species with Minister Mauro and urged the MNR to take a balanced approach to protecting habitat for endangered species including education, rather than just relying on regulation and penalties. They pointed out that if pushed too far with regulation landowners might take matters into their own hands and alter habitat before applying for development permits.
Water Levels
The Council of the Great Lakes Region is starting to organize work on the second phase of its study on the economic impact of low water levels in the Great Lakes, building on the initial Mowat Centre report that was released this spring. The second phase study will look at the economic impact of eight proposed solutions for regulating or adapting to extremely low water levels in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence River basin. It will also consider political institutional and informational obstacles to identifying effective regional strategies. The GBA will be participating as a member of the steering committee for this project. We will keep you posted.
GBA Boating and Safety Committee,
Paul Morgan attended, as Chair of the GBA Boating and Safety Committee, a Transport Canada meeting in Bolton on Oct. 30, 2014. This meeting was followed by a Jan 14th meeting at the Boat Show in Toronto. Presentations and then discussions were held on Asian Carp, by David Marson of DFO; Ontario Boating Safety (OBS) on Vessel operation Restriction regulations by Jonathan Doan: the PCCC ( Pleasure Craft Courtesy Check Program) program by Jonathan Doan; the new Navigable Waters Protection Act by Suzanne Shea; and the Operator Competency Program update by Krista Kendall.
GBA Update continued
Page 7
ICE
Page 8 On the Waterfront Winter 2015
Environment Canada’s Canadian Ice Service
states that it “is the leading authority for infor-mation about ice in Canada’s navigable waters. Ice in its many forms (sea ice, lake ice, river ice and ice-bergs) covers Canada’s waters. As a result, it touch-es Canadian life in many ways.”
http://www.ec.gc.ca/glaces-ice/default.asp?lang=En&n=501D72C1-1
1. How many terms are contained within the Ice Glossary:
a. 50
b. 100
c. More than 150
d. More than 250
2. What is a Brash Ice?
a. Accumulation of floating ice made up of frag-ments, not more than 2m across, the wreck-age of other forms of ice.
b. Blue/grey ice that pushes against white ice
c. Loud sounding ice.
3. An Ice Cake . . .
a. Tastes like vanilla and is made of layers of very thin ice sandwiched between chunks of snow.
b. A flat piece of ice less than 20 meters across.
c. A non-linear shaped opening enclosed by ice that may contain brash ice.
4. How is a Sastrugi formed?
a. By wind erosion and deposition.
b. By grease ice or slush and sometimes rising anchor ice
c. By wind, swell or current
[Answers on page 9]
Smith Steel All Welded Steel Smokers!
Different sizes and colours available.
See Us at the Spring Cottage Life Show
March 27-29, 2015.
www.smithsteel.ca 519 356-2802
Free Delivery to Parry Sound on
summer Fridays!
Answers to Multiple Questions:
1. c.
2. a
3. b
4. a
January 16, 2015 looking west from Gash Island shows the ice further out broken up from the prior night’s storm. Brent Warga.
ICE continued
Page 9
Membership Committee
Co-Chairs Lis Wigmore and Pat Blundy.
Member: President, Claudette Young
Included in this newsletter package is your membership renewal form due April 30th. We really appreciate your support and participation of the South Channel Association (SCA). Together we have a voice to protect our beautiful South Channel of Georgian Bay. And being a SCA member is fun! Changes to the Membership Form—We included two copies. Please pass one on to a neighbour, friend, or business that should be part of the South Channel Association. Thanks for your help spreading the word!! We tried to tweak the form a little and we included a spot for comments and suggestions. Your feedback is important!
Questions? Please contact Pat Blundy ([email protected]) or Lis Wigmore ([email protected]) regarding membership in SCA.
Communications Committee
Chair and SCA Secretary, Celese Fletcher
Members: Newsletter Editor, Robin Argenta, Membership Co-Chair Lis Wigmore , President Claudette Young and guest Pat
MacDonald
We’ve been busy refreshing On the Waterfront, developing www.southchannel.ca and enhancing communications through email blasts. South Channel Association is keen to expand communications and in particular to provide a platform for South Channel members to better know one another and the place they share. We want to share your stories, your observations, your lessons learned and we want to share your pictures. In this Winter issue of On the Waterfront, Don Wheeler asks who recalls the boat that climbed the guy wires of the Osprey Nest, the night the Depot Harbour exploded, and who has family tales to share? Send your stories and tales and interesting bits of information to On the Waterfront editor, Robin Argenta [email protected]. We also urge you to invite your neighbours, friends and relatives to become members of South Channel Association. Just do it! Please contact Celese Fletcher at [email protected].
From Our SCA Committees
Page 10
Email:
or
Environment Committee
Chair and VP SCA, John McAllister
Members: SCA’s Georgian Bay Association Representative, Paul Morgan, President Claudette Young
The SCA is joining the Georgian Bay Association in the fight to “Stop the Invasion” of phragmities to our area. A recent article in the Toronto Star labelled phragmities australis as Canada’s worst invasive plant. This invasive plant is easily visible along our highways and surrounding many of our wetlands. It can already be found in areas of the South Channel. Creating awareness of what this plant is and how to deal with it, is front and centre at the GBA. A spring workshop is presently in the planning stage. If you think you have this plant on your cottage property, please let us know.
The GBA and the Aquaculture Committee, chaired by Claudette Young is looking into the large escapement occurrence at Aqua Cage Fisheries in the Depot Harbour where presumably some of the many open net cages ripped open during a huge December storm. If you were one of the many people fishing for the escapees, we would appreciate your “take” on the fishing frenzy that occurred. The fish farms pollute our public water and large spills mean tens of thousands of domesticated escape into the wild. Stock have been reported to have bred with wild fish and cause genetic disruptions. The fish bred for cage farms are a different ge-netic make-up than the wild. Please contact John McAllister at [email protected].
January 2, 2015 Looking toward Amanda Island from the base of MacArthur Point at the end of the snowmobile Trail.
Visit www.southchannel.ca ‘”Links” for more of Brent Warga’s Parry Sound South Channel Blog pictures.
Boat Show 2015
When the snow on the deck bbq reaches 2 feet tall, we head to the Boat Show and help our cottage neighbours (Cec and Jeff) shop for new boats! We visited Kirk and Colleen Hammond from Glenn Burney Marina showing off the Striker line of boats.
Upcoming:
Cottage Life Show March 27—29, 2015
The International Centre Toronto
Winter Fun with the McNabbs
Page 12
Decked out in new gear, the McNabbs and friends do 5 kilometres in –15 Celsius temperatures.
Bannock – A perfect Campfire Treat
Bannock is simple bread and makes a perfect treat on a long canoe trip or by the campfire at your cottage! To be eaten while
gazing at the sparkling waters of the South Channel! Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tablespoon powdered milk
1 tablespoon oil or butter or ghee (clarified butter)
Water
Options: So many! Try cinnamon, sugar and raisins and/or chunks of cheese or chocolate chips or sprinkle sea salt on
Bannock once cooked or dare to dream!
Mix all the dry ingredients into a plastic bag or container (this can be taken with you on your canoe trip). Mix in the oil or butter
(or ghee). Add water slowly until your dough is the consistency of play-doh. It should be firm, not sticky. Set the dough aside
and let it rise.
Finding the Perfect Stick
Bannock is cooked on a stick over hot coals. The secret is finding the right stick – the ideal stick is freshly cut, “green” and
approximately three fingers wide. Too big of a stick is hard to hold for 10 minutes over the fire and too small leads to uneven
cooking. Remove the bark - both the inner and outer layers of bark. Then, temper your stick by holding it over the fire until it
becomes hot to touch. Don’t burn the stick or your bread will taste burned. By tempering the stick, the bread will cook from the
inside as well as from the outside.
When the Bannock meets the Stick!
Take the bread dough and roll it into a long tube. Then wrap the dough around the stick. As you wrap, spiral the dough down
the stick and compress and spread it, so the dough is less than a half-inch thick. Any thicker and the dough has trouble cooking
through.
Cooking the Bannock
Find the right distance by holding your hand over the fire. When you find a place you can hold your hand for around 10 to 15
seconds, you’ve found the right height. Hold the bannock over the fire at the right distance and let it cook. Rotate the bread so
all the sides cook evenly – especially in the beginning. It takes around 10 minutes to cook the bannock.
And….
When the bannock is finished, it should easily come off the stick. You want bread that is dry and fluffy – undercooked bread
sticks to the stick! To help remove the dough, rotate a small section until it breaks and pulls off. Work the rest of the bread off
the stick. Enjoy!!
Portraits of the Past: Good Ole Days? - Part III by Don Wheeler
My first two versions recounted stories and included photos passed down from my grandparents and my aunts and uncles. This version broaches on my own memories from the late forties and the fifties.
The incentive to add another episode arises from the current dilemma, which is an interesting juxtaposition of time and expense.
In the 40's and 50's my grandparents had a 24 or 26 foot Ditchburn displacement hull hardtop boat for com-muting to Parry Sound and back. From our dock to the main town dock was about six very slow miles each way. This meant that a trip to "town" was basically a full day excursion and not done too often.
As an aside, we knew virtually every boat we passed. Much of the traffic, if you can call it that, was livery boats such as the Sea Prince other Anderson or McIssac launches. Regardless, we always "saluted" with a particularly unique Georgian Bay hand display. Somewhat subtle, slightly tilted with a hint of deference. The Queen would have been proud. Some of us retain the tradition today and I suspect surprise a few newbies to the Bay with our complimentary greeting.
I digress! The cost of my Grandfather's trip was probably a few dollars or less. Last summer, however, a trip from our area to "town" costs between $15 and $40 or more, depending on the type of boat/engine, load and obviously the distance. Moreover, it can take less than 10 or 15 minutes, not several hours! Multiple trips to pick up supplies or guests are common and add up to considerable expense.
So back to the future. Or is it forward to the past? Two of my more interesting recollections involve efforts to bring "town" to the South Channel.
While apparently the Midland City provided general supplies to some locales on her trips through our area, it was not in my experience. On the other hand, I do remember the "Grocery Boat", which would land at our dock, and to which other nearby cottagers would come with their lists. According to a recently discovered neighbour of that time, it would also anchor in other locations for folks to come in rowboats to resupply.
Portraits from the Past: Good Ole Days? Part III . . . continued
I recall that it looked like a 40 or 50 foot converted fishing boat, sliding doors on the sides with an aisle up the middle with shelving on either side full of basic needs. Carnation milk, dry goods, etc were available at who knows what cost. Nonetheless, given the alternative, it was an attractive option to the "trip to town". This shot is not the real McCoy, but an archived photo that resembles my recollections.
But not quite sufficient!! There were other perceived needs. Thus the "Beer Boat". Same general dimensions, but somewhat different cargo. In lieu of groceries, the aisle was lined with cases of beer, and interestingly, Wiser's prod-ucts (presumably rye whiskey?). What is of note, the prices were exactly the same as would be applied in an LCBO anywhere in Ontario! What was not to celebrate?? They also took back the "empties'. According to my impeccable sources, the beer and liquor suppliers covered the costs of the boat and staff.
This IS the real McCoy, complete with Captain Joe Villeneuve in the wheelhouse, his wife Lena putting lunch togeth-er, and an unknown deckhand. It appears to be a pretty good supply on its way out the Bay; rumour has it that quite a few cases ended up on our dock, no doubt for the neighbours?
Is there an opportunity here for a current entrepreneur? What would we shell out to have supplies/beer etc deliv-ered to our docks or nearby at even close to market value? OK, you nod, but not for us. We need to get off the rock regularly, and forget the cost. And as of this note, gas prices have been just about cut in half, so it may be a mute point. But history is known to repeat and the time may yet come when your children, grand children and on, find a niche to be filled by an idea from the past. In winding up this series, I would hope that many of you with probably more pertinent/ interesting/current stories would consider sharing your recollections in hopes of creating an histori-cal repertory of our unique area of Georgian Bay:
Who remembers the boat that climbed the guy wires of what is now the Osprey nest?
An oral history of the night Depot Harbour exploded?
Recollections of the rattlesnake catcher?
Tales from the commercial fishing days on the Umbrellas or Minks?
Or family recollections that didn't necessarily make the news?
Just do it!
ON THE WATERFRONT Newsletter Advertising The South Channel Association Communication Committee publishes On the Waterfront three times a year with Fall, Winter and Summer Issues. Contact Robin Argenta at [email protected] to place your ad.
Advertise with us!!
$100 for 3 issues of business card sized advertisement
$150 for 3 issues of 1/4 page sized advertisement
$200 for 3 issues of 1/2 page sized advertisement
Classifieds are FREE for SCA Members!
Buy, Sell, Trade & Share Special Moments
Contact Robin Argenta: [email protected]
Photo Contest with Judge Patti
Ambrogi, Professor Emerita at RIT
Photo School.
Details in the Spring 2015 Issue
Wishing you a safe and enjoyable summer!
Offering: Quick courteous service
Factory trained mechanics
Summer dockage and hi-dry service
Winter Storage
Large, well staffed gas dock
Ample, convenient parking
Clean restrooms open 24 hours
BBQ propane exchange
Contact: Drew and Sherry Lichtenheldt
Telephone: 705-746-9671 Email [email protected] Web: www.ppml.co
Contact Us
SCA Executive
Claudette Young
President
cell 613-914-1432
Gervis Black
Past President 2010-2014
Liane Black
Treasurer 2010 - present
John McAllister
Vice President.
Chair Environnent Committee
Celese Fletcher
Secretary
Chair, Communications Committee
Lis Wigmore
Co-Chair Membership Committee
Pat Blundy
Co-Chair Membership Committee
Paul Morgan
GBA Rep
Grant Heikkila
Chair, Fun Day and Merchandise
Non-Executive
Pat MacDonald
Web Master
Robin Argenta
Newsletter
Eliana Wheeler
AGM Raffle