On The Bay Magazine Summer 2022 by On The Bay Magazine

C EL EB R AT I N G L I FE

PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN GEORGIAN BAY

IN A CANOE? HAVE YOU EVER?

The First Annual Southern Georgian Bay Sex Survey “A Canadian is someone who knows how to make love in a canoe” Pierre Berton P.86

IN THE AIR

80 year-old maverick Gord Price on the jawdropping thrill of hurtling at 120 m.p.h toward the Bay P.40

ON YOUR BIKE

IN THE FOREST

P.92

P.108

The bumpy ride to preserve Three Stage as a mountain bike mecca

Shinrin-yoku The mind-body meld with the wild

SUMMER 2022

ONTHEBAYMAGAZINE.COM

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RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion Securities Inc. is a member company of RBC Wealth Management, a business segment of Royal Bank of Canada. ® Registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. © RBC Dominion Securities Inc. 2022. All rights reserved. 22_90544_FX1_005

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BEFORE

Designing it right—the first time.

Project renderings of Lischkoff’s latest Southern Georgian Bay design.

Start your custom home or cottage build with the right plan. What sets Lischkoff Build | Design apart is our talented designers and OAA-registered architects. Our design team works closely with each client to plan a custom home or cottage with careful consideration for their ideas, lot conditions, and budget. The design team is backed by our experienced construction crew, allowing for truly beautiful and efficient designs to be made right the first time. This approach keeps our focus on building a stunning home without endless plan revisions and runaway costs. Detailed budgeting and frequent reporting allow for early detection and communication of any concerns — avoiding

costly surprises. We believe that the best way to put our customers first is to build them a beautiful home with quality materials and extreme attention to detail. Our accomplished design team and construction crew work closely together to care for every detail, right down to the finishing touches. With over 50 years of quality construction experience in Muskoka, the GTA, Collingwood and Kawartha Lakes, the Lischkoff team stands out in the industry. We are ready to bring your dream home to life in a way that is uniquely yours.

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COLLINGWOOD, COLLINGWOOD, ON: 705-445-5520 ON: 705-445-5520 | THORNBURY, | THORNBURY, ON: 519-599-2136 ON: 519-599-2136 MEAFORD, MEAFORD, ON: 519ON: 519538-5755 538-5755 | CREEMORE, | CREEMORE, ON: 705.881.9005 ON: 705.881.9005 WASAGA WASAGA BEACH, BEACH, ON: 705-429-4800 ON: 705-429-4800 | STAYNER, | STAYNER, ON: 705.428.2800 ON: 705.428.2800 CRAIGLEITH, CRAIGLEITH, ON: 705.445.7799 ON: 705.445.7799 NOT INTENDED NOT INTENDED TO SOLICIT TO SOLICIT LISTINGS LISTINGS CURRENTLY CURRENTLY LISTED LISTED FOR SALE FOR SALE

Friendly Crescent FamilyFamily Friendly Crescent

Mountain Mountain HouseHouse

Lighthouse Lighthouse Point Point

Cranberry 3 Bedroom! Cranberry 3 Bedroom!

1753 Coram 1753 Coram Crescent, Crescent, Mississauga Mississauga

12 Beckwith 12 Beckwith Lane Unit Lane104, UnitThe 104, Blue TheMountains Blue Mountains

1006-750 1006-750 Johnston Johnston Park Avenue, Park Avenue, Collingwood Collingwood

124 Escarpment 124 Escarpment Crescent, Crescent, Collingwood Collingwood

Groundfloor 2 bedroom, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom 2 bathroom Open FullyFully brickbrick 3+1 3+1 bedrooms, bedrooms, 2 bathroom 2 bathroom Annual Annual Lease Lease - Freshly - Freshly painted painted 2 2 Groundfloor Open concept concept Cranberry Cranberry townhouse townhouse bedroom 2 bathroom 2 bathroom in prestigious in prestigious unit unit 3 bedrooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms 2 bathrooms and aand a withwith greatgreat backyard backyard and all andofallthe of the withwith raised raised bungalow bungalow on private on private 66 x66 180 x 180 ft ft bedroom Mountain Mountain House House by Windfall! by Windfall! lovely lovely patio. patio. amenities. amenities. lot. lot. $1,370,000 $1,370,000 • EXCLUSIVE • EXCLUSIVE $2,800/month $2,800/month • MLS® • MLS® 40275119 40275119 $650,000 $650,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40273923 40273923 $725,000 $725,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40262597 40262597 Collingwood Bungalow Collingwood Bungalow

101+ Acres 101+ Acres

Century Charmer Century Charmer

MainLiving Floor Living Main Floor

1 Sproule 1 Sproule Avenue, Avenue, Collingwood Collingwood

Pt Lot Pt 2 Conc. Lot 2 3, Conc. St. Vincent/Meaford 3, St. Vincent/Meaford

155 Bruce 155 Street Bruce Street South,South, Thornbury Thornbury

5 Church 5 Church Street,Street, Singhampton Singhampton

Lovely Lovely 4 bedroom, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom 2 bathroom home home This This is a canvas is a canvas waiting waiting for you for to you to This This rare rare red brick red brick 4 bedroom, 4 bedroom, 3 3 3 bedroom, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom 2 bathroom openopen concept concept living, attached, attached, over-sized over-sized garage, garage, bathroom home home on an onextra an extra largelarge lot lot living, create youryour ultimate ultimate dream dream property property to tobathroom on a on corner a corner lot, featuring lot, featuring pool,pool, desk,desk,create wood wood stovestove and views and views to a to large a large lot and lot and relaxrelax and enjoy. and enjoy. sprinkler sprinkler system system and 2 and sheds. 2 sheds. has outdoor has outdoor space space & privacy & privacy in spades. in spades. mature mature trees. trees. $799,000 $799,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40250004 40250004 $837,250 $837,250 • MLS® • MLS® 40274862 40274862 $1,300,000 $1,300,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40246200 40246200 $1,950,000 $1,950,000 • MLS®40275383 • MLS®40275383 Stonebridge Townhome Stonebridge Townhome

Clarksburg Clarksburg Oasis Oasis

& Resort Lifestyle! Beach Beach & Resort Lifestyle!

Southern Georgian Bay Views Southern Georgian Bay Views

99 Sandy 99 Sandy Coast Crescent, Coast Crescent, Wasaga Wasaga Beach Beach

118 Brook 118 Brook Street,Street, Clarksburg Clarksburg

15 Cabin 15 Cabin Crescent, Crescent, Wasaga Wasaga Beach Beach

268 River 268Road RiverEast, RoadWasaga East, Wasaga Beach Beach

3 bedrooms, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 bathrooms, 20462046 SolidSolid stone stone custom-built custom-built 2 bedroom 2 bedroom + 2 + 2Charming Charming 4 season 4 season waterfront waterfront chalet, chalet, An incredible An incredible 1/2+1/2+ acre acre riverfront riverfront square square foot foot home home withwith loft, loft, unfinished unfinished 3+ bedrooms, O/C,gas O/C,gas heat,heat, gated gated property bonus bonus roomroom and 3 and bathroom 3 bathroom home home on 2on 2 3+ bedrooms, property with with over over 80’ of 80’ waterfront of waterfront on on basement, basement, double double garage garage and trails and trails community, community, recreation recreation center, center, poolspools & & acresacres in charming in charming Clarksburg. Clarksburg. the Nottawasaga the Nottawasaga River. River. nearby. nearby. activities activities $920,000 $920,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40271359 40271359 $1,249,000 $1,249,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40246169 40246169 $625,000 $625,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40259101 40259101 $1,750,000 $1,750,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40256466 40256466 Meaford Red Brick Meaford Red Brick

Updated Updated CornerCorner Gem Gem

AllBungalow Brick Bungalow All Brick

New Bungalow Brand Brand New Bungalow

66 Trowbridge 66 Trowbridge Street Street West, Meaford West, Meaford

478 Oxbow 478 Oxbow Crescent, Crescent, Collingwood Collingwood

7435 County 7435 County Road 91, Road Stayner 91, Stayner

307 Quebec 307 Quebec Street,Street, Clearview Clearview

Stunning Stunning red brick red brick 4 bedroom 4 bedroom 2 2 bathroom bathroom home home located located on the on the prestigious prestigious Trowbridge Trowbridge street. street. $4,998,000 $4,998,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40224775 40224775

Impressive Impressive & Updated & Updated - End/corner - End/corner Terrific Terrific starter starter or retirement or retirement home! home! Brand Brand new new bungalow bungalow in Stayner. in Stayner. Extras/ Extras/ unit unit townhome townhome on sought on sought afterafter Oxbow Oxbow Steps Steps to downtown to downtown shopping shopping and and upgrades upgrades galore, galore, definately definately a must a must see! see! Crescent. Crescent. 2 walkouts 2 walkouts & mountain & mountain view.view. amenities! amenities! EasyEasy commute! commute! $589,000 $589,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40248245 40248245 $749,000 $749,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40239651 40239651 $899,000 $899,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40265776 40265776

Century Century Home Home

Country Country Estate Estate

Steps The Beach Steps To TheTo Beach

Waterfront Waterfront

228 Clark 228Street, Clark Street, Clarksburg Clarksburg

595530595530 4th Line, 4thThe Line, Blue TheMountains Blue Mountains

487 River 487Road RiverEast, RoadWasaga East, Wasaga Beach Beach

131 Bayview 131 Bayview Avenue, Avenue, The Blue TheMountains Blue Mountains

Charming Charming historic historic century century home home on a on a Luxury Luxury and privacy and privacy in this in beautiful this beautiful largelarge lot, minutes lot, minutes to Thornbury. to Thornbury. $950,000 $950,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40258786 40258786

Steps Steps to beach, to beach, marina marina & shopping. & shopping. Stunning Stunning custom custom builtbuilt home home on 100 on 100 Garden Garden oasisoasis backing backing on tooncreek. to creek. Open Open country country estate estate in Blue in Blue Mountains. Mountains. feet feet of Georgian of Georgian Bay Waterfront. Bay Waterfront. concept concept withwith in-law in-law potential! potential! $1,049,000 $1,049,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40260292 40260292 $1,995,000 $1,995,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40264825 40264825 $5,700,000 $5,700,000 • MLS® • MLS® 40224507 40224507

We Wehave havetoo toomany many listings listingstotodisplay display ononthis thispage page Visit VisitLocationsNorth.com LocationsNorth.comtoto view view more more NOT INTENDED NOT INTENDED TO SOLICIT TO SOLICIT PROPERTIES PROPERTIES CURRENTLY CURRENTLY LISTED FOR LISTED SALE FOR SALE

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™ ™ CPP PHILCPP ANTHROPY PHIL ANTHROPY

MAXIMIZE MAXIMIZE GIVING, GIVING, MINIMIZE MINIMIZE TAXES TAXES USINGUSING YOURYOUR CPP CPP

Mark Halpern, Mark Certified Halpern, Financial Certified Planner, Financial Trust Planner, & Estate Trust Practitioner, & Estate Practitioner, Master Financial Master Advisor-Philanthropy Financial Advisor-Philanthropy and CEO of WEALTHinsurance.com and CEO of WEALTHinsurance.com and ZOOMERMedia and ZOOMERMedia partner, shares partner, his knowledge shares his knowledge

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FROM THE OFFICE

The Wild Side

Photo: Roger Klein

BY DAVID LOOPSTRA

T’S QUITE POSSIBLE THAT THE BRUCE TRAIL SAVED ME. I grew up in north Burlington. Urban sprawl was everywhere. For me and my high school buds, the Bruce Trail offered the only real local access to natural forested areas. This kept us out of street fights, away from hard drugs and gave us purpose, meaning and perspective. As evidenced by our article in this issue on forest bathing, natural areas are lifesavers. I’ve never needed science to tell me that. Funny that we need science to prove a correlation between human wellness and natural areas in order for the populace, and politicians, to start paying attention. Why wait for science or politicians? Perhaps the biggest, most important gift that you—whether you are a landowner on the Escarpment or someone who is in a financial position to donate—could give to the future of the planet is the preservation of more largescale natural areas, and access to them for the general population. It’s real and it’s actually meaningful. In some ways the environmental movement has been hijacked by a focus on climate change. Sure, it’s true that we need to curb our consumption of fossil fuels. Unfortunately, however, this attention is often used to justify more taxes, no real action and important natural areas being plowed over sher. to make way for “green” energy— David Loopstra, Pu bli windmills or pumped storage. What we need are more real heroes to step up and donate land and money to conservation organizations. (Roger Klein points out a real real hero and some great organizations in his letter on this page.) Plus, the last time I checked, preserved forests actually fight climate change as well. Who knew? Speaking of wellness, this issue launches the inaugural Southern Georgian Bay Sex Survey. A sex survey, really? Our parent company, Zoomer Media Ltd, recently ran a sex survey in Zoomer magazine. It was hugely successful, and one of the reasons that Moses Znaimer, On The Bay’s Executive Producer and the CEO of Zoomer Media Ltd., suggested we do it here. Is it risky? Risqué? Sure, but I prefer the word gutsy. A couple of other words come to mind: honesty and maturity. Those describe how our senior writer Jessica Wortsman gracefully navigates this subject. Sex is how we all got here. It’s one of nature’s most healthy and accessible natural drugs—the ticket to contentment and vitality. And to make a connection back to wellness, don’t you think humanity and the planet would benefit if we all were a little more content and healthy—perhaps less prone to greed, to start wars or pave more green space? Seems only natural. My suggestion: open your mind and do the survey. Your answers will make the results better and smarter. You might just learn something about yourself, and the people around you. Enjoy this issue. Cheers,

David Loopstra Publisher, On The Bay

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

BY ROGER KLEIN

CONFESS, I’M A SUN WORSHIPER. As soon as the morning sun flirts with the horizon, I’m awake. I step outside barely clothed and absorb the warmth of the day’s first rays. That small dose of solar energy stimulates a smile and I sigh, “Oh man, it just feels SO good.” Do you ever get that summertime feeling? I don’t want to miss a minute of it. I have a long to-do list of outdoor activities planned this summer, and I hope you do too. We are fortunate: Southern Georgian Bay is surrounded by wild places where we can experience the magnificence and abundance of nature. The smells, the sounds, the lush green landscape all fuel the soul. But how long can it last? I fear a tragedy of the commons scenario now that the perpetual growth machine has arrived to develop every nook and cranny of the region. The existing parks, conservation lands and pockets of wilderness that wrap their arms around the Bay are the legacies of the wise ones who came before us. The late Malcolm Kirk, for example, was a Second World War veteran who understood that the best way to protect land was through acquisition. He worked through the local conservation authorities, The Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy to assemble the islands of green we enjoy today. To Kirk’s credit we now have places such as Skinners Bluff, Old Baldy, Inglis Falls, Eugenia Falls, Bognor Marsh and the Feversham Gorge. That work must continue, according to a new group called the Escarpment Corridor Alliance, or we risk killing the golden goose—the natural beauty that draws people and development to our region in the first place. Today, we can still enjoy hiking, biking, birding and foraging for wild edibles on a summer morning. In this issue of On The Bay, track Anna Potvin and Anya Shor on a forest-to-table journey, as local chefs transform the forest’s flora and fungi into the culinary essence of the landscape. Leah Sobon leads us to other discoveries with her investigation into shinrin-yoku , the Japanese practice of embracing all facets of the forest with a cheeky-yet-relaxing, mind-body meld with the wild. The consummate athlete and author Molly Hurford takes the opposite approach. She pedals her way through the twists and turns of Zen and the art of maintaining the Three Stage mountain bike trails as wild escapes become increasingly popular. All of these outdoor pursuits are good for your mind, body and soul. It turns out that sex is an important part of our happiness Venn diagram as well. Jessica Wortsman explores the connections between our mental health, personal growth and sexual evolution as we age. There is so much to learn about ourselves and the people around us. Can you be honest with yourself? Take a walk on wild side and participate in the first annual Southern Georgian Bay sex survey. Have you, in a canoe? Or even tried? At the centre of everything is the Bay itself, with its beckoning waves and sparkling reflections. Carmen von Richthofen takes a dip into the inspiration and opportunities of wild swimming. Allowing the water to flow over you might wash your summer sweat and sins away. So kick back, soak up that sunshine and enjoy the summer issue. And don’t forget to click through to baywatch.ca/survey and fill out our survey, just for fun.

Roger Klein Chief of Content, On The Bay

Roger Klein at the office

UNWIND OUTSIDE. The Georgian Bay area is known for its stunning vistas and natural beauty — a place of tranquility far away from the hustle and bustle of city life. For over 30 years, busy professionals like you have looked to the Landmark Group to transform their landscapes with our award-winning designs — creating spaces of unsurpassed beauty where they can relax and unwind...outside.

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This is Your Windfall Be a part of an inspired enclave where nature & neighbourhood are in perfect balance. Welcome to the next phase of mountain homes nestled between Blue Mountain Resort and the award winning Scandinave Spa. A community set proudly apart yet connected by nature. Distinctive architecture inspired by Georgian Bay cabins and mountain chalets. This is everything you want Blue Mountain living to be. This is your Windfall.

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of stagers, photographers & tradespeople and offer a network of connections from over 25 years of local community involvement to help you before, during and after your sale or purchase.

“Dave and I really appreciate how hard you worked on the purchase for us. You went above and beyond. Thank you so much. It certainly was an education!!”

“We also want to thank you for all you do for Mark and me. You’re an excellent professional and a very kind person and we’re happy to have you in our lives.”

Lorraine McDonald,

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

PUBLISHER David Loopstra dloopstra@onthebaymagazine.com CHIEF OF CONTENT Roger Klein roger@baywatch.ca ART DIRECTOR Holger Meiche COPY EDITOR Tim Shuff STYLE & DÉCOR EDITOR Anya Shor FOOD EDITOR Anna Potvin PHOTO INTERN Kaiden Collver OPERATIONS MANAGER Cindy Caines ccaines@onthebaymagazine.com ADVERTISING PRODUCTION & DESIGN Tara McLellan PROOFREADER Carmen von Richthofen DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Tammy Cadeau CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dean Hollin, Molly Hurford, Roger Klein, Tom Maloney, Dan Needles, Joanne Nijhuis, Anna Potvin, Carmen von Richthofen, Dianne Rinehart, Anya Shor, Leah Sobon, Laurie Stephens, Jessica Wortsman CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS Shelagh Armstrong-Hodgson, Doug Burlock, Cindy Caines, Pork Carruthers, Kaiden Collver, Jessica Crandlemire, Bryan Davies, Dean Hollin, Mia Klein, Roger Klein, Ken Kujala, Luciano Serafino, Anya Shor, Cecilia Spihlmann, Andrew Ryzebol, Carmen von Richthofen, Jody Wilson

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES 705-444-9192 DIRECTOR OF REGIONAL SALES Susan Holden s.holden@classical1029fm.com 705.446.5273 MEDIA ADVISORS Julie Brillinger j.brillinger@classical1029fm.com 705.715.3400

Rick Gordon rgordon@onthebaymagazine.com 705.888.8768 Published by On The Bay Magazine Inc. A subsidiary of ZoomerMedia Limited President & CEO Moses Znaimer On The Bay publishes four issues per year and is available, free, at 55+ locations in the following communities; Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Nottawa, Craigleith, Thornbury, Clarksburg, Ravenna, Kimberley, Markdale, Meaford, Creemore, Stayner, Glen Huron, Singhampton, Flesherton, and Eugenia. The magazine is also distributed to hotels, resorts, developer showrooms, realtor offices, and to members of private ski and golf clubs in the area. For a complete list of the exact locations within each of the communities go to onthebaymagazine.com

Sheila Shepherd,

Jane Moysey, Sales Sales Representative Broker Representative (705) (705) (705) 444-4216 888-1982 441-6085 lorrainemcdonald@rogers.com sheilashepherd@rogers.com jane@janemoysey.com

JANEANDLORRAINE.CA

ON THE BAY MAGAZINE VOLUME 19, ISSUE 3

Sandi Goodman sgoodman@onthebaymagazine.com 416.456.2723

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING … “I wish we (and many other people) were not facing such a “trying” market BUT WE ARE. And we realize how difficult it is for you to do your job and we both want you to know how much we appreciate your professionalism.” G & H

President/Executive Producer Moses Znaimer

Subscriptions outside the distribution area are $29.95 per year for four issues (including HST), payable by cheque or credit card. No part of On The Bay may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written consent of On The Bay Magazine Inc. The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of On The Bay Magazine Inc. Letters to the editor are welcome: readermail@onthebaymagazine.com

ON THE BAY MAGAZINE

onthebaymagazine.com 115 Hurontario St., Suite 200, Collingwood, Ontario, L9Y 2L9 Tel: 705-444-9192 Toll-free: 1-888-282-2014 Printed in Canada by RBW Graphics, Owen Sound

Classic Movies On The Bay A FREE, OUTDOOR FILM SERIES FEATURING THE GREATEST CLASSIC FILMS OF ALL TIME Shipyards Amphitheatre 2 North Maple Street, Collingwood Beginning at Dusk Don’t forget a blanket. Consider travelling by trail, on foot, or by bike. Limited parking is available on Birch Street North. Rain venue: Simcoe Street Theatre, 65 Simcoe Street

10 JULY

We are kicking off Classic Movies on the Bay with a special guest! Daniel Vnukowski, Vnukowski Classical FM’s daytime radio host and world renowned piano virtuoso will play alongside a short film of CHARLIE CHAPLIN, followed by our featured film.

24 JULY 14 AUGUST 28 AUGUST

Movie titles can be found on the website

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O N T H E C O V ER

SUMMER 2022

Canoe Love

This Canadian classic is a mode of transportation and a vessel for life’s simple pleasures.

HOMES ON THE BAY 62

Vintage Vibes

The Life Aquatic

Reviving Giants

Simply the Best

Nostalgic styles bring back summer memories.

Enrich your outdoor space and attract wildlife with a water feature.

Grand old barns are getting a new life.

How the “most psychotic design project ever” (and six months living in a trailer) resulted in a country home that is as beautiful as it is simple.

FEATURES 92

Happy Trails

Pretty River Valley—a.k.a. Three Stage—is a paradise for mountain bikers. Can it stay that way as usage grows?

102

Wild Swimming

For adventures beyond the pool, Georgian Bay presents an ocean of inspiration and opportunity.

118

Collingwood Street Style

108

The Healing Power of Trees If the activity of “forest bathing” has you packing extra sunscreen and your birthday suit, stand corrected. Read on and we’ll save you the police fines.

DEPARTMENTS 14 From the Office 24 Inbox 30 Trending

Brewery – Sunscreen – Pride – Beverages – Charters – Classic Movies – Garlic – Picnic – Action

Baywatch

Escarpment – Electric Dirt Bike – BMR Audit – Sailing school

Heaven Can Wait

The (First Annual) Southern Georgian Bay Sex Survey

The Great Escape Artists

Fenceposts

rEVved Up!

No longer just for early adopters, electric vehicles offer speedy relief from the bloated price of gas—if you can find one.

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

DIGITAL EDITION DOWNLOAD AT ONTHEBAYMAGAZINE.COM BAYWATCH GET MORE STORIES, ISSUES AND NEWS ANYWHERE. BAYWATCH.CA

Travel with a Purpose

From Forest to Table

120

Buy Me a Brush

A spirited command to her then-husband launched Cecilia Spihlmann’s art career from desperation to profound serenity, with moody, introspective landscapes to match.

134 20

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Looking Back

ON THE COVER: Canoe love, a Canadian classic. A red Prospector canoe beached near Thornbury, ready for action. Photo: Roger Klein

Beautiful 5 Bed/3.5 Bath bungalow in sought area of Collingwood. Gourmet kitchen, office, inviting living & dining areas. Fully finished lower level w/ wet bar, gas f/p & in-floor heat. Spacious tiered deck, hot tub & firepit. Walk to schools, parks & trails. Minutes to amenities! MLS #40262730 | $1,899,000

Incredible 50 acre property in the heart of the Pretty River Valley. Breathtaking westerly views of the Niagara Escarpment. Stately 4 bedroom brick home & bank barn. Short drive to skiing, golf, Georgian Bay & more! MLS #40250775 | $2,800,000

Incredible 24 Acre Hobby Farm in Nottawa. Lovingly cared for 4 Bed/2.5 Bath bungalow built & owned by original builder. 3/4” Solid oak floors (main), heated laminate floors (lower). Front porch, deck & patio. Double attached garage. Barn, small log cabin & pond. MLS #40260792 | $2,900,000

Stunning Renovated Red Brick Century Home in Collingwood. Full town lot (66x165’). Fully fenced. Formal living room, pocket doors, engineered hardwood floors. Gourmet kitchen. 4 Bed/2 Baths. Addition w/family room, bedroom & semi-ensuite, 2 walk-outs & deck. Lower patio, firepit & storage shed. MLS #40262515 | $1,299,000

Stunning Panoramic Views of Georgian Bay! Exceptional country home nestled on 46 acres in the heart of ski country! Expansive 5,100+ sq.ft. home, 6 Bed/6 Baths, 3 levels of living space. Spacious deck & patio areas, manicured gardens, inground pool, double & single car garages. MLS #40258493 | $3,199,000

Team GIVE’R Launches Scholarship Program We are excited to share the latest exciting news from the Team GIVE’R Foundation...a charity that honours our friend, Kenneth McAlpine.

The Team GIVE’R Scholarship is all about going after it in life & giving it all you got. Team GIVE’R is stoked to award 4 scholarships per year; 2 in Winter & 2 in Summer, valued at $3,000 each. These scholarships will be awarded to upcoming athletes that are passionate about their sport & taking it to the next level. ATHLETES MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA TO BE ELIGIBLE: • Young men and women aged 12 - 18 • Must be living within an hour radius of Collingwood, ON or Rossland, BC • Preference given to applicants in financial need For info on how to apply visit: www.teamgiver.ca Winter applications are now open from JUNE 1 - OCT 15, 2022

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ON THE COVER

ANYONE WITH THE SMALLEST AMOUNT OF PADDLING EXPERIENCE might imagine

that sex in a canoe would require great skill. But considering that the canoe was the primary mode of transportation in the Canadian wilderness for thousands of years, it’s possible that many people became highly skilled in the art of canoe love. The late, great author and historian Pierre Berton is widely credited with saying that this was the quintessentially Canadian skill: “A Canadian is someone who knows how to make love in a canoe.” Really? Canoes must have been much bigger back in the day. Bigger than the narrow, tippy, plastic numbers you might find on the beach today. Sex in a modern canoe probably seems completely unrealistic to most people. Besides, a tent is much more

BY ROGER KLEIN

// PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIA KLEIN

comfortable. Even so, an Environics poll conducted in 2013 found that 14 percent of Ontario respondents had actually tested their nautical nookie skills. In the eventuality that you and your partner decide to give canoe love a whirl, there are a few things to consider. First, you probably want to remove the yoke (some hand tools required)—that’s the bar across the middle—to prevent you from being trapped if the canoe flips mid-act. Second, grab that cushion off the chaise and throw it in the bottom for comfort. And last but most important, wear your PFD—because you probably won’t get it right the first time.

PIERRE BERTON (1920—2004) was a prolific Canadian writer, journalist and broadcaster, the author of 50 books about Canadiana, Canadian history and popular culture. Born in the Yukon, Berton was widely viewed as an expert on the Far North. As a writer he resisted censorship and challenged conservative thinking, tackling taboo subjects such apartheid, anti-semitism and even teenage sex (which ultimately got him fired from Maclean’s magazine in 1963). He went on to spend 39 years as a guest on CBC’s Front Page Challenge. Later in his life, Berton waded into more controversy by discussing his 40 years of experience with recreational cannabis on two CBC television programs, Play and Rick Mercer Report. He even gave a “celebrity tip” on how to roll a joint. Though the exact origins of the famous Berton’s Tip: love-in-a-canoe quote are disputed, Berton was How to Roll known to be happy to take credit for it. a Joint!

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

705 • 444 • 4949

INBOX

FROM

OUR READERS

A Light Read With a Heavy Impact

Why do Developers Control Southern Georgian Bay?

Editor’s Note

The Escarpment: a good place for new development?

would result in the destruction of over 1,100 mature trees. Citizens’ efforts to express their serious concerns have fallen on deaf ears. However, as Edward Burtynsky says, we live in one of the most naturally beautiful places on earth. It’s worth protecting, but how do we do this when municipalities are ignoring their own bylaws in support of developers? Christina Eaton Long-term resident

How’s This for a “Quick Response”?

I am appalled at the proliferation of QR codes everywhere, and now even in the pages of On The Bay magazine. Are these things not forcing people to spend even more waking hours on

Letters to the editor have long been recognized as a venue for ideas and opinions as part of healthy public debate. Letters are also an opportunity for readers to provide journalists and publishers with feedback. Often, environmental issues are among the top concerns of residents from several community groups actively participating in ongoing planning and political processes around Southern Georgian Bay. Please consider that letters are often short and have narrow perspectives on complex issues. We encourage you to do your own research. Letters can also do more than lay a critical eye on issues. Words of encouragement or inspiration that recognize the good work of citizens are always welcome. Thank you to everyone who submitted letters. We reserve the right to edit for style, content and space considerations. Please send your letter to readermail@onthebaymagazine.com. 24

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

Photo: Roger Klein

their phones? How can anyone go out and enjoy our area and the energy there, when they are being forced more and more onto phones? Whoever is selling these QR codes is pushing really hard—they are sprouting up like the addictive, bad weeds that they are. Get rid of these nuisances and get control over your time!

Christine Huy

Gloria Thompson Wasaga Beach

Thank you for your feedback, Gloria. QR codes are a great subject to talk about. The digital squiggles are nothing new but they really caught on during the pandemic for everything from restaurant menus to government surveillance systems on our personal activities (which we find very creepy). That being said, it’s obvious that you noticed that OTB has been incorporating QR codes as a footnote to some of our articles. In doing so, we’ve discovered that people actually use them, to learn more about a subject or to find specific references. We think that’s a good thing because the internet has become vast. Cool stuff can be hard to track down. We also believe that knowledge is power. We promise not to use them frivolously.—Editor

Cru ise ships: a picture of eco-responsibility?

Thank you for your letter, Christine. You make a fair point. When it comes to travel, we often overlook the environmental impact of our adventures. Everything we do has some sort of effect on the planet, from driving our cars to the local park, to flying off to exotic locations around the world. It’s something to keep in mind while making travel plans. Perhaps we should ask more questions about the places we go? How sustainable is our favourite all-inclusive resort? Is there a benefit to the local population? Sustainability is a

Photo: Cindy Caines

“We want to be good custodians of this pretty special place,” says Edward Burtynsky (“Documenting the Human Epoch,” Winter 2022). Yet, in the same issue of On The Bay, I read about the sale of the Talisman lands in Grey Highlands and how “the municipality has failed to comply with certain provisions of the Municipal Act and its own policy concerning the sale of surplus lands.” It’s alleged that the council went ahead with the conditional sale, without even waiting to hear the results of a consultation study it had commissioned to obtain the citizens’ views for the future of the Beaver Valley. Indeed, developers appear to be in control of what happens in Southern Georgian Bay, and the citizens’ views don’t seem to matter. Similarly, in Thornbury, a town known for its character and charm, a developer has been terrorizing the waterfront community by proposing a high-density infill development adjacent to the harbour. In addition to being completely out of character with the longestablished neighbourhood, it

I normally have a really good time reading On The Bay. But this time I’m angry, angry indeed, that your article about cruises (“Welcome Back Aboard,” Spring 2022), never mentioned that these boats are not at all sustainable. Judy Ross should have included this in her article. She only wrote positive things about these boats and never spoke about pollution. That’s not fair. You should recognize that these cruise ships are absolutely not a recommended way to travel if you want to protect the earth.

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INBOX massive subject with all kinds of grey areas. Some charter airlines have already figured out that they can reduce the per-person carbon footprint by adding more seats to an aircraft. As for the cruise ship industry, they appear to be working on it. For example, Carnival Cruise Line recently announced new sustainability goals for 2030, with aspirations for 2050, in the areas of “climate action; circular economy (waste reduction); sustainable tourism; health and well-being; diversity, equity and inclusion; and biodiversity and conservation.” While the timelines seem distant, at least it’s a start. Let’s keep the conversation going.—Editor

Take a Moment to Appreciate the Art

I would like to express my pleasant surprise and enjoyment on discovering Jeff Wilson’s illustration published in accompaniment of Dianne Rinehart’s informative and timely article, “Priced Out,” in the Spring 2022 issue of On The Bay that I picked up at the Grey Highlands Home and Garden Show. There is a poignancy, almost eeriness, to his illustration that captured my attention even before the content of the article. The illustration well reflects the subject matter. Having been an aficionado of the artist ever since buying copies of his books The Avridge Farm Companion and Pandemania-

Pandemonia, I sincerely hope that you can continue to employ Wilson’s talents in future issues.

John Butler Maxwell

It’s a Little Known Fact That...You Got the Swan Wrong

The images of the swans on the Spring 2022 cover are excellent but incorrectly identified. The upper bird is a trumpeter swan. This is evident from the shape and markings on the bill, which is black in both species but slightly longer in the trumpeter and described by National Geographic Complete Birds of North America as “with an orange stripe on the lower mandible along the cutting edge,” which is clearly visible in the image. The bill of the tundra swan, on the other hand, is described as having “a variable yellow patch at bill base extending forward from the eye; patch rarely absent. Yellowish stripe on the lower mandible cutting edge.” Also, in the image the upper bird is significantly larger than the lower bird, which is also the fact in life. Thank you for publishing such an excellent magazine. I have been a reader from day one and always look forward to the next issue. Michael Young Thornbury

Photo: Mia Klein SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

Fisher Monahan is a 17-year-old writer, illustrator and naturalist. A resident of Glen Huron, Fisher grew up surrounded by wooded hills and open fields, which inspire his nature-based illustrated journal pages. In June of 2021, Fisher published his journal into a zine, The Sweetgrass Chronicles, that is now available on his website sweetgrasschronicles.com. He attends Stayner Collegiate Institute, and spends his days watching ants and drawing trees, chronicling his experiences in the Georgian Bay area. Thanks for sharing this illustration with us, Fisher. We really enjoy your style and sense of adventure. Follow your instincts and keep going—the truth is out there! We love submissions from local youth. To have your work featured here, please email us: readermail@ onthebaymagazine.com.

Tundra swans or trumpeter swans? Either way, they mate for life.

Third-Person Perspective

Thank you for your letter, Michael. We take our birds very seriously here at OTB and your comments sparked a flurry of research. It is true that the two species are very close in appearance and are often confused. We do know when and where the photo was taken and the context, which was in a large group of migrating tundra swans. Upon delving into the subject of ID a little deeper, we discovered that the yellow eye patch is not always clearly visible on all birds. We also looked into the possible hybridization between the two species and found that tundra

and trumpeter swans occupy very different habitat niches and migrations, so it’s rare for the two species to mix genetically. One of the sweetest things about tundra swans (and many other bird species) is that they form lifelong bonds. The two swans on the cover appear to be in perfect sync with each other and, shall we say, to share a certain chemistry? We are confident the birds are indeed tundra swans. Please keep your eyes open for other cool bird species. It would be great to have an indigo bunting on the cover next year. —Editor

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TRENDING //BREWERY – SUNSCREEN – PRIDE – BEVERAGES

BY DEAN HOLLIN

Hoppin’ at the Breweries

One teaspoon of sunscreen to cover the face.

Shade-Worshippers It was all about getting that beloved tan in my early ‘80s high school years. Sunscreen was indeed “a thing.” But hey, you got a whole lot more colour without it! That didn’t seem nearly as reckless as the previous generation’s stories about slathering on baby oil or vegetable shortening, pretty much air frying 30

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

Progressive Pride The Collingwood Pride Festival takes flight on July 15 and runs through the weekend. There will be music, entertainment and plenty of LOVE throughout the downtown. The highlight is sure to be the Town’s first ever Pride Parade, Saturday evening at 5 p.m. Inclusion, understanding, friendship, respect and tolerance are all trends that are sure to gain momentum (pridecollingwood.com).

Photo: KC Roberts and the Live Revolution

S.G. LiBAYtions

KC Roberts and the Live Revolution will be rocking the Collingwood Brewery July 30.

themselves to achieve the same result. Hindsight being 20/20: both bad ideas. These days there’s a more conservative and sensible trend—not seeing so many scantily clad, high-glossed sunbathers with foil reflectors. Perhaps we’ve matured just a bit. Dr. Stephanie Côté of Collingwood Dermatology & Aesthetics offers a handful of good practices starting with limiting time outdoors between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. (peak UV hours). Also, routinely seeking shade, and wearing sunglasses and sun-protective clothing, including a wide-brimmed hat. For sunscreen, Dr. Côté recommends a generous application that is broadspectrum (covers UVA and UVB rays) and SPF 30 or higher, applied prior to sun exposure and again every two to three hours or after swimming or sweating. The average adult requires two to three tablespoons of sunscreen to cover the body and one teaspoon to cover the face.

Photo: Dean Hollin

PROBABLY FAIR TO SAY that one trend in Southern Georgian Bay (SGB) back in 2014 was craft breweries. Side Launch Brewing Company, The Collingwood Brewery and Northwinds Brewery Limited all opened their doors over the spring and summer of that year. They, along with a number of newer additions to the local craft beer community, have a number of things in common beyond those impressive stainless steel tanks—artistry, passion, creativity, uniqueness and, of course, tasty product! Here’s a more recent and equally creative craft brew trend: said breweries enhancing their oft-industrial spaces into destinations that entertain more than your taste buds. Leading this trend is The Collingwood Brewery. A visit with manager Scott Smith revealed a mighty impressive lineup happening in their tap room, adjacent patio and outdoor “industrial chic” beer gardens—food truck, films, lawn games, open-mic and stand-up comedy nights, craft beer yoga and impressive live music. The last Saturday of each month is reserved for concerts, including KC Roberts and the Live Revolution (July 30) and The Honeyrunners (August 27). Helping to send out summer 2022 in a big way is a special concert on SCAN HERE FOR September 10—a doubleMORE INFO bill of Glacial Erratic and Mountain Head! Go to thecollingwoodbrewery.com for any info you might be thirsting for.

As someone who loves to spend time in the kitchen, I can tell you that I tend to cook very differently from season to season. My lean is always towards creating menus around whatever is locally available or abundant at the time. As one whose alcoholic beverage consumption revolves around quality as opposed to quantity, the types I crave also routinely change with the seasons. Thankfully, the talented producers of bevvies throughout SGB are thinking entirely along the same lines. With the summer sun and glorious heat come a myriad of creations trending in the direction of fruits and florals.

Northwinds Brewery Limited Seltzer w/ Raspberry & Yuzu. The Roost at Red Wing 2021 Terroir Rosé. Grey & Gold Cider Company Wildflower. Collingwood Brewery Lifestyle Series Raspberry Hibiscus Saison. Coffin Ridge Boutique Winery Sparkling Pear.

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TRENDING //CHARTERS – CLASSIC MOVIES

Photo: Roger Klein

BY DEAN HOLLIN

Many of us routinely position ourselves along the shoreline looking out across our beautiful Bay. Increasingly, however, folks are taking advantage of marine excursions for the opportunity to gaze affectionately back in the other direction—enjoying various styles of freshwater fun along the way! Whether you’re in the market for wakeboarding, tubing, water-skiing, a bit of shipwreck snorkeling, an exciting fishing charter or a relaxing dinner and sightseeing cruise—you’re pretty much covered. Collingwood Adventure Voyages (osmadventuretravel. com/fishing.html), Collingwood Charters (collingwoodcharters. ca), Xtreme Adventures

Watersports (xtremeadventures. ca), Reel ‘Em In Fishing Charters (bluemountainsfishing.com) and Five Star Fish and Cruise Charters (fivestarfishandcruise.ca) are among the area’s go-to operators. On the water longer than pretty much anyone is U Catch‘em Charters, specializing in fishing excursions out of the Meaford Harbour since 1988. Captain Jeff, his wife Captain Sherri and, new this year, their oldest daughter, Captain Allison, fresh off her first year of marine biology studies at the University of New Brunswick, operate three vessels—a 35-foot Cooper Yacht, a 30-foot Searay Sportfish and a 24-foot Searay Laguna. Seven days a week April

The Brattain fam

ily, U Catc h’em Ch

arters.

Courtesy: U Catch ’em Charters

Outward Looking In

to early December—all ages welcome, no experience required—expect to haul in salmon, rainbow trout, lake trout and maybe even brown trout (ucatchemcharters.com).

Daniel Vnukowski performing

Sun (Down) Screening For daytime adventures, the dermatologist recommends SPF 30 or greater (see “Shade-Worshippers”). But, for screening after the sun goes down, my suggestion would be 39 or greater—and by that I mean 1939, which was a great year for the movies. Come find out why at Classic Movies On The Bay, happening on select Sunday evenings through July and August at Collingwood’s Shipyards Amphitheatre. Just bring a chair or blanket, your favourite 32

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

Classic Movies On Th

e Bay. Photo: Doug Burlock

snack and perhaps that special “Adrian” or “Danny” in your life. There’s a special treat on opening night, July 10. Daniel Vnukowski, artistic director of the Collingwood Summer Music Festival

and host of The Classical Jukebox on The New Classical FM, will start the evening off with a piano accompaniment to a short Charlie Chaplin film, followed by a performance of Over the Rainbow.

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TRENDING //GARLIC – PICNIC – ACTION

BY DEAN HOLLIN

Bulbs for the Long Haul

Su nrise Organic s garlic

Photo: Roger Klein

Precisely 3.2 kilometres from my humble abode is a grower of asparagus. The asparagus season has all but ended now, but when it is in full swing (May through June), it becomes a weekly, if not biweekly, stop for me. I’m rarely if ever the lone customer at this roadside stand. It’s undoubtedly one of my favourite vegetables, asparagus. Even so, beyond the local growing season I refuse to buy it. Seems rather absurd to me that it’s coming in from an entirely different continent. I happily wait until next season. Garlic is a bit of a trickier problem. With more than a few established growers in SGB I regularly purchase it during the farmers market season. But once that season is over, what then? As the new year rolls around am I left with no choice but to purchase cloves grown across the ocean, over 10,000 kilometres away? Thankfully, Bart Nagel, the grower behind one of SGB’s most successful garlic farms, Bulbs of Fire in Tiny Township, assures me it is possible to stock up and

And...Action! By my calculations it would have happened in the summer of 1952 (precisely 70 years ago)—the casting and pre-production for the now iconic film From Here to Eternity. Jump ahead exactly seven decades—no preproduction here—and following a couple of years of “hands-off,” it’s clear that warm hugs, eager embraces, clinches, clutches and arms wrapped feverishly around others are back in full production!

make it through to the following spring! There is some strategy involved—storage location, temperature, etc.—and likely some trial and error, too. Nagel grows many kinds of cultivars and explains that in addition to having varying flavour profiles, the diverse varieties of garlic will also store over the winter months quite differently. A garlic guru worth checking out at bulbsoffire.com. Other garlic gurus: Mark Grahlman, Sunrise Organics, Highway 26 Meaford; Dunridge Farms, County Rd. 124 Duntroon; Goldsmith Market, Highway 26 Thornbury.

NOTTY BAY ROSÉ

Georgian Hills Vineyards georgianhillsvineyards.ca WINE CUPS Ken Loverock, Fergusonvale Pottery fergusonvalepottery.com BAGUETTES

Thornbury Bakery Cafe thornburybakerycafe.com BOTANIC CAM PLANT-BASED CHEESE

The Frauxmagerie on Georgian Bay thefrauxmagerie.com

SMOKED TROUT

Kolapore Springs kolaporesprings.com BUTTER TARTS

Georgian Bakery georgianbakerymidland.ca CHARCUTERIE BOARD

Photo: Roger Klein

Kevin Cassidy, Kevin’s Offcuts Instagram—@kevinsoffcuts BLANKET & NAPKINS

Have Basket, Will Travel (Just Barely) It’s strange, really. Wherever folks land— no matter how beautiful and picturesque their home, or how hard they’ve worked to get there—there remains this urge to “get away.” Gentle reminder, friends: if you’re here in SGB, you already are away. And what with today’s fuel prices, more of us are opting 34

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

Cheryl Sheridan, The Barn Studio thebarnstudio.ca BASKET Andrea Mastrosovs, Wild Willow studio wildwillowstudio.ca to get away by staying put. So, here’s a suggestion: pack a picnic and head to one of our region’s many glorious locales. Everything you need, from the basket on up, can easily be found right here. My dream basket, pictured here, is just a beginning. Follow your taste buds and the sky’s the limit.

Black Bellows.

Greater Than the Sum, Sum, Summer of its Parts A slab of concrete. A metal table and chairs. A couple of squares of cotton—and even a glass or two. On their own any of these items are, indeed, pretty darn utilitarian. But assemble them in just the right way, and a rather immediately recognizable ritual of summer emerges, an iconic and beloved extension of restaurants everywhere—the outdoor patio! An annual trend it may be, but never before have patios been embraced as in these last 30 months. Find one that seems to be beckoning you, then eat, drink and be merry!

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GEORGIAN BAY

MINIATURES

Dollhouse & Miniature Shop Located in a charming century home in the heart of Meaford. It’s a place where crafters, hobbyists, and collectors alike can dive deep into their passion.

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is what we say at Georgian Bay Miniatures. Everyone that walks through our doors is amazed with the wide selection of scaled items, dollhouses, and building materials we carry. Specializing in 1:12 scale.

GEORGIAN BAY MINIATURES 32 Nelson St. East, Meaford, Ontario 519-216-1448 | info@shopgbm.ca www.shopgbm.ca Thursday, Friday, Saturday – 12 noon til 5 pm OR by appointment

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BAYWATCH //ESCARPMENT – ELECTRIC DIRT BIKE

BY ROGER KLEIN

Photo: Roger Klein

ESCARPMENT CORRIDOR ALLIANCE

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

LONG-ESTABLISHED CONSERVATION GROUPS are uniting to protect the Niagara Escarpment’s widely celebrated landscapes, globally unique natural features and forests. A newly formed conservation organization, the Escarpment Corridor Alliance (ECA), has partnered with like-minded organizations such as the Blue Mountain Watershed Trust, Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy, Friends of Silver Creek and Protecting Talisman Lands Association around the common cause of defending the Escarpment. The new partnership seeks to preserve existing green spaces and shine a spotlight on the threats to the Niagara Escarpment around Southern Georgian Bay. ECA President Bruce Harbinson says citizen and conservation groups fighting battles to curb urban sprawl into sensitive areas can now be part of something bigger. “We need to be in this together. We think we can bring greater attention and leverage by focusing on all of these micro-battles.” One of those battles is a proposed development for 1,600 homes in a now-forested area at Castle Glen in the Town of The Blue Mountains. The former Talisman Resort in Grey Highlands is another significant Escarpment property where development has been opposed by local citizens and conservation groups. Both the Castle Glen and Talisman properties fall inside existing “blue zones” on maps of the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP), Canada’s first environmental land-use plan, implemented in 1985. The zones are designated recreation areas in the NEP similar to existing ski resorts in the region. There are also existing class environmental assessments (EAs) for both proposed developments that outline plans for providing municipal sewer and water services to the development lands. Harbinson admits that it’s an uphill battle but right now the stakes have never been higher, especially when it comes to Castle Glen. “It’s 1,500 acres that’s slated for 1,600 homes. That’s a city of about 5,000 people. In the 49 years since the Niagara Escarpment Commission was formed, there has never been a development like this on the Escarpment, and we don’t think there should ever be a development like this on the Escarpment.”

Photo: Roger Klein

Big Forest vs Big Sprawl

Dan Tric co testing the Sur Ron Light Bee X.

The Dirt Bike Gets Clean NOTHING PIERCES THE SOUND OF SILENCE like the ascending snorts of a motorcycle hitting the power band. High performance motocross demands everything that an engine can deliver to accelerate riders to the event-horizon of competition. Grinding through mud and rough terrain requires torque and gearing, but control up in the air is just as essential. Weight considerations test the limits of materials and manufacturing. But when it comes to ultimate performance, everything is a give and take. Dan Tricco has a deep-rooted appreciation for that equation. Tricco has been ripping up moto parks for three decades. He’s won three national championships in his age class and earned a reputation for pushing the limits on and off the track. Over the past year he’s been testing something new for Parkway Yamaha, the local dealer of a purely electric motorcycle called the Sur Ron Light Bee X. “You turn the key on and twist the throttle,” says Tricco. “There’s a couple of settings—sports mode, which is full power, which experienced riders use, and eco mode if you are a beginner.” The off-road Light Bee X combines the aggressive nature of a dirt bike with the agility of a downhill mountain bike. It has a lightweight forged aluminum frame, a 60-volt Panasonic lithium ion battery, disc brakes and a total weight of just 50 kilograms. This combination offers the rider a 100-kilometre range and enough torque to climb hills at 45 degrees. The amazing part, this clean machine is almost silent apart from the sound of the chain whirring over the sprockets. Tricco says the quiet nature of the bike opens up off-road riding to a broader spectrum of people. “In the past three months I’ve had 100 people ride this from big, burly Harley biker dudes to petite girls and everybody just giggles when they come back. It’s the coolest thing.” A heads-up to mountain bikers: the front brake is on the right handlebar in a conventional motocross configuration. The Light Bee X retails for about $6,000.

Owen Sound Taxi (pictured here) and Thornbury Stage Coach are available for viewing at Danfield Antiques (downtown Clarksburg), and will be for sale after the Thornbury Antiques show August 13-14.

THORNBURY’S FOLK ART CARVER: b.1892 in Kilsyth, d. 1981 in Thornbury. on view at our store and will be for sale after our participation at the Thornbury Antiques Show from August 13-14.

ERSKINE BROWN: A

fter a life spent as a dairy farmer, Erskine Brown took up carving full time upon retirement to Thornbury in 1959. Soon his workshop at Elma & Louisa Streets was alive with carved figures of rural folk, animals, farm implements and vehicles of life in early Ontario. The man and his art were highly regarded, yet, he never sold his works, choosing instead to gift them to hospitals, libraries and schools and to friends that connected with a particular piece.

Field.

DANFIELD hopes to inspire joy to those who visit our store. We are proud of the knowledge and enthusiasm we have for fine Canadian art and furnishings. Our catch phrase is “Expect the Unexpected” because we endeavour to have the best, be it Folk Art, Group of Seven artists and contemporaries, mid-century, abstract art and exquisite furniture and furnishings from 1760 to 1960. We buy original art and are seeking works from local painters Fred Haines and Thomas Mitchell and of course, Erskine Brown. Sincerely, Dan

DANFIELD.CA

207 Marsh St., Clarksburg | 705-888-0242 | danfield@rogers.com | Thurs. – Sun. 11a-4p & by appointment

Folk Art is currently selling at the top of the antique market in Canada. Maud Lewis (1903-1970) of Nova Scotia has recently earned record sums for her folk art paintings. Maud had a life of hardship and yet her inner happiness exploded into the universe through her cheerful paintings. Erskine Brown’s work is to folk art carving as Maud Lewis’ work is to folk art painting. Owen Sound Taxi (pictured here) and Thornbury Stage Coach are

DANFIELD

FINE ART & ANTIQUES

BAYWATCH //BMR AUDIT – SAILING SCHOOL

Photo: Roger Klein

Blue Mountain Resort.

WHEN JOZO WEIDER FIRST IMAGINED A SKI RESORT on the Escarpment slopes more than 80 years ago, winters were colder and longer than they are today. According to the Canada’s Changing Climate Report published in 2019, the mean annual temperature in Canada has already risen about 1.7 degrees Celsius since 1948. Temperatures have increased more in northern Canada than in southern Canada, and more in winter than in summer. The farther north you go, the more dramatic the change has been. The report goes on to attribute more than half of the warming to “human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases.” So far, ski areas with sufficient resources have been able to adapt. Snowmaking and grooming technologies have overcome the incremental shift in weather patterns and even improved conditions on the slopes—but there’s a catch. How sustainable is this technologyversus-nature approach over the long term? It requires significant amounts of energy and water to keep the slopes snow-covered in winter. It’s this fundamental question that Blue Mountain Resort (BMR) is tackling head-on with a facility-wide audit of its operations. “Being good stewards of the environment is not only something our team is passionate about, it is something we need to take action on to ensure the viability of what we do at Blue,” says Tara Lovell, BMR’s manager of public relations. Three separate engineering firms started their independent analysis earlier this year as part of the audit, reviewing current and historical data and internal reports, and comprehensively inspecting buildings and mechanical systems on and off the slopes. Considering the size of the resort, there is much to review. Blue Mountain is Ontario’s largest mountain resort, with more than 1,000 accommodation units and 45 restaurants, bars and retail stores in the Village. During summer months, the list of attractions include the Monterra Golf course, Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster, Cascade Putting Course, a ropes course and zip lines. In the winter, the resort is Ontario’s largest ski destination, operating 43 ski and snowboard trails and hosting 1.5 million visitors annually. The audit will measure the baseline energy usage and paint a clear picture of the entire resort’s environmental impact. The data will also help create a plan to improve operational efficiency and reduce the resort’s net carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. “To make sure we are approaching our sustainability goals effectively, an up-to-date point of measurement needs to be established. As an Alterra Resort, we are participating in a sustainability audit. This will help us look critically at where we are at and where we need to go to make sure our environmental impact and our business viability continue in a positive direction,” says Lovell. Before the audit began, BMR was already making great strides in energy efficiency with the use of three-dimensional, GPS-guided snow mapping, snowmaking

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

Skipper Nathan Brand

Photo: Roger Klein

Learning the Ropes

Blue Mountain’s Sustainability Deep-Dive

BY ROGER KLEIN

GEORGIAN BAY is a formable body of water that offers fun, excitement and adventure to those who have the skills to explore it. Whether your goal is to cruise the world’s largest freshwater archipelago in a yacht or to hike out over the side of a dinghy on steep wave faces, a good place to begin is the Meaford Harbour at Sail Georgian Bay, a unique school for the nautically inclined. Within the confines of Meaford’s seawalls, youngsters eight to 18 years old can learn to read the language of wind and water from experienced and qualified CANSail coaches. Sail Georgian Bay has a fleet of small sailboats including more than a dozen beginner-friendly Laser Picos, plus five 420 dinghies—the world’s top youth racing sailboat, used by university sailing teams and in national youth championships. The CANSail programming focuses on time on the water in a safe, active learning environment as well as some time in the classroom. Sailors learn the skills they need to have fun and challenging experiences suited to their age and stage of development, right up to CANSail 6, the top level of Sail Canada’s dinghy training standards. For many, on-water fun is a path to summer employment. Most of the school’s instructors came up through the school as students. Sail Georgian Bay is a volunteer-based organization that is always looking for new people to join the board. Its mission is to develop new sailors and keep them excited about sailing for life. automation and the conversion to LED lighting on the slopes. For more than 20 years, BMR has also been a member of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Sustainable Slopes program which goes far beyond climate initiatives in its pledge to sustainability. The program includes waste reduction, design and construction guidelines so that new structures are harmonious with the landscape, as well as forest health and habitat stewardship. All of these focus areas overlap with BMR’s own environmental initiatives, which are published online. The sustainability audit will go even further to ensure the resort is accountable, according to Lovell. “The resort has been submitting emissions data to the NSAA since 2000, but the nature of climate change has evolved and this audit will help us set meaningful benchmarks.” The deep dive into sustainability comes as BMR’s parent company, Alterra, plans and budgets for the future. Alterra is one of four North American resort companies including Vail, POWDR and Boyne Resorts, that have all agreed to operate with sustainability at the forefront. The audit at BMR has already produced a number of recommendations for improvements, including upgrades to the snowmaking and chairlift systems, lighting retrofits, programmable thermostats in buildings and improvements to kitchen ventilation systems. Some of the work will begin this year. In addition, the resort has created a new full-time position within its ranks for a Sustainability Analyst. The analyst will work collaboratively with the operations and planning teams to oversee how growth and development align, while implementing the audit SEE THE JOB recommendations. The analyst will also monitor the resort and report on efficacy on an ongoing basis to POSTING help achieve the goal of resort-wide sustainability. HERE

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105 GEORGIAN BAY LN, THE BLUE MOUNTAINS - $2,950,000 6 bed, 4.5 bath Georgian Bay Club semi, fronting 10th Fairway with views of Georgian Bay and iconic 13th Green. Contemporary home with too many features to list. One of the finest offerings in the area.

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PEOPLE Q&A //GORD PRICE

HEAVEN

CAN WAIT Photo: Roger Klein

At 80, aerobatics pilot Gord Price stays grounded no matter how high he flies. BY DIANNE RINEHART Chances are you’ve witnessed Gord Price’s high-flying aerobatics during Canada Day celebrations.

HE FORMER U.S. POSTAL SERVICE PILOT E. Hamilton Lee once said, “There are old pilots and bold pilots but no old, bold pilots.” Tell that to Meaford’s high-flying Gord Price. At 80, the master of understatement continues to defy the odds while wowing crowds in his Yak-50 at aerobatics shows across Canada. The former owner of the Dam Pub in Thornbury (his daughter Stephanie owns the new version of it in Meaford), has had a deathdefying career since he got his pilot’s licence in 1959. Price, who will celebrate his 60th wedding anniversary with his wife Sandy this month, flew CF-104 Starfighters as a nuclear strike pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and represented Canada at three FAI (World Air Sports Federation) aerobatics championships. Oh, and he captained Air Canada flights for 36 years. When On the Bay caught up with him, he was preparing for a string of six summer air shows from Quebec to B.C., events where he flies 25 complex and dangerous aerobatics manoeuvres in 10 minutes. He reminisced about his flying career and told us how he stays in shape for a hobby where there is zero margin for error. ON THE BAY: HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU FIRST SOLOED? AND HOW DO YOU REFLECT ON THAT DAY NOW? Gord Price: I was 17 in 1959 and I got an air cadet scholarship. In the ’50s things were simple. I did my first solo after nine hours and had my licence after 25 hours. I was so darn excited. I wanted to fly the Avro Arrow. I went to what was then called Malton Airport and I climbed fences to see it. I was totally devastated when they (the Diefenbaker government) canned it. I got to fly the replacement though. OTB: THE CF-104 STARFIGHTER LOOKS MORE LIKE A ROCKET THAN AN AIRCRAFT. WHAT’S THE HIGHEST SPEED YOU EVER REACHED? GP: When we did mock runs in Alberta, we would take it until Mach 2.2. In miles per hour, that is fast (1,632 m.p.h.). We were

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

the original cruise missile, but manned. Only we did it with a stopwatch and a map. Our job was to be able to put the bomb within three seconds and 300 feet of the target. OTB: MANY CF-104S CRASHED, KILLING DOZENS OF PILOTS DURING THE COLD WAR. DID YOU EVER HAVE ANY CLOSE CALLS? GP: We were flying 600 m.p.h at 100 feet. I guess you could describe that as a bit of a rush. We were intent on not hitting the ground. Our job was quite dangerous because you are low to the ground with the birds, and the engines don’t like birds. One false move and you could hit the ground. I never hit a bird, but I’ve been struck by lightning and lost all the air speed and couldn’t see out the front. I’ve always said, everyone else had my share of bad luck. I was the most fortunate

guy to go up. We lost over 50 percent of the airplanes to mechanical problems. OTB: WHAT WAS IT LIKE TRANSITIONING FROM FIGHTER PILOT TO COMMERCIAL AIRLINE CAPTAIN? GP: I only had about 1,500 hours when I joined Air Canada but I went from the top of the heap flying the most advanced and exciting airplane in the world to a lowly first officer flying a low-level Viscount. I didn’t get to do anything except lower the gear and put the flaps down, and only that when I was told to. I was disappointed at the beginning, then I found so many challenging things to flying Viscounts properly and to interacting with captains so you could be a good support pilot. OTB: WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE COMMERCIAL JET? GP: For the last two years of my career I flew 747s. The 400 series (747) is the most beautiful plane I’ve ever flown. Like a big Piper Cub. OTB: YOU SPENT MANY YEARS FLYING AND MODIFYING PITTS SPECIAL BIPLANES. WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE MONO-WINGED YAK-50 YOU’RE FLYING NOW? GP: In the ’80s I flew three aerobatic championships representing Canada. At one, the Russians came to me, at the height of the Cold War, and offered me a chance to fly their Yak-50. I was totally

impressed. Much different than other airplanes I’ve flown. It has tremendous power. In 2011, I discovered a prototype Yak-50 was for sale in Salt Lake City. I wasn’t flying at the time, and I really needed to have a new focus. I thought maybe this airplane would do it. So I went out and bought it. Forced me to stay healthy and gave me a new focus on life. OTB: DO YOU HAVE A SIGNATURE AEROBATICS MANOEUVRE? WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE? GP: The classic Lomcovak is my favourite manoeuvre. It’s a tumble, where the propeller takes control of the airplane. You push five negative Gs on a Lomcovak. The plane should end up going end-over-end. OTB: DO THOSE HIGH G-FORCE FLIGHT MANOEUVRES TAKE A PHYSICAL TOLL? HOW DO YOU KEEP IN SHAPE FOR AEROBATICS? GP: At my age I absolutely have no problem pulling Gs because my arteries are so hard. (Seriously, though), there’s a lot of muscle memory involved. Over a long winter you lose all that muscle memory. When I start in the spring, I go at it very slowly and high until I’m satisfied that everything is working the way it should. When I start pulling Gs, I am conscious that I am going to grey out. That is the warning sign that you are about to pass out. That happens for a while until you get that muscle memory.

“Health. I’m 80. That was a real wakeup call for me. I’m just terrified of slowing down. But you must be real about it. ” Gord Price

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Pric e dives at the water while performing over Georgian Bay.

OTB: AEROBATICS SEEMS LIKE A DANGEROUS HOBBY AT ANY AGE. DOES IT STILL GIVE YOU A RUSH? GP: It doesn’t give me a rush. It gives me satisfaction. I’m normally focused and looking for perfection, and not only in aerobatics. There is a right way to do it and a wrong way. Always aim for the right way. The object of the game is to dive for (the ground) and miss it. There is no room for mistakes. OTB: YOU RECENTLY REMOVED THE RED STAR MARKINGS FROM YOUR RUSSIAN-BUILT PLANE. WHAT WAS THE THINKING BEHIND THAT?

GP: It was a difficult decision. I don’t want to get involved in the politics of what is going on. What is going on is just awful. But what I did was the right thing to do. I’m going to be flying the Cold Lake Air Show. It’s a NATO base. How could I in good conscience fly an airplane at a NATO base with red stars on it? OTB: WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO KEEP ON FLYING? GP: Health. I’m 80. That was a real wakeup call for me. I’m just terrified of slowing down. But you must be real about it. So, the plan is this is the last year. The thing that is terrifying is I don’t know what I’m going to do next.

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

PETS //GPS A GPS dog tag may be the answer to keeping tabs on your pup’s whereabouts.

THE GREAT ESCAPE ARTISTS Perfect dog owners can train their pets not to bolt. For the rest of us, there are microchips and GPS tracking. BY DIANNE RINEHART // PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAIDEN COLLVER

H BOY. THIS IS A DILEMMA. I finally have my sweet Husky mix, Daisy, who bolted to chase rabbits, cornered. But where she is sniffing and snooping is a bit of a problem. She is on a stranger’s front porch. I am praying, as I approach stealthily, that I can nab her before anyone sees me. This will be a bit challenging, though, because the homeowner’s living room windows face directly onto the porch. “Please, please don’t let anyone be sitting in their living room naked,” I plead. Or, worse: “Please don’t let the inhabitants of this home be having sex on their living room floor!” I avert my eyes, just in case, as I slowly and softly approach. “Want a liver treat?” She does.

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

be able to run away when I take her leash off. By the time I get outside she has disappeared across the street, leaving my friend and me to spend an hour of precious, sunny ski time searching for her, first on foot into people’s yards, then by car. We circle the block about 10 times until I’m desperate, sure she has been hit by a car or gone home with someone else, because she is so sweet and friendly. Then there she is, prancing happily back towards my friend’s house from which she’d been so determined to escape. I’m so excited to see her that I leap out of the car—probably while it’s still moving—and call to her with a treat. My dear dog is finally back in hand. After that episode, Daisy may not have learned, but I did. I researched GPS tags for dogs and settled on an Apple AirTag. It is a small, round disc that can be attached with fasteners to luggage. You get a phone alert if you leave your suitcase behind. But it can also, as techno wizards have pointed out, be attached to dog collars—and is water resistant, to boot, for swimmers like Daisy. It costs $40, but soon proves its worth when Daisy gets loose again.

We circle the block about 10 times until I’m desperate, sure she has been hit by a car or gone home with someone else, because she is so sweet and friendly. I put her leash on, and gently tug her away from the home. This is not—shame on me—the first time Daisy has escaped. She once bolted, while still on her leash, during what was supposed to be a pee break at a friend’s dinner party. You may have heard us calling her loudly and persistently at around midnight as we tramped through deep snow from property to property in your lovely housing estate that backs onto a golf course. Thank you for not calling the police. But eerily, there was no replying bark or whine from Daisy. I worried she’d been eaten by coyotes. But thankfully, no. Instead, she was standing silently only feet away from where she had started out, leash caught in a bush. The only reason we finally saw her is because her white chest stood out from her invisiblein-the-dark, black fur. Only a few days after that episode, it’s a perfect ski day when Daisy decides to duck out under the garage door just as I am shutting it to ensure, ahem, that she won’t

I pull out my cell phone and check Find My Phone. The tag for Daisy is listed there. I click on it, and a map appears showing Daisy’s exact location, complete with an address. What? It’s showing the address where I already am. Useless technology, I think, because I have already circled the house. But then I hear my friend calling. He has her. She was at the side of the house, and Apple was spot on while I was not. How does it work? “The AirTag uses both Bluetooth and a more precise positioning technology called ultrawideband (UWB) to pinpoint the tracker’s location,” says the New York Times. “Like a souped-up version of Bluetooth, UWB will point you in your AirTag’s direction with compass-like accuracy if you’re using an iPhone close to the missing AirTag. If you’re farther away, Apple’s Find My app network and Bluetooth from other iPhone users can help you find it instead.” Still, there are limits to what an AirTag GPS tracker can do, and if your dog is a chewer,

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you may not want to put anything on his collar that he can somehow get at and swallow, says Dr. Jennifer Dodd of the Mountain Vista Veterinary Hospital. There are larger, more durable GPS systems that are designed specifically to track dogs, she notes. Still, whatever the limitations of any GPS tracker you choose, I am Unfortunately, if your last predicting they will resort is putting up signs like be bestsellers down this, it may already be too late. the road, if they aren’t already. Why? Let’s just say they’re preferable to replacing your neighbour’s chickens, buying a new pool cover, breaching international border security, or losing your beloved pet entirely. My friend Nancy Wood’s beagle mix Whisky is a true escape artist. “What we did not consider when naming him after a kind of alcohol is how stupid we would feel running around the neighbourhood yelling: ‘Whisky! Whisky!’,” she says. “The last time he escaped it was to visit a neighbour’s chicken coop. Luckily, he had a long lead on him, so we found him with that lead wrapped around the coop and the chickens safe inside. “The time before that, he chased a cat toward an inground swimming pool. The cat was smart enough to swerve at the last minute, but Whisky went right in. Problem: the pool had its cover on. He shredded it. The pool owner saw what was happening and jumped in to save him. Let’s just say, she was cold and wet and not pleased and we had to buy a new pool cover. “He has also escaped at the cottage, right near the U.S. border, which is patrolled by the RCMP and Canadian Border Services Agency with helicopters and SUVs. We got him back before he crossed!” Then there is Paul Williams, who shared the saga of one chilly fall night at his Blue Mountain chalet. “Mckenzie, the husky, is on his chain. Well, not quite. He has chewed through it. And escaped. Into a dark, wet, cold gully where deer and wolves roam. Soon we hear the howling. And crying. Down into the gulley we go, me and two daughters. Pitch black. Tree branches tangling around our legs. After 45 minutes struggling in the bush, we find Mckenzie. Tied around a tree with his broken chain.” These are the happy stories of dog owners who have, at least, found their pets. Others are not so lucky. Ayrlea Manchester, the former adoptions specialist at the Georgian Triangle Humane Society, says in 2020, 79 stray dogs came into the agency’s care. Last year there was a “nice decrease” to 38, she says. Her advice, whether you have GPS or not, is that your pet should be microchipped. Indeed, the first thing the humane society staff do when a lost pet is dropped off is scan for the unique identification number assigned to each microchip. In other words, the registration on the microchip will let staff know where to contact you, even if you don’t know where to contact your dog. There’s no doubt the Daisys, Whiskeys and Mckenzies of the world will find mind-boggling ways to escape. They are, after all, Houdinis. Thank heavens for technology. Now if it can only keep pace with Daisy.

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SHEAR LUNACY Animal rights questions about wool dryer balls are nothing but hot air. BY DAN NEEDLES

WAS IN A LITTLE arts and crafts shop

last week when I heard an earnest young woman with two children in tow grilling the saleswoman about a basket of “denselyfelted organic dryer balls” sitting beside the till. “Are they made of natural fibres?” asked the young woman. “Yes,” said the saleswoman. “They are made entirely of wool. Organic and completely natural.” “Oh,” said the customer. “I believe in animal rights. After the wool is taken, does the sheep have a good life?” That stumped the saleswoman. She was not a sheep person and she couldn’t really say. I am a sheep person and I had plenty to say about the life of a sheep. But to my credit, I remained silent. The last time I got dragged into a discussion of sheep’s rights in a public forum, I had to endure a shrill Soviet-style denunciation and move through a series of safe houses until the whole thing blew over. Sheep are a human construction, the work of a committee. The sheep committee has been meeting on the third Thursday of the month for the last 5,000 years, ever since the ancient Sumerians started peeling the wool off sheep and spinning the fibres into scratchy sweaters. I pointed out that sheep no longer have a “natural” state. We have been growing wool on their backs for such a long time that if you don’t shear a sheep regularly, it will sicken and die. To answer the woman’s question directly then, yes, the

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

// ILLUSTRATION BY SHELAGH ARMSTRONG-HODGSON

sheep definitely has a better life sheared than left in its natural state. This notion infuriates the animal rights fundamentalists. They would insist I turn the sheep loose immediately, give it a public apology and set up a trust fund for its needs (which they would supervise, of course). Unfortunately, sheep have been looked after for so long that they can’t survive on their own without the attention of a shepherd. This was already true 2,500 years ago and one of the reasons sheep appeared so often in the Bible. Like people, they need a lot of supervising. Left to their own devices, they always get into trouble. Dogs run them to death, wolves sneak in and kill them one at a time, they eat wild cherry leaves and keel over. They roll into holes and can’t get up. They walk over cliffs. If they break through a hole in the fence, they walk into the nearest farm outbuilding and you can just hear them ask, “What’s toxic in here, Marj?” For the fact is, animals do not have rights. If they did, they would also have responsibilities and that would make a cat a murderer, which is absurd. I am the one with the rights, not the sheep. With my rights comes a set of strict responsibilities, the chief one being an obligation to practise stewardship of all things in my care. Stewardship is a stern and demanding calling and few people understand this more clearly than a shepherd, who practises one of the oldest professions on the planet.

It’s surprising I have anything to do with sheep. Two hundred years ago, my ancestors were tossed off the land during the clearances in Scotland and replaced by sheep, who ate less and could be sheared more often. My forefathers (and the mothers too) were shipped across the Atlantic in leaky ships and forced to make a new life in places even a sheep would have found unforgiving. No one ever talked about a sheep’s rights in those days. That’s because they were too busy trying to figure out how to protect their own personal human rights without ending up swinging by a rope in a public square. Today, we have all the spare time required to reflect on any theological question we choose. And we are so well fed that we now have the energy to bully anyone who doesn’t agree with us, even if our beliefs are constructed like a cucumber frame. After 30 years with sheep, I know I am obliged to protect them from predators and parasites, bad weather and the poor life choices for which they are famous. In return, I take the wool, which they do not need. Some of them will go into the freezer, but again, all my efforts are designed to ensure those sheep only know one bad day. That’s more than a writer gets. I hope I have cleared up the question of whether a sheep has a good life after its wool is taken. Now, would someone please explain to me exactly what a wool dryer ball is for?

Author and playwright Dan Needles lives on a small farm in Nottawa.

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AUTOMOTIVE //EVs

Demand for electric vehicles has intensified at local dealerships.

rEVved Up! No longer just for early adopters, electric vehicles offer speedy relief from the bloated price of gas— if you can find one. BY TOM MALONEY // PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAIDEN COLLVER

HE PRO FESSIO NAL driving

instructor yelled, “Brake.” We were heading into turn one on the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal, me behind the wheel, the instructor in the passenger seat. The two lightweight electric motors powering the Jaguar I-PACE were making a sound best described as a hush. Without the guttural revving you would hear from an internal combustion engine (ICE), the lightning acceleration felt surreal. Were we really going that fast? “Brake!” the instructor shouted a few seconds later. I hit the brakes. The instructor gasped in relief. That experience demonstrated how electric vehicles, or EVs, have come such a long way in a relatively short period of time. Performance, range and some prices are improving year after year. For instance, Chevrolet introduced the Bolt in 2016 at a starting price of $42,795 ($49,966 in inflation-adjusted dollars). The 2022 version is $40,198 and range is extended by more than 20 percent, from 320 to 397 kilometres.

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

Consumers may question whether EVs are practical for Southern Georgian Bay, where many drivers commute long distances to the GTA and elsewhere.

Only early adopters owned an EV five years ago. Today there’s overwhelming demand from a wider consumer base, spiking this summer with the gasoline prices topping two dollars a litre. Ford was so overwhelmed by demand for the electric F-150 Lightning pickup, it shut down orders for the 2022 model. General Motors is promising longer range and lower costs with a new battery technology, Ultium, with the Silverado EV pickup and other vehicles destined for the market next year. Demand intensified such that it’s been nearly impossible to find an EV on local lots. Toyota has introduced its first battery electric vehicle (BEV), the bZ4X, but Collingwood sales manager David McArthur says it won’t go on sale in Ontario for a year and then, “We are not taking orders since we have no concrete expectation of delivery.” McArthur says customers have waited two years for delivery of the Rav4 Prime, the plug-in version of its most popular SUV which can operate both as an EV and a hybrid. Over at Blue Mountain Honda, general manager Dayn Kramp says the electric Honda Prologue SUV will debut for 2024: “Order dates have not been released, however mid-next year would be expected.” And so it goes. “There’s always been a strong interest in EVs in our area but certainly as fuel prices rise, interest in more economical means of transportation has risen as well,” Mike Merrifield, sales manager of Collingwood Nissan, said in May. “I’d estimate that over the

last few months, inquiries on EVs have at least doubled, maybe tripled.” While an issue declining in importance, a major difference between a gas-powered vehicle and an EV still comes down to two words: range anxiety. Consumers may question whether EVs are practical for Southern Georgian Bay, where many drivers commute long distances to the GTA and elsewhere. Those concerns may be allayed with the upper range of today’s EVs now around 500 kilometres. But that’s in the summer. In winter cold, the range can drop as much as 40 percent. Turning down the cabin heater can reduce this loss—but are you prepared to bundle up? “On the surface, the idea of an EV sounds appealing (but) once customers start the inquiry process and really think how this vehicle will be used in their life, it starts to become less attractive,” says Honda’s Kramp. “Range is becoming less of an issue though. The major speed bumps are charge time and availability of chargers.” McArthur of Toyota says people need to plan ahead but, “They obviously have figured it out. It’s a lifestyle.” As EVs use a battery rather than gasoline or diesel to transfer power to the motor, the battery must be recharged. With the fastest charger, a Level 3 such as at Tesla’s station at Keith Avenue in Collingwood, plugging in for 15 minutes will get you 320 kilometres of range. A Level 2 charger connects to a 240-volt outlet and returns about 150 kilometres of range in a few hours. Charging on a regular home outlet—

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TOP Shannon Fry, of the Thornbury Pharmasave, which is home to Thornbury’s only EV charging station. ABOVE Some charging stations will have you on your way in 10 to 20 minutes.

Level 1 charging—will take all night and then some. Many owners pay about $2,000 to have a Level 2 charger professionally installed at their home and then “fill up” overnight when hydro rates are lowest. Sarah McKellar of Collingwood ordered a rear-wheel-drive Tesla Model 3 in September last year when her 2013 Hyundai Elantra passed the 300,000-kilometre mark. “Our first range anxiety was on a weekend trip to an area in the Kawarthas without chargers,” she says. “We had the car fully loaded and bikes on the back and were driving with the flow of traffic that was quite fast. On the return to Collingwood, we got nervous about making it home.” “The car told us that if we kept our speed below 80 that we could actually make it. We weren’t ready to take that chance and pulled into the supercharger in Barrie with seven percent battery. With a 10-minute charge—which became a Starbucks coffee and bathroom break—we were back on our way.” As for infrastructure, local municipalities are scurrying to catch up to demand. As of June, there were only five public charging stations other than Tesla’s (currently available only to Tesla owners) between

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

“We had the car fully loaded and bikes on the back and were driving with the flow of traffic that was quite fast. On the return to Collingwood, we got nervous about making it home.” On a day-to-day basis though, owners feel massive relief from the pump. Using National Resources Canada stats, AutoTrader.ca reported that the cost of a fill-up was 78 percent less for an EV, and that was back when gas cost $1.58 per litre. As with Shannon Fry, McKellar was prompted by concerns about climate change to switch to an EV. Then there’s the unexpected bonus, as I experienced with the I-PACE on that track in Portugal. “The biggest two items are the acceleration and one-pedal driving,” McKellar says. “There’s an instant response which makes the car lively. The car corners very well and handles the slushy, heavy snow due to the weight of the battery and low centre-of-gravity. All in all, it feels like we went from a basic, reliable car to a fancy performance car.”

KEEP YOUR EYES ON HYBRIDS LOST IN THE EV HYPE, THERE’S A MORE AVAILABLE OPTION TO WRING EXTRA KILOMETRES OUT OF EVERY LITRE OF GAS—THE HYBRID. Photo: Courtesy Honda

Collingwood and the Town of the Blue Mountains. Understanding that tourists will become increasingly dependent, the Town of The Blue Mountains council voted on May 31 to install more chargers at seven locations, and Collingwood is also planning more. For now in Thornbury there’s only one public charger, at the Pharmasave on Highway 26. “We need more,” says the store’s co-owner, Shannon Fry. The 2017 Hyundai Ioniq she purchased gets about 200 kilometres on a full charge. “It’s been a great solution for local deliveries and incredible in terms of maintenance. You go through far less brake (servicing) because of the regenerative braking.” Fry acquired the Ioniq before a federal government grant became available. Ottawa now offers grants up to $5,000 for vehicles with an MSRP up to $70,000. “We wanted to be on the forefront of change,” says Fry, who had the car painted colorfully to send a message to passersby. “It was more expensive at the time, but with fuel prices now it’s working out in our favour.” The net environmental benefits and cost savings of EVs relative to ICE vehicles are matters of complex debate. Heavy duty mining is required to obtain the nickel, lithium and rare-earth minerals for EVs, and while manufacturers have brought down the cost of batteries, the Globe and Mail recently reported that the average premium for an EV over a similar gas-powered vehicle comes to $20,000.

Ferdinand Porsche built the first gas-electric hybrid car, the Lohner-Porsche Mixte, in 1901. Toyota launched its green status symbol, the fuel-sipping Prius, in 1997. The first commercially available plug-in hybrid was the Chevy Volt in 2010. Nowadays most manufacturers have hybrid offerings. “The big benefit, of course, is fuel efficiency, so it’s helping the pocketbook and the planet at the same time,” says Dayn Kramp, general manager of Blue Mountain Honda. Hybrids use roughly 25 percent less fuel than their gas-only equivalents. Kramp says Honda’s bread-and-butter compact crossover, the ever-popular CR-V, is getting a complete redesign for 2023, and the hybrid option is coming to Canada for the first time. “We’re taking pre-orders now and they’re due to land here later this summer. It’s reasonable to expect customers to have their vehicle this fall.” Hybrid versions of the Honda Civic and Accord are soon to follow. Both the CR-V and Civic will be built at the zero-waste Honda plant in nearby Alliston, Ontario, an employer of many Southern Georgian Bay residents. Which brings to mind another way to shrink your ecological footprint, besides a more efficient engine—extend the “100-mile diet” philosophy to your automobile purchase and buy local. —Tim Shuff

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TRAVEL //VOLUNTOURISM

Travel with a purpose “Voluntourism” is one way that travellers can have a meaningful impact—if done right, such as this locally based project for the Dominican Republic. BY LAURIE STEPHENS

OMETIMES, IT’S SMALL THINGS

that make a huge difference. To displaced Haitians in the impoverished villages of the Dominican Republic, a water filtration system. Or safe electrical power so that children can read at night. Or a doctor’s office with a refrigerator to store insulin. It may also be something as simple as showing you care.

“Everything that we do has to come from a sustainable approach. We learned over the years that we need to have a focus that is going to make a longlasting change.” In the small village of Lomas Blancas, about 50 ancianos—the original sugarcane cutters who migrated from Haiti in the 1960s and then lost their livelihood when the sugarcane companies left the Dominican—didn’t know how to write their names. “So, the exercise when we went there was, ‘What is your name, we’ll show you how to write your name’,” says Steve Wallace, a member and past president of the Wasaga Beach Rotary

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

Club. “I couldn’t believe the smiles and the squeals of excitement and joy.” Wallace, 66, is the founder of the Rotarysponsored Hispaniola Humanitarian and Relief Team (HHART). Over the past 12 years, he has recruited dozens of South Georgian Bay volunteers to spend one to three weeks of their vacation time in Dominican villages—called bateyes—that lack even the most basic services we take for granted. Villagers live in cramped, barrack-like shacks made of wood, concrete and tin. Roads are typically dirt paths, and electricity and clean water are in short supply. Wallace, a former Canadian Air Force and Air Canada pilot, led the first HHART service trip in 2010 to bring medical and dental services to the vulnerable population. “We brought a little bit of medical expertise, a little bit of dental expertise, and we actually did surgeries,” he said. “I had bought a mobile dental kit, so it had a drill, a light, and it had suction, and we were off and running.” Since then, HHART has made lasting improvements to the region’s healthcare. The best example is the Amigitos Community Centre that is run by the Norwegian charity Amigitos in Batey Pancho Mateo. The Centre

TOP Dr. Jennifer Simpson, 47, of Huntsville. MIDDLE Making a difference in the Dominican Republic. ABOVE (L to R) Jonathan, Reg and Steve Wallace of HHART. Voluntourism is a family affair.

has become a community hub that includes medical and dental clinics, a children’s play area, and a large kitchen used for delivering food programs for seniors and kids. Over the years, HHART has helped fund equipment for the clinics and promoted the training of locals to work in the Centre; it has completely outfitted the doctor’s office with an

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examination table and diagnostic equipment. Basic medical and dental care is a critical need in bateyes like Pancho Mateo where most of the residents are of Haitian descent and their rights are not fully recognized by the Dominican Republic government. On Wallace’s first visit in 2010, the villagers were frantic to get an audience with a healthcare practitioner, says Wallace. Now a doctor and a nurse staff the medical clinic three afternoons a week. “Now, people are casually walking in to see the doctor,” Wallace says. “They understand they have access to effective primary medical attention and treatment.”

TOP Installing solar panels at Pancho Mateo. ABOVE Kyla Meadley, 31, discovered HHART through her father, Steve Meadley.

Projects vary every trip. Last March, the focus was bringing safe electrical power to 45 homes. The project constructed basic electrical panels to save villagers from “hotwiring” their power source and risking a

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

fire, and gave children light to read at night. Other projects have repaired pumps for school bathrooms, and funded the building of cement roads over dirt paths, or the purchase of sports equipment for kids and supplies for Montessori schools. “The mission is to bring relief to these people, to help make their lives a little bit better, and to make their communities a little bit stronger,” says Wallace. “Capacity-building is what we’re really trying to do and let them sort the rest of it out.” For project participants from Canada, HHART is an opportunity to travel with a purpose, a particularly effective example of “voluntourism” in action. Dr. Jennifer Simpson, 47, of Huntsville, has participated in HHART every year since 2012. She applies her skills as a naturopathic doctor in mobile clinics and performs other tasks as well. HHART has become a family affair. Her husband, both of her boys and her parents have all taken part in at least one trip. Most interesting to her boys—then aged 10 and 12—were the similarities they shared with the children in the villages, even amongst the poverty. “They still like the same sports, they still like the same clothing,” she says. “If you give them a phone, they want to play the same games and they get addicted the same way our kids do if you hand them a device.” What appeals to her about HHART is its commitment to community sustainability. She says a lot of organizations simply fly in to drop off used clothing and shoes, then quickly leave. These donations disrupt village entrepreneurs who are already trying to make a living selling used clothing. Kyla Meadley, 31, discovered HHART through her father, Steve Meadley, who has been a member of the Rotary Club of Bracebridge for over 20 years. The chiropractic student from Thornhill took part in six missions and the experience has had a profound impact on her life. She helped coordinate the medical teams—a role that motivated her to complete a master of science in global health in 2019, studying the

barriers to healthcare for Haitian refugees in the Dominican Republic. “Now that I’m in chiropractic, I’m starting to look at HHART and think of how I can extend it to have a chiropractic focus. “Everything that we do has to come from a sustainable approach,” she adds. “We learned over the years that we need to have a focus that is going to make a long-lasting change.” HHART’s most important legacy, says Dr. Simpson, is the villagers knowing that there are people who care about them and will continue to do so in the coming years.

“The mission is to bring relief to these people, to help make their lives a little bit better, and to make their communities a little bit stronger. Capacity-building is what we’re really trying to do and let them sort the rest of it out.” “At the core of it, we must always remember that we’re here to build relationships with the local people,” she says. “And if at the end of the day, you haven’t connected with somebody on some level, whether it’s a construction worker helping out with a project, whether it’s a patient, whether it’s a child that you just sit and play with for a few minutes, then you’ve missed the boat.”

LAURIE STEPHENS Laurie Stephens is a “mostly retired” writer whose 40-year career included stints in journalism, politics and corporate communications in Toronto. She now happily lives in rural Meaford with her spouse, daughter and two dogs, Loki and Thor.

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FROM

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TABLE

That foraging would become the next trend in local eating—it was only natural. BY ANYA SHOR & ANNA POTVIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANYA SHOR

T’S LOVE. IT’S CAMARADERIE. It’s sustainability. It’s community. It’s for the love of food, our forests and ecosystem. Any conscientious food lover understands the term “locavore” to mean eating and cooking dishes made up of ingredients sourced as nearby and within-season as possible. Locavorism was a movement coined with the publication of the book The 100Mile Diet, which encouraged and touted the benefits of eating food sourced within that intimate stone’s throw of where we live.

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

“You’re actually eating the landscape!” ABOVE Micheal Stadtländer, a pioneer in the foraging movement. Eco-responsibility and avoiding over-harvesting are key to sustainability.

Socially and culturally, the emphasis was on sustainability. Food produced closer to home was not only fresher due to reduced travel and storage time, but better environmentally, not to mention the fact that it supports local farmers. The idea that something could be pulled or dug out of the ground and end up on your dinner plate the same day inspired domestic and professional chefs alike. Farm-to-table became a culinary touchstone. It was only natural that this renewed interest in locally cultivated produce soon inspired the next question: “What is growing already, and how much of it is edible?” It wasn’t just local anymore, it was wild. Enter foraging— locavorism’s latest iteration.

FOR CHEF MICHAEL STADTLÄNDER, a farmto-table pioneer, farming and foraging have always gone hand-in-hand. He began serving meals created almost entirely of produce and meats he grew, harvested and foraged himself, to urban diners eagerly making the pilgrimage to his Singhamptom farm, Eigensinn, over two decades ago. It was a dream which originated from Stadtländer’s childhood in Northern Germany, where farming and foraging skills were honed together. The 100 acres surrounding the Stadtländer farmhouse offer up a bounty of wild edibles. The first delicacies appear not long after snowmelt—a carpet of wild leeks, fiddleheads, asparagus, the elusive and prized morel

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ABOVE Hannah Harradine and Joel Gray of Sumac & Salt.

ABOVE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Sumac & Salt’s Springhills trout with wild leek velouté, fiddleheads and morels. The Pine’s Yunnanese-style tartare with wild mint emulsion, spruce catkin capers, fiddlehead piccalilli, chewy morels, lamb’s quarters, wintercress, and a spruce-tip-and-pecorino frico. A plate of local, foraged ingredients from The Pine. Eigensinn farm chicken with dryad’s saddle mushroom glazed with apple cider, maple syrup, mustard, lovage and wild marjoram.

They blanch and freeze leek tops to later dehydrate and use as seasoning; they pickle knotweed to use as garnish; they make simple syrups out of dandelions for cocktails. mushroom, stinging nettle, wild ginger and fairytale-like dryad’s saddle mushrooms (commonly known as pheasant backs). On the table, it’s a matter of course, so to speak, to find wild mushrooms, herbs, berries, or any number of wild vegetables and fruit nestled on a handmade plate with Stadtländer’s own farm-raised pork, or swimming in a bowl of wild ginger-scented ice cream. Summer and fall continue to bring delectable finds such as wild mustard, several varieties of choice mushrooms, and edible flowers including the oxeye daisy (which is blanched and put into vinegar). In late October, wild grapes make for “the best jam.” And the dance doesn’t stop there. The relationship between nature as producer and

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

farmer-chef as harvester and forager also includes bees. Two hives produce enough honey for the season—one is scented with foraged pine shoots for a more floral finish, while spruce shoots yield a more acidic note. In recent years, Stadtländer has been joined by a new, younger generation of chefs and restaurant owners in embracing the forest-totable approach. SUMAC & SALT IS THE PASSION PROJECT

of Hannah Harradine and Joel Gray, what they call “a hyper-local culinary experience.” “We started this with the intention to use only 100 percent local, sustainable and seasonal ingredients,” says Harradine. Through the pandemic, the couple offered

a travelling catering experience for private groups of diners. This summer, the couple are set to open their own farmhouse restaurant at their Markdale property. Everything they forage throughout the season they’ll preserve to get them through the winter months. They blanch and freeze leek tops to later dehydrate and use as seasoning; they pickle knotweed to use as garnish; they make simple syrups out of dandelions for cocktails. The rest they rely on local farmers to provide. “We really only work with what our farmers are able to give us at that moment,” says Harradine. THIS SPIRIT OF CAMARADERIE, the give-

and-take relationship between the local restaurants, cideries and farms, is beautiful.

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David Baker of Grey & Gold Cider adds foraged spruce tips to infuse his award-winning Spruce of the Bruce dry cider.

Nicholas Stark, owner of Stark North in Grey County, cultivates and sells fresh and dehydrated cultivated and wild mushrooms, leeks and greens while in season, using only sustainable and traditional methods. A chef of 20 years, Stark was inspired by a noticeable lack of quality, local ingredients to connect with the land and begin producing his own. Now his business directly supplies restaurants in Toronto, Collingwood, Grey County (including Sumac & Salt) and Ottawa, as well as offering products online.

Cassie and Jeremy Austin of The Pine in Collingwood, recently named one of Canada’s 100 best restaurants.

DAVID BAKER, OF GREY & GOLD CIDER—a

sustainable, farm-based cidery in The Blue Mountains—adds foraged spruce tips to infuse his award-winning Spruce of the Bruce dry cider. Some of his other bottles suggest infusions of wild flowers, juniper, sumac and wild grapes—all foraged from the surrounding fields and hedgerows. The result is unexpectedly elegant and complex, simultaneously crisp and earthy. And nothing goes to waste. The fermentation by-product called cider lees goes to Sumac & Salt to use as a base for glazes and marinades. Baker also praises fellow cider-maker Mark Skinner, of Windswept Cidery in Meaford, for his sustainable practice of harvesting apples from abandoned orchards. When the chefs are passionate about sourcing local, foraging and hand picking every detail for dishes they create, they commonly offer just one set tasting menu. But when you are dining at one of Canada’s 100 best restaurants—an honour recently bestowed on Collingwood gem The Pine—you happily submit and settle in for the journey. OWNED BY THE CHARMING and talented

husband and wife team Cassie and Jeremy Austin, The Pine is a unique culinary and architectural dining experience. The couple started the restaurant as a pop-up on their property, Royal Acres Farm, before

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

Along with the usual fiddleheads and leeks, some less-expected additions might include yarrow, lambs quarter, spruce catkin capers and pineapple weed. moving to their small downtown location in 2020. Having previously lived throughout Europe, they were inspired to create dishes that were truly Canadian from the base up. All of their ingredients are sourced within Canada, and the majority of their creations include something foraged. Along with the usual fiddleheads and leeks, some less-expected additions might include yarrow, lambs quarter, spruce catkin capers and pineapple weed. There has been a noticeable shift in people’s responses to seeing foraged ingredients on their plates and in their cups. Perhaps the pandemic brought us all closer to nature, which prompted the renewed interest and curiosity in foraging and wild edibles. Unfortunately, this also presents the danger of over-harvesting. “Have a good understanding of the plant you’re harvesting and its life cycle,” advises Stark.

Harradine’s caution goes further. “Keep your patches to yourself! One person tells one person and the cycle continues.” The effects of wanton harvesting can wreak havoc. Wild leeks, for example, take seven years to regenerate. If a patch is cleared, it’s unlikely to come back at all. It’s important to have the right knowledge. “Only take from an area that has tons, and only take a small fraction—that’s the key element of any foraging,” says Baker. OUR BOUNTIFUL REGION has no shortage of delicious offerings from the people who do know how to forage, with beautiful culinary results. “People are getting a real plateful of what we represent in our area. Guests come to us from France, Japan, Toronto. They get a real taste,” says Stadtländer. “You’re actually eating the landscape!”

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SUMMER IS SO NOSTALGIC. Every smell, sound and taste evokes memories of summers past: freshly cut grass, water lapping against the dock, orange creamsicles. From slow, hazy days swinging away in a hammock in a soft breeze to crispy clear blue skies reflected in the pool water, we all remember days as vividly as if they happened yesterday.

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Classic Striped Sundress ) From the Cote d’Azur to the shores of Georgian Bay, a striped cotton sundress is universally nostalgic.

Summer is a profound sensory experience, those memories like imprints on our souls and in our minds. Try to recall the print of your favourite bathing suit, the colour of the vinyl loungers in your parents’ backyard, the soundtrack of the summer you fell in love. It’s all there, isn’t it? Summer is also a time to let our design dreams run wild. Maybe it’s time to turn that shed into the greenhouse you’ve always wanted, or that old tire into a swing. However large or small the project may be, it all starts with a vision, a desire, a wish. My big dream project every summer is our old barn. It’s where I unleash my imagination and where my dreams can take many shapes. I envision movie nights projected onto the walls, lingering meals with friends around many tables. The barn is a place to gather, to dance, to make music and art, to feast and to play— late into those warm summer nights. For my children, the barn will be the keeper of many childhood summer memories. They’ll remember sprawling out on big old sofas, under old-fashioned woolen blankets, watching DVDs (yes those!). They’ll remember the big dinner parties around the picnic table their dad built. They’ll remember the music. They’ll remember the light. This year especially, I’m feeling nostalgic for a vintage-styled summer. My eyes are yearning for the colours of my childhood—sunny yellows, citrusy orange hues, primary blues. I want to trade in my neutrals for printed terry cloth bath sheets and read magazines in the shade of a fringe-trimmed umbrella. I imagine candy stripes and rainbows, iridescent glitter and psychedelic prints. I want a playlist of songs with lyrics reminding me that every day is a beautiful day for a daydream, and that all we need is love. Because isn’t it, really? Cheers, Anya

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

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The Life Aquatic Enrich your outdoor space and attract wildlife with a water feature. BY JOANNE NIJHUIS // PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROGER KLEIN

HO CAN DENY the profound

allure of water? Or the calming sights and sounds of nature? To experience both in tandem is the ultimate delight for the senses—and achievable in your own backyard with the addition of a garden pond or waterfall. Whether you live in the country or a subdivision, the presence of a fresh water supply will attract all sorts of wildlife. Water is an irresistible draw that’s essential for survival, especially during the extreme heat of summer. Even a small bowl or birdbath tucked in a corner of the garden can be a lifeline. Go a step further and install an ornamental pond and become a wildlife magnet. Birds, small mammals and insects will pop by for a drink while frogs, toads and dragonflies will happily take up permanent residence.

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

While certain wildlife, such as amphibians, prefer still-water ponds, birds can’t resist moving water. Adding waterfalls and fountains with shallow basins into the mix is a dream come true for our feathered friends. If you have a large backyard pond, take it to the next level and adopt a few koi fish. Bill DeBoard, owner of Bill’s Koi in Flesherton says caring for koi requires a large pond that is at least 10 to 15 feet wide and four to five feet deep. A word of caution, however, if your pond is home to frogs: fish are natural predators of amphibians and their eggs. FROM KITS TO CONTRACTORS From custom ponds installed by professionals to do-it-yourself projects from scratch, there is a water feature for every property and budget. “Starting at $200 to spending millions, the possibilities are endless for pond-scaping your property,” says Ernest Williams, territory sales manager for water-garden manufacturer Aquascape. Many garden centres carry build-your-own pond equipment and kits, saving you money when tackling the project yourself. For a more extensive water feature installation, hiring a

professional landscaper or pond contractor is usually recommended. So, what goes into creating a backyard pond? The basic equipment used to promote pond health includes some sort of aeration that boosts oxygenation. Think fountains, waterfalls and bubblers. A pond pump may be installed to circulate and clean water through

A smaller backyard water feature is rich with diversity.

a filter and to pump water to a fountain or waterfall feature. Also, a rubber liner is necessary to prevent pond water from leaking into the ground. Finish up with landscaping rocks, slate, bricks, concrete or turf grasses to hide the pond liner and equipment for a natural look.

Photo: Aquascape

Photo: Roger Klein

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Photo: Aquascape

JUST ADD PLANTS Landscaping with plants both in and around the pond not only beautifies, but also promotes pond health and offers wildlife shelter, shade and protection from predators. Water plants are an incredible pond resource as they filter and clarify, absorb excess nutrients, release oxygen and control the algae that causes pond water to turn green. A wide selection of water plants are available at Ritchie’s Feeds ‘N Needs & Garden Centre in Elmvale. Ritchie’s carries oxygenating, submersible and floating water plants and horticulturalist Kelly McNamara is on hand to advise which water plants are ideal for your project.

MAINTENANCE BASICS Roll up your sleeves or get out your pocketbook as pond ecosystems do require some work to maintain. Whether you do it yourself or hire a pond expert to keep yours in top shape, regular pond maintenance is essential for a healthy pond ecosystem. Randy’s Pond Services, out of Wasaga Beach,

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

is extra busy from mid-April to early November with pond installations, spring openings, fall closings and applications of water treatments. All new ponds look great in the beginning, but over time they can run into trouble according to biologist Lou Maieron, owner of Silver Creek Aquaculture in Erin, which offers pond maintenance consulting and products. The smaller the pond, the faster the water chemistry can get out of whack and in need of human intervention. Surprisingly, large ponds may be more self-sustaining due to a variety of animals and plants working together to maintain a healthy pond ecosystem. Like swimming pools, many backyard ponds are closed down in the fall which definitely reduces the workload of caring for a pond. Though, this may not be an option if your backyard pond is stocked with fish and you don’t want to bring them indoors during the colder months. Over-wintering wildlife requires a pond heater to prevent the water from freezing solid and also a hole through the surface ice for a fresh supply of oxygen. WATER SAFETY A pond may have the same safety regulations and municipal restrictions as a pool to keep young children and pets from drowning. And did you know that wildlife is also at risk of drowning in your backyard pond? Ideally, any water feature should have sloped sides or a ramp to give little critters an escape route and avoid heartbreak. For safety’s sake, a pondless waterfall or stream may be a better choice with young children on the property. Offering big impact with far less maintenance, pondless water features still attract regular visits from local

Whether you live in the country or a subdivision, the presence of a fresh water supply will attract all sorts of wildlife. wildlife. Aquascape carries a wide selection of pondless waterfall kits that can be purchased at garden centres or through landscape and pond contractors in your region. This is how a pondless water feature works: Water cascades down a short stream into a water basin and is then recycled back to the top of the waterfall via a hidden pump. All the waterfall equipment is tucked under rocks and landscaping materials for a natural look. The beauty of pondless waterfalls and streams is their self-sustaining ease of care. Just keep the water basin filled, remove plant debris on a regular basis and you’re good to go. BENEFITS UNFORESEEN— AND HEARD Big or small, why not create a natural water ecosystem in your own backyard? A bonus may be to lure kids off their electronics and into the backyard as your new pond becomes a breeding spot for frogs, toads and dragonflies, whose eggs are laid and hatched in water. In late spring, marvel at the hundreds of tiny black tadpoles that morph into young toads and frogs. Soon enough, a nightly opus of croaking will serenade you to sleep. Your pond is sure to become a favourite spot for you, your family and friends to spend time, relax and watch in wonderment as nature’s spectacle unfolds.

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R E V I V I N G

Giants Grand old barns are getting a new life.

BY ANYA SHOR

ABOVE Some old barns are extensively transformed with modern amenities and technology. BELOW The octagonal barn, affectionately named George, dates back to the late 1800s.

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

// PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANYA SHOR

URAL ONTARIO IS DOTTED with sleepy old giants. Their

roofs, like hoods, set dramatically against a big sky. Some stand tall and proud, a testament to the labour of men and strong, sensible construction. Others are threadbare and leaning precariously towards the earth from which they sprang. A barn, like a living thing, requires heat to ensure its survival, existing symbiotically with the bodies it is designed to keep. Without the body heat, the mortar crumbles. Left to the inevitable effects of entropy, an unused old barn can become a safety hazard, often in need of being torn down. Each barn gone is a piece of lost history. Now as more people acquire farm properties for purposes other than farming, many are envisioning a new life for these giants. There are few structures as beautiful and awe-inspiring in scale and atmosphere, or that allow for such a range of possibilities. As people increasingly look for ways to expand living spaces, rethink the way they entertain and gather, or rearrange the way they work—especially in creative endeavours—barns afford limitless reinvention and repurposing. Some are left as is, rejuvenated merely with activity and care; some are extensively transformed with modern amenities and technology. Either way, preservation of these historical structures is necessary and much appreciated. One such giant named George, sits perched high above the Bay, with sweeping views of the water and surrounding land. Dating back to sometime in the late 1800s, it is recognizable immediately for its unusual shape—the octagonal construction is thought to have been efficient for storing hay—and has often drawn people to the property for a closer look.

Photos by: Nat Kay – natkay.com

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ABOVE Barns also make for excellent music rehearsal and performance spaces, due to the traditional wood slat interiors that absorb, diffuse and reflect live vocals and instrumentation.

When the current owners, a couple and their three children, acquired the property in 2020, the barn was in poor shape. But the family was undeterred. “The immediate thought was, ‘Let’s see if we can bring this beauty back to life’,” says the couple. “It was a passion project.” They found an Amish barn builder who was ready to work with them, restoring the foundation and framework while respecting the original design. The result is impressive; the dramatic architecture of the octagonal dome is breathtaking. The building is sound and safe and ready for its new life. The couple envisions a place to gather, host weddings, maybe someday house horses in the stalls beneath. “A place we can all enjoy.” The main floor holds a pool table and a basketball net, plus a stash of board games. The family hopes it will become a place of community, for their friends and extended family to be together and to play, a vital extension of the home they are constructing just up the drive. When asked about the name, George, the owners explained that it came about at a Thanksgiving dinner the family hosted last year for close friends. Guests were invited to submit names. “Given the space, the natural beauty of the area and the history, we felt it commanded a strong name, a name with history and character like the building itself. And so George was the winner! Not to mention the views of Georgian Bay from the property.”

As Walter Scott once wrote, “If a farmer fills his barn with grain, he gets mice. If he leaves it empty, he gets actors.”

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

Some barns now serve as creative spaces. For artist Manny Neubacher, the scale of the space allows for a unique sense of freedom to create large canvases and sculpture. “It’s a living, breathing space”, says Neubacher. “It allows nature in, in a way a traditional studio doesn’t. You feel like you’re a part of it.” The light in the barn takes on a special quality, streaming through the gapped slats, diffused by the dust and pollen. “There’s nothing harsh in the barn. The corners are soft, the hues are muted and natural. Perfectly imperfect.” Neubacher also finds the sense of history inspiring. “All those layers of the past find their way into the work somehow.” The barn, situated on a sleepy road at the top of Beaver Valley, also provides valuable living space for lounging, watching movies and hosting dinners in the warmer months. “It’s such an incredible backdrop to whatever event happens to be going on in there. The barn becomes a character in the scene, whatever that may be.” While full conversions into residential living spaces remain a complicated and costly endeavor, the rewards are plenty for the intrepid builder. “Working with a barn from the 1800s certainly has its challenges, but having the interior of a contemporary home filled with museum-worthy barn frame delivers a unique character that is impossible to duplicate. It tells a story of the past which is fun to marry to the present,” says Jeremy Creed, who just completed a barn conversion near Meaford. Barns also make for excellent music rehearsal and performance spaces. The traditional wood slat interiors have ideal absorptive, diffusive and reflective characteristics for live vocals and instrumentation. They also serve as unique and romantic backdrops for theatre. As Walter Scott once wrote, “If a farmer fills his barn with grain, he gets mice. If he leaves it empty, he gets actors.” Anything to keep the giants warm.

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HOMES ON THE BAY HOME FEATURE

Simply The Best How the “most psychotic design project ever” (and six months living in a trailer) resulted in a country home that is as beautiful as it is simple. BY DIANNE RINEHART // PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANYA SHOR

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

The Treanor’s simple white home, situated at the top of a gently curved driveway on 10th Line, reveals a unique elegance that is all in the details.

HOMES ON THE BAY HOME FEATURE

USUALLY, THE WORD “SIMPLE” does not conjure up images of a home that is elegant, masterful, dramatic—and cozy-comfy to boot. But in the hands of interior designer Eryn Treanor, of Bouj Design Studio, and her husband Gerad, the owner of the landscaping company Foreground Elements, simple becomes magical. Their goal was to live modernly and cleanly with their two kids, Quinn, 14, and Maeve, 9, and two cairn terriers, Gertrude and Gollywizz. And they more than succeeded. At first sight, the home on the 10th Line in Clarksburg appears to be a cleanly designed white home with no embellishments. But turn up the driveway and the incredible thought that has gone into every detail makes you realize there is nothing simple about this home—or about simplicity itself. First you notice the welcoming framed glass door—one more window onto the scenic, rolling landscape that envelops the home. And there is the warmth of the wood platforms that lead up to a

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

plain cement porch. The front garden is at once neat and verdant with simple plantings of grasses. A small patio holds a round, white circular table and four greyupholstered, modern outdoor chairs. Here a small wall, made of stones encased in steel wire, is reminiscent of the rock piles that have held sheep in their pastures for centuries in England’s Lake District. Welcome home indeed, you think. Inside the door, the entranceway at first seems almost bare, it is so clean and uncluttered. But no, it is perfectly designed with two floor-to-ceiling cabinets built on each side of an Eames bench that is cushioned with a reproduced ‘50s-era pattern.

The result is a no-fuss feeling that makes you want to sink into the sofa cushions.

LEFT A favourite spot with the kids and their two cairn terriers, the custom-made window seat has a powder-coated steel base made by MCR Industries in Meaford. The high density foam seat cushion and cover was designed and sewn by Eryn, a.k.a Bouj Design Studio. ABOVE A large Montauk sofa sectional is upholstered in a UV-rated faderesistant fabric slip cover, with contrasting throw cushions, all designed and sewn by Eryn. The vintage Italian metal coffee table is softened by curved corners. RIGHT Eryn Treanor in her office and studio above the garage, home of her interior design company Bouj Design Studio.

HOMES ON THE BAY HOME FEATURE

ABOVE A painting of an apple tree in bloom, by local artist Paul Mantrop, is one of many Canadian contemporary art pieces throughout the home. LEFT In the kitchen, custom cabinetry by Skona Design offers clever hidden storage.

That simple setting leaves room for an artwork by Toronto artist (formerly of Owen Sound) John Ford, in stand-out colours of fuchsia and turquoise. Above hangs a large white, woven Ridgely Studio Works light fixture. Below, the floor is a muted hexagon pattern. Inside, the kitchen, dining room and living room are separated only by space. And again, you are first struck by how clean and simple everything appears. Then you notice the details. Warm, honey-hued floors of wide-planked wood. Kitchen cupboards in deep blue-grey— which Eryn explains match the exterior of their previous home, an homage to an earlier life. Eryn says the key to a clean uncluttered look isn’t fussiness, but storage. In other words, the home is designed in keeping with the adage, “a place for everything and everything in its place.” A

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

cupboard in the kitchen opens to reveal a breakfast nook complete with a toaster, bread, cutting board and peanut butter. A simple, white milled door conceals a pantry with a secondary dishwasher, bar fridge and washing machine and dryer. White shelving holds jars of spices and dried goods, and bins filled with tomatoes, all in tidy rows. And the home is rich with whimsy. Two ceramic white rabbits with lampshades adorn each side table in the master bedroom. An Emily Mackey illustration stands above the drawer unit in Maeve’s room. Eryn and Gerad may have exquisite taste, but they are not spendthrifts. Eryn found a way to repurpose an old wooden chest of drawers as a vanity in a guest bathroom. She also believes in buying the best you can afford on the first go, and then updating it. Sofas get reupholstered rather than replaced. Amidst gorgeous designer pieces sits the odd Ikea Lack bookshelf. Each generation gets its own space. The couple’s bedroom is on the main floor, while the girls have rooms upstairs off a small living room of their own. Guest rooms and baths are on the lower floor. The downstairs has also been set up in anticipation of the girls’ teen years when they will want their friends over, with a sofa, space, and a kitchen so they don’t have to interrupt their parents if they need snacks. In other words, each room is designed with its purpose in mind— none more so than Eryn’s home office studio above the garage. Large books of fabric swatches sit in cubby holes in wall units. A huge bolt of fabric lies on a cutting table. Several sewing machines await specialized jobs. And like all the other rooms, it is simply adorned with enormous windows, the better to see the rolling hillsides. The lack of clutter, too, is the better to show off the couple’s collection of Canadian artworks from Clarksburg to Collingwood to Fernie, B.C., where they found a piece that appears to be a painting of a home in the countryside but on closer examination reveals itself to be three pieces of ceramic tightly fit together.

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HOMES ON THE BAY HOME FEATURE

ABOVE CLOCKWISE Moose: A twig wall sculpture adds a whimsical touch in a guest bedroom. Bathroom lights: Industrial-style lights from Schoolhouse Electric. Staircase: Clean lines and ample windows at every turn. Bedroom: The custom headboard designed and upholstered in Paul Smith plaid wool, by Bouj.

And the home is rich with whimsy. Two ceramic white rabbits with lampshades adorn each side table in the master bedroom. 82

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

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HOMES ON THE BAY HOME FEATURE

The incredible thought that has gone into every detail makes you realize there is nothing simple about this home.

Source Guide LIVING ROOM Sofa: Montauk Upholstery and accents: Bouj Design Studio Rug: West Elm Metal table: Upcountry Vintage Portable USB table lamp: Casson Hardware Fireplace: Chantico FLOORING Engineered 8” white oak hardwood: The Flooring Place Installation: Natural Bourne Refinishers KITCHEN Cabinetry: Skona Design Paint colour: Benjamin Moore Newburg Green Pendant lights: Roll & Hill from LightForm Appliances: Macdonald’s Furniture & Appliances DINING ROOM Light: Lambert et Fils from Klaus Thonet chairs: Filter Design and Style Garage BEDROOM Night lamps: West Elm Headboard: Bouj Design Studio Upholstery fabric: Paul Smith

ABOVE Novogratz patio set elevated with custom cushions by Bouj. RIGHT A modern, yet warm approach to the front porch.

Eryn says the esthetic comes from the couple’s love of saltbox homes on the East Coast and the influence of simple, white modern structures and furniture in Sweden. If the home itself isn’t bucolic enough, the couple have built a cabin below their home on the pastoral Beaver River, just large enough to escape to for sleepouts and campfires. That something so beautiful could come out of chaos is unimaginable, but as Eryn puts it, “It was the most psychotic design project ever.” First, the couple couldn’t find a rental to move into between leaving their former home in Clarksburg and completing this one. So, they ended up living in a trailer on the property for six of the nine months it took to finish the build. “It was magical,” Eryn says of the close living in a wild environment with the girls and their two terriers. Everyone would climb into the queen-sized bed to watch movies. “They were moments in time that won’t be repeated.” Indeed, the trailer life was so great that Eryn asked a Clarksburg artist, Tanya Zaryski, to preserve the memory in a painting of the trailer—complete with propane tanks and port-a-potties—but not so great to keep them from moving into a rental for the final three months when winter arrived. Living at the work site turned out to be one trick to giving

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

BATHROOM Industrial wall sconces: Schoolhouse Electric birth to a home in nine months. Their routine was to go in and sweep up at the end of each workday. By doing so, Eryn says they caught small mistakes and got them fixed before they caused larger delays. The other trick was being ultra-organized. Acting as their own general contractors, Eryn and Gerad could call on teams from their own design work. And they knew that having everything, such as light and plumbing fixtures, on site and ready to go for the tradespeople would speed up the process. Bear Electric did the wiring, Jeff Walker the plumbing, and Simon Rettie of Skona the millwork. The home is large enough, to be sure. But somehow not overwhelming. That is because “we didn’t do the 11-foot ceilings,” says Eryn. “We still wanted things to have a human scale.” The result is a no-fuss feeling that makes you want to sink into the sofa cushions. Indeed, Eryn specifically chose Sunbrella Fabrics, which are made for indoor and outdoor wear, to upholster the sofa and window seats in the living room, just so people would feel at home. In the end, she and Gerad have achieved that. It is simply a home, a sweet home.

EXTERIOR Patio chairs: Novogratz Custom cushions: Bouj Design Studio HOUSE Electrician: Bear Electric Plumber: Jeff Walker HVAC: Fluker Mechanical Tile & install: The Flooring Place Painting: Rick Dodd Metal roof: Metal Plus Roofing Framing/siding crew: Kris Decoste Contracting Fireplaces: Chantico Millwork: Skona Design House Design: Gerad Treanor Interior design: Bouj Design Studio Landscape design/ build/hardscaping: Gerad Treanor, Foreground Elements Landscape supplies: 13 Forty Landscape Supplies Plumbing fixtures: McKeough Plumbing and Georgian Design

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SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

TAKE T E SURH VEY

Come as You Are

p. 90

The keys to a good sex life at any age are an open mind and a willing spirit. BY JESSICA WORTSMAN // PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROGER KLEIN

“Learning and sex until rigor mortis.”

HIS FAMOUS DECLARATION by Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Gray Panthers movement, was never more relevant than today. Kuhn was a revolutionary and radical activist who rallied against the rampant ageism faced by older adults. After a forced retirement at age 65, Kuhn spent the rest of her life trying to break society’s stereotypes of the elderly, including the perception of them as sexless. But sexless they are not. According to a 2018 University of Michigan poll, nearly two-thirds of adults aged 65 to 80 are interested in sex, and 40 percent are currently sexually active. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Sexuality is a fundamental part of being human and the desire for pleasure and intimacy doesn’t have an expiration date. Just ask the Baby Boomers. As pioneers of the sexual revolution, these 57- to 75-year-olds now represent a quarter of the Canadian population, and they aren’t ready to give up their hard-won sexual freedom. And why should they? Through life experience, they’ve likely gained the knowledge and skills to become better lovers. It’s what some researchers call “sexual wisdom.” As well, says Collingwood sex therapist Lisa Pelletier, “One of the benefits of getting older is that we often care less about what other people think.” Furthermore, she adds, “Intimacy, sexuality and

eroticism are ways to feel alive, especially as we face our mortality.” But Maggie Kuhn’s words are more than just a battle cry for those entering their golden years; they’re a set of instructions for all of us on how to live a meaningful and satisfying life. Here, in Southern Georgian Bay, fulfilment is what life is all about. For residents and vacationers alike, this is a place where lifestyle is a priority and pleasure is taken seriously. With our crystal-blue Bay, miles of beaches, trails and slopes, fine dining restaurants and a thriving art and music scene, we know a thing or two about enjoying the good things in life. Staying active and engaged is what we do best. Still, according to Kuhn, it takes a little more to reach our full potential. To do that, she says, we need to keep learning. Albert Einstein agreed when he said, “Once you stop learning, you start dying,” and, though he was speaking figuratively, he wasn’t wrong. From staving off dementia to improving cognitive age, the science is clear that learning new skills keeps the brain young. Learning also requires us to remain open to growth, even in our sexual relationships. “Be curious about yourself and your partners, especially in long-term relationships,” says Pelletier. “Don’t assume you still know what your partner likes. Maybe things have changed.” Active communication is key, she says. If you can bring honesty

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TAKE THE SURVE Y p. 90

Learning also requires us to remain open to growth, even in our sexual relationships. “Be curious about yourself and your partners, especially in long-term relationships,” says Pelletier. “Don’t assume you still know what your partner likes. Maybe things have changed.” and lose the judgment, conversations can be opportunities for deeper connection. However, it’s not always as easy as it sounds. It may require letting go of rigid views of sexuality and relationships. For some, that could mean exploring the grey area between monogamy and consensual nonmonogamy. For others, it could mean navigating a partner’s shift in sexual orientation or gender identity. As Pelletier explains, “People aren’t fixed. Humans change over their lifespan.” Cultural norms change too. We used to view people as binary—male or female, gay or straight—but we’ve moved away from those limited, oppositional choices, because they just don’t reflect the diversity of reality. People are unique, and they can’t all be divided neatly into two categories. This societal shift Lisa Pelletier, RP, is a toward diversity and inclusion registered psychotherapist has created some space for and certified sex therapist in alternative relationship types Collingwood. as well. A recent University of British Columbia poll found that 20 percent of Canadians have been in an open or polyamorous relationship, and for another 12 percent, open relationships were the ideal. This may be a signal that monogamy has become something to negotiate rather than presume. And what of sex until rigor mortis? Sexuality post age 60 can be exciting and fulfilling, but it requires an open mind and a willing spirit. Pelletier notes, “It’s important to have a more expansive view of what constitutes sex, because as we age, our functioning changes.”

She encourages people to let go of expectations and focus instead on pleasure. Adds Pelletier, “It has to do with all of the senses. It’s not necessarily about what you do, it’s about where you go in your body. It’s a journey, not a checklist of things that have to happen.” This less prescriptive view of intimacy is something author Marie de Hennezel calls “slow sex,” in her book A Frenchwoman’s Guide to Sex After Sixty. Akin to tantric sex, “slow sex” has partners focus on connection, rhythm and sensuality rather than on performance or orgasm. De Hennezel considers it a form of sexual mindfulness. And if sex isn’t for you, no problem. Some people are simply not into it or reach a point in their lives when they’re done with being sexual. So long as this is accepted or negotiated within a relationship, and there isn’t an underlying cause for the lack of desire (like medication, pain or trauma), says Pelletier, then asexuality is a completely valid and healthy orientation. Besides, Kuhn’s advice for sex until death is not necessarily about the act of sex itself; it’s about keeping in touch with that part of yourself that feels pleasure. It’s about being connected to your own body, or even simply the act of just letting go. So, what more should we be learning? For many of us, sex education focused almost exclusively on STI and pregnancy prevention and stopped the moment we graduated from high school. Yet, our need for accurate and relevant information about sexual health continues past adolescence. Learning about STI prevention is just as important at 70 as it is at 17. Being taught how to use a condom is just as important as being taught the most comfortable positions for sex during pregnancy. In a society that has finally recognized the importance of discussing and supporting mental health, it’s time we do the same for sexual health. The only way to understand, embrace and enjoy our sexuality through all stages of our life is to talk about it. If we take one message from Maggie Kuhn’s words, it should be that living is not just for the young. In fact, it’s only through our engagement with the world in all our many capacities— intellectual, emotional, social, and physical—that we truly live.

A SEX THERAPIST’S TIPS FOR A HEALTHIER SEX LIFE BE KIND TO YOURSELF and your partner(s). It’s hard to feel sexy if you’re bringing a critic into the bedroom.

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

GET OFF YOUR PHONES and turn toward each other. TALK TO YOUR PARTNER(S). Be honest and don’t judge.

KEEP A FLEXIBLE VIEW of what constitutes sex.

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION to experience pleasure and take responsibility for it. Don’t wait for someone else to make you feel good.

DON’T WAIT FOR THE RIGHT TIME, make time. People with satisfying sex lives prioritize it.

The (First Annual) Southern Georgian Bay Sex Survey WE, HERE IN SOUTHERN GEORGIAN BAY, are a unique community of active, involved and creative people of all ages. This is a place where the ski slopes and bike trails are shared by the young and the silver-haired alike. We live for experience and seek connection through nature, adventure and one another. If ever there was a community that embodied aging with vitality, this is surely it!

We wondered then, are we equally as dynamic between the sheets? Might we be as active in the bedroom as we are on the trails? Likely, but let’s find out. We invite you to participate in our first-ever Southern Georgian Bay Sex Survey. Fill it out to learn more about yourself, to win a prize or even just for the fun of it. Look for the results in future issues of On the Bay.

Curious? Here’s a sneak peak

(sliding scale — strongly agree to strongly disagree)

I am more comfortable in my body now than when I was younger.

I am more sexually adventurous than my partner(s).

I have lost a relationship as a result of my sexual preferences.

I have used a hookup app explicitly for sex.

My partner’s pleasure is more important than my own.

My partner wants to try something I am not comfortable with.

I am comfortable asking for what I want (sexually).

I enjoy sex more now than when I was younger.

Want to learn more about yourself? Let’s do it together. PRIZES for

six lucky participants include dinner at a local restaurant, a spa package or a round of golf.

SCAN THIS CODE to take the survey online. Or visit baywatch.ca/survey to participate and learn more about prizes.

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

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Happy Trails Pretty River Valley— a.k.a. Three Stage—is a paradise for mountain bikers. Can it stay that way as usage grows? BY MOLLY HURFORD // PHOTOGRAPHY BY JODY WILSON

WAS ROLLING OVER ROOTS AND ROCKS on a mini-descent in Three Stage mountain bike area, when I rounded a quick corner and came directly upon two hikers scrambling to get out of the way. Thankfully, mountain bike brakes are generally quite responsive and I was able to slow and extend a greeting. The hikers explained they had strayed from the Bruce Trail and were now lost in the network of trails. I directed them on their way and continued down the trail. Although I was able to avoid a collision, the close call underscored a situation that has become more common in the last three summers. The trails have become a popular destination and this has resulted in more pressure on the natural area, fueling calls for signage and more education. If you ride mountain bikes locally, you’ve almost certainly ridden at Three Stage, located within Pretty River Valley Provincial Park—an 80-hectare local natural area home to rare flora and fauna, 500-millionyear-old limestone, soaring cliffs, and yes, some of Ontario’s very best mountain bike singletrack. For more than 25 years, mountain bikers have been instrumental in building new trails, maintaining those trails and having a heck of a lot of fun in the process. But as Three Stage has grown over the years, maintaining the integrity of the trails, preserving the ecosystem and ensuring fun and reasonably safe riding have become more complicated.

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

Ali Hunter, rolling around one of Three Stage’s signature flow trails. This trail system has become increasingly popular in the last three years.

ABOVE Peter Glassford in one of Three Stage’s classic rock gardens. The removal of rocks is strictly prohibited. RIGHT Ali Hunter navigating a corner.

Three Stages of Greatness—A History Pretty River Valley Provincial Park is built on the Escarpment and the original dirt bike climb that started the trail system had three “stages” to it, hence the Three Stage moniker. Now, it’s a developed trail system with routes and parking at the top and bottom, with plenty of trails crisscrossing the hill. The Trailforks app—which claims “the world’s largest database of mountain bike trails”—reports a whopping 74 kilometres of trail at Three Stage, though that does include some gravel and paved road. Impressively, nearly 30,000 rides have been logged in the park on Trailforks alone over the years, an indication of just how popular the area has become. Twenty-five years ago, mountain bikers in the area were just riding on gravel concession lines, parts of the Bruce Trail that were legal to ride and a few home-built trails that were shared with dirt bikes and trucks. But local riders, including Steve Varga—founder of the Friends of Three Stage—began to build trails in the provincial park. “People started getting adventurous and making trails,” Varga recalls. “It was just that simple.” The trails embrace the natural style of the terrain—rooted and rocky, with plenty of steep climbs and descents. The riding isn’t easy: a third of the trails are rated as “black diamond” or difficult. Another 40 percent are rated blue, or intermediate, while the rest are beginnerfriendly, gravel or double-track. And without Blue Mountain operating a downhill park, it’s one of the few spots where riders can descend the full height of the Escarpment. That’s what makes it appealing to mountain bikers from all over the province.

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

The trails embrace the natural style of the terrain—rooted and rocky, with plenty of steep climbs and descents. “Three Stage provides some of the best technical and enduro riding in Ontario,” says local enduro rider Tyler Pratt, referring to a discipline of mountain biking with a significant downhill component. “There are not many places with the sustained descending and climbing that Three Stage has to offer. Hopefully, the integrity of the technical riding in this area can be preserved for many years.” “Three Stage is awesome. It’s technical and great riding, but beyond that, it’s just beautiful,” says Julie Moss-Kujala, president of Collingwood Off Road Cycling (CORC). “It’s so accessible. It’s part of

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“It’s devastating to have people ripping out rocks and changing the trail,” says MossKujala, the CORC president. my family’s life: When my husband turned 50, he wanted to ride 50 kilometres of single-track in there in one day. That was a tough haul and a long day on the trail, but the fact that we could make a route that ran 50 kilometres without repeating anything is amazing.” And even when usage was at its peak last summer, Moss-Kujala notes that the amount of trails makes it feel more private and peaceful, even when the parking lots and roadsides are lined with cars. But even if Three Stage doesn’t feel busy, it’s impossible to ignore that the COVID-19 pandemic got a lot of people outside and created a huge surge of interest for Ontario’s provincial parks, while also triggering a cycling boom. That, combined with the nearby closure of Blue Mountain’s downhill park, means more mountain bikes on the trails in Pretty River Valley Provincial Park. This is a good thing, but it does create some potential problems.

Amazing Trail —A Maze of Trails As good as Three Stage is, it can be unwelcoming to some. The informal evolution of the trails has resulted in a network that is bewilderingly complex, clashing with some riders’ belief that a trail network should be easy to navigate. As one reviewer said on Singletracks.com, these trails “would be a terrible introduction to mountain biking for a beginner. The black diamond rating is accurate and the warnings below about bringing a GPS should not be underestimated.” Other than markings for the Bruce Trail, there are no trail signs.

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

Photo: Ken Kujala

LEFT Steve Varga is one of the pioneers who built the original trails at Three Stage. RIGHT Julie Moss-Kujala, president of Collingwood Off Road Cycling (CORC).

Riders can find maps using apps such as Trailforks, Vargas’ map of choice for the most up-to-date information, but there isn’t one official map that will help you in the tight spider web of overlapping single-track. That means if you’re new to mountain biking and to navigation, you may get in with no problem—especially from the top parking lot—but finding your way out may be trickier than you expect. That said, the park itself is surrounded by gravel roads on all sides, so a worst-case scenario—unless you get injured—is a few miles of road riding to get back to your car. As Three Stage draws more attention, there is also a growing call for some of the more “colourful” trail names in the Trailforks app to be replaced with more politically correct monikers, especially in popular, family-friendly mountain biking destinations. Many trail advocates believe that while there’s plenty of room for fun trail names, those names shouldn’t make people feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.

Wilder Than it Appears Once riders do make their way into Three Stage’s spaghetti network of trails, another potential problem is its surprising remoteness. Although it seems close to civilization, most of Pretty River Valley Provincial Park is technically a remote wilderness area—defined in search and rescue terms as anywhere that would take more than an hour to get a person to the hospital or to “definitive care.” Local mountain bike skills coach Peter Glassford says he generally won’t bring clients to Three Stage for skills sessions or guided rides until he’s confirmed that they’re capable riders. “There are a lot of places in the park that are quite remote,” he says. “And the trails might seem mild at the top, but once you start descending, they can be extremely challenging for beginner riders— not to mention difficult to climb back up! It can be disappointing for new riders who are trying to learn basic skills.”

WHAT CAN YOU DO? 9 Tickets to Responsible Riding

There are lots of ways that individual riders can ensure that Three Stage stays open and riderfriendly for years to come.

ABOVE & LEFT Ali Hunter and Nicole Kertcher. The trails at Three Stage can be quite remote, so it’s best to ride with a buddy.

OBSERVE GOOD TRAIL ETIQUETTE Simply put, be respectful. Three Stage is a multi-use trail system, so be aware of other cyclists as well as hikers and runners. Stay on the trail at all times, keep dogs on a leash (and pick up after them) and of course, leave the trilliums alone.

CARRY IN, CARRY OUT Pick up after your dog and yourself. If you spot trash on the trail during your ride, pause and grab it. And remember, this provincial park has no facilities, so...go before you go.

RAINY DAY? STAY AWAY

For example, if you park at the popular top parking lot along Second Line, you would have a 15 kilometre ride on the road to get back to the parking lot, and it would still include a lot of climbing. Riders might be better off walking their bikes all the way up the roughly 300-metre climb.

Trail Wear and Tear With increased traffic has come issues of trail degradation—meaning riders remove big rocks and roots from the trail in the name of making the riding smoother. However, while moving a rock may make for a smoother ride at first, those minor trail changes can lead to major issues with sliding—and take away from the technical nature of the trails that make them so magical. “It’s devastating to have people ripping out rocks and changing the trail,” says Moss-Kujala,

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the CORC president. “That’s terraforming. You can’t go and take coral from a reef, and you shouldn’t pull rocks out of the trail. We could use more help with conservation, whether that means more education or patrolling.” In practical riding terms, Pretty River also doesn’t drain very well. That means it takes longer for it to be rideable once the snow melts—it’s often still slushy in early May while sandier trails in Wasaga and Dufferin are bone dry. It also means that in the summer and fall, a single rainstorm can render it unrideable for two or three days. Most local riders know that the trails will be muddy long after the last snow melts, but if some cyclists have made a special drive to the trailhead without that information, they may be inclined to leave some muddy tracks behind. Fortunately, the clay base means that the trails are rarely wrecked from one mucky ride, but your bike drivetrain certainly might be.

Ontario Parks is implementing a signage program at Pretty River Valley that will indicate the current conditions of the trails to avoid damage, but generally speaking, skip rainy day rides on Three Stage. You probably won’t enjoy the ride anyway. “You’ll slide around like you’re on a skating rink,” says Friends of Three Stage founder Steve Varga.

START AT THE TOP This is important if you’re a beginner. The easiest trails are here, and if you notice you’re starting to ride sharply downhill, turn around or take a flatterlooking side trail! But don’t panic if you hit a technical section. Most of the trails have a few features, but generally are fairly easy to navigate. Use Trailforks (trailforks.com) to find your way and see difficulty ratings.

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AVOID THE BRUCE TRAIL For the sake of peace and harmony, it’s best to leave the Bruce Trail to hikers and have bikers stick to the bike trails. (The mountain bike trails are also a better riding experience.)

JOIN CORC Joining the Collingwood Off Road Cycling Club (CORC) is a good way to learn more about where to ride, meet other riders, help develop and maintain local trails and give the mountain biking community a voice in dealings with landowners and government (collingwoodoffroadcycling.com).

PITCH IN WITH MAINTENANCE

ABOVE Author Molly Hurford and Peter Glassford.

It’s important to remember that Pretty River is not just a mountain biking destination, it’s a provincial park, designated by Ontario Parks as a “non-operating provincial park.” Change is (Maybe) Gonna Come Increased ridership has also brought occasional conflict with other users. It’s important to remember that Pretty River is not just a mountain biking destination, it’s a provincial park, designated by Ontario Parks as a “non-operating provincial park offering self-guided activities with no formal facilities or services.” This makes the regulations of the area interesting, and not without challenge. There have been incidents of parking battles between residents living along Pretty River and trail users, and off-leash dogs behaving poorly on the trails. “Most trail users are considerate. However, sometimes park staff have to address concerns raised by the public regarding multi-use trails and dogs off leash,” said an Ontario Parks spokesperson. “Ontario Parks staff also work closely with the local municipality to help address illegal parking along municipal roadways and trespassing on adjacent private property.” Anecdotally, local riders have noticed a heavier park police presence in Pretty River this season. And if trail users can’t self-police or maintain

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trail integrity in the park, expect more oversight in coming years. “As a result of the most recent Pretty River Valley Management Plan review, there are several discussions underway, including trail alignment reviews, trail maintenance protocols and parking options,” Ontario Parks said in a statement. “Any management direction changes such as collection of fees or parking development will need to satisfy environmental assessments and park management planning requirements, which may include public consultation.” It sounds like nothing will change immediately in the way the park is managed. In the meantime, a lot of the problems can be resolved with education and good trail etiquette (see the sidebar for specific riding tips). “Three Stage is pristine,” says Moss-Kujala. “It’s such a special place for us. I think everybody feels that way. This area used to be a hidden gem, and now it’s much more popular. That’s a great thing and we want to share it—but we also want to make sure that we continue to be able to ride and enjoy the trails as they’re meant to be enjoyed. Mountain biking is a respectful culture. We’re in the forest for a reason: we love to be there.”

Three Stage is what it is because of local trail builders and mountain bike devotees. The trails aren’t maintained by the park, they’re maintained by avid mountain bikers. “On every ride, pick up one or two branches that are down on the trail,” suggests Varga. “If everybody did that, it would be a pristine place. The trails are generally in great condition, and that’s thanks to volunteers. Even if there’s a big windstorm, within days, people are out there picking up a ton of branches.”

ADOPT A TRAIL If you want to delve deeper into trail maintenance, consider joining the Friends of Three Stage and adopting your own trail. “When you (adopt) a trail, you have a much greater feeling of ownership,” says Varga. “And honestly, working on the trails is fun. It’s like gardening!” At this point, about 35 people have adopted trails. Sign up through the “Adopt a Trail” link on the CORC website (collingwoodoffroadcycling.com).

RESTRAIN YOUR INNER LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Even if you adopt a trail, your job is only to remove sticks that have fallen onto the trail and push back leaves and branches that may hit riders coming through—not to remove rocks or roots that are dug into the dirt. And definitely don’t task yourself with building new trails or adding new sidelines around obstacles.

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Wild

BY CARMEN VON RICHTHOFEN

For adventures beyond the pool, Georgian Bay presents an ocean of inspiration and opportunity.

Photo: Mia Klein

Micaela von Richthofen swimming in the crystal clear waters of Georgian Bay near Tobermory.

Swimming Get in, or get out!

That was our tongue-in-cheek Georgian Bay Extreme Aquatics motto, dismissing any reluctance to plunge into its often frigid—others may say, refreshing—waters. Georgian Bay with its geologically diverse shorelines and many moods, ranging from a smooth-as-glass Caribbean turquoise-blue reverie to an angry slate-grey frothing maelstrom, is an irresistible draw for swimmers of all kinds—bathers, dippers, floaters, snorkelers, scuba divers, triathletes, fitness and long-distance swimmers, open water competitors, cold water warriors, ice swimmers. Georgian Bay has everything an open water swimmer would want. The sandy expanse of Wasaga Beach, the longest freshwater beach in the world at 14 kilometres, embraces warm, shallow waters. The fractured shale ledges of Craigleith’s shoreline provide a unique launchpad to deeper waters that protect submerged erratics in their final resting place—enormous rocks left behind as glaciers retreated. In Tobermory at the Big Tub Lighthouse, the white limestone walls of the shoreline make the water shimmer with icy

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crystal clarity. Swim a few feet away, you see the walls descend into deep green, progressively darker depths.

Bone-chilling extremes A decade or two ago we were a self-proclaimed club of three or four, looking for out-of-the-way, magical blue-green swimming holes along the coast from Tobermory to Wasaga Beach. We fancied ourselves aquaextreme, but there are people who actually fit the bill. Take, for example, free divers Andrew and Lilly Ryzebol, who not only dive without scuba gear, but often do so without a wetsuit, exploring shipwrecks under solid Georgian Bay ice in the middle of the winter! (See their bone-chilling underwater exploits at AndrooprFreediving on YouTube.) But no-one should try this on the fly. Awe-inspiring and easy as this may look, both free diving and extreme cold water swimming require years of specialized training, fitness and risk management know-how.

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Photo: Jody Wilson

Open waters are mysterious—one day clear and flat, the next day darkly opaque, restless and spooky.

Photo: Andrew Ryzebol

ABOVE The turquoise waters at Sunset Point, with Collingwood’s grain elevators keeping watch. FAR LEFT Below the ice without a wetsuit—Lilly Ryzebol in Lion’s Head Harbour, February 2022. LEFT Manja Hirdes exploring the wreck of the Mary Ward.

Photo: Roger Klein

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This January, the Shoreline Beacon reported on 76-year-old Joan Barton from Wiarton taking her regular three-minute dip in Colpoys Bay. Water temperature on that day was three degrees with wind chill at minus 25 Celsius. The report included information about the Owen Sound (and area) Outdoor Swimmers Facebook group led by another open and cold water swimmer, Philly Markowitz.

safely hauled into the accompanying boat, he cheered his brother on for the final 2,000 metres to the pier ladder. At Sunset Point Park in Collingwood, neoprene-clad swimmers, pulling bright tow floats for greater visibility, will be churning out their extreme mileage from landmark A to landmark B, back and forth, perhaps training for at least two planned triathlons in the area this August: Multisport Canada Wasaga Beach Triathlon and the Owen Sound Subaru Series. This summer, Collingwood’s VO2 Sports, which runs a monthly triathlete training program, will provide extra outdoor swim coaching for their masters swim club, and also coordinate a free all-are-welcome swim meet-up on Saturday mornings, all at Sunset Point. On August 28, Collingwood’s newly formed masters swim club, the Georgian Bay Squall, and Canaqua Sports will host the first Collingwood Terminals Open Water Swim, an event to raise funds and awareness for the water-protection charity Georgian Bay Forever.

Endurance endeavours

The exhilaration of open water

Twin brothers Jake and Josh Burella who tried to tame “the beast,” as they’ve described the Bay, with two epic endurance swims to raise funds in aid of youth mental health, certainly qualify as extreme swimmers. In 2018 they successfully swam 16 kilometres from Wasaga Beach to the grain terminals in Collingwood. In 2020 they tackled a gruelling 32-kilometre swim from Christian Island, again to the grain terminals. After 14 hours and 30 kilometres, “the beast” got the better of Josh’s physical strength. Once

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Ayla Zavitz and Hugo Meiche enjoying the rites of summer at Collingwood Harbour.

Get Waterproofed: Mastering the basic s.

Photo: Staff

THE EARLIEST DEPICTIONS of what are thought to be swimmers doing front crawl (a.k.a freestyle), are the famous Neolithic rock paintings in the Cave of Swimmers located in the Sahara of southwest Egypt, dating back to some 8,000 years. Swimming was a basic survival skill in Neolithic times and still is in our digital age—necessary, life-preserving, life-saving. Every one of us must learn to swim, the sooner the better—at minimum so we know how to float on our backs to save ourselves. Tragically, every year people drown unnecessarily for lack of this fundamental life skill.

They gather at the pier behind the grain terminals for a time-honoured ritual enacted by local youth. vast bodies of water such as Georgian Bay seems primal by comparison— exhilarating, pitting you directly against nature. The waters demand your respect, no matter how stunningly beautiful, calm and inviting they appear to be. Open waters are mysterious—one day clear and flat, the next day darkly opaque, restless and spooky. Waves lash and crash to the tune of the wind. Currents test a swimmer’s mettle. The aquatic space is huge, undefined— in Georgian Bay you’re a speck in an immense inland sea. Creatures (we once found a big, blue crayfish!), huge brooding boulders and even shipwrecks lurk beneath the surface. When waters are finally at an agreeable temperature, they rudely hit you with random icy spots.

Considerations for the cautious If you’ve always been a pool water rat, but want to swim in nature for a change, review important safety guidelines first. These include assessing weather forecasts, and water and air temperatures. Check the wind direction—if onshore, you may get huge waves for cavorting, but be wary of being bounced onto rocks. If the wind is offshore you risk being blown out into the watery yonder on your inflatable swan. Waves can carve troughs in sandy bottoms and create riptides. Be brutally honest about your fitness level, technique adaptability and swimming limitations. Know what’s in the water (boat traffic, windsurfers, kite boarders, weeds, rocks, critters). Acquire appropriate equipment (coloured swim cap, a tow float/swim buoy, reliable goggles, perhaps a wetsuit and fins). Recruit a swim buddy or join a group. Plan for post-swim comfort, especially when emerging from cold water (warm drink, snack, extra warm clothing). As summer approaches, the teenagers of Collingwood don’t bother with any of that. They gather at the pier behind the grain terminals for a timehonoured ritual enacted by local youth at almost every harbour in the area: leaping into the still-icy Georgian Bay water. In anticipation of their voluntary shock immersion, the shrieks of exuberant daring pierce the clear, fresh air, heralding the start of an all-too-short summer of communion with the challenging waters of the magnificent Georgian Bay.

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STATISTICS TELL THE SAD TALE. The latest available drowning report for Ontario (2020 edition, covering the years 2013-2017), prepared for the Lifesaving Society by the Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada, tallied 1.2 water-related fatalities per 100,000 people, for a total of 172 deaths in 2017. Sixty-four percent of fatalities occurred in open waters (lakes, rivers and ponds) and in the months from May to September. Sixteen percent occurred in bathtubs, 12 percent in (usually private) pools—and one percent in lifeguard-supervised settings. DROWNING IS THE THIRD LEADING CAUSE of unintentional death in the world, and for children under five it is the second, according to the World Health Organization. Child Safe Canada warns that as little as half an inch of water anywhere is a drowning hazard. Barbara Byers, Senior Research Officer of the Lifesaving Society Ontario, says, “Almost all drownings are preventable. What is very surprising is how quickly drowning can happen—in 10 to 15 seconds—and how silent it is.” When water fills the airway, you can’t speak, much less shout for help. She emphasizes that learning to swim (“immunization against drowning”), wearing life jackets and keeping children within arm’s length and watching them with unwavering laser-focus attention are the main things people can do to keep everyone safe around water. Lifesaving Society lifesavingsociety.com Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/ Georgian Bay beaches southgeorgianbay.ca/georgian-bay-beaches/ Open water swimming outdoorswimmer.com/open-water-safety Cold water swimming outdoorswimmer.com/blogs/6-tips-for-cold-water-swimming LEARN TO SWIM Meaford meaford.ca/en/explore-play/swimming-lessons.aspx 519-538-3426 Collingwood collingwood.ca/aquatic-programs 705-445-1030 Wasaga ymcaofsimcoemuskoka.ca/swim-lessons 705-792-7822 In your own pool aquamobileswim.com/about 1-888-950-7946

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The healing power of trees If the activity of “forest bathing” has you packing extra sunscreen and your birthday suit, stand corrected. Read on and we’ll save you the police fines. BY LEAH SOBON // PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA CRANDLEMIRE

“TAKE A SHORT WALK THROUGH THE FOREST and imagine you’re in a really slow-moving train or bus. You’re sitting beside the window and that’s the only place you can look out. You can’t look around like you normally do. You’re seeing trees and detail come into your view and then leave.” These words are part of a series of “invitations” that make up my introduction to the practice of “forest bathing.” I’ve joined forest therapy guide Neil Baldwin at his treed acreage a 20-minute drive southwest of Owen Sound. The idea, Baldwin has explained, is to focus on one sense at time—in this case sight—and pick out details I might not otherwise see. Later, he talks me through different levels of visual focus—from macro to micro—and then to the auditory field. “Focus really hard to not just hear, but to listen. It could be the sounds of the pine needles under your feet. It could be the sound of birds. It could be something scurrying in the forest, a twig breaking in the distance.” As a human race, now more than ever, we seem to be collectively searching for ways to de-stress and reconnect. With the crisis of mental health steadily on the rise, practices such as forest bathing RIGHT An invitation to slow down— think wandering, not hiking. 108

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Photos: Luciano Serafino

FOREST BATHING TIPS TOP Forest therapy guide Neil Baldwin. ABOVE Author Leah Sobon focusing on the visual sense.

Wonderful smells—which science is now teaching us have powerful healing properties. are becoming more popular, thanks to its affordability (it’s free) and its accessibility (it’s everywhere)—not to mention the hunger for nature-connection awakened by the pandemic. Increasingly, trained guides like Baldwin are formalizing the practice and offering it as a structured group activity. With a background in psychology, Baldwin spent 25 years as a life and career counsellor at Sheridan College in Oakville. On his website he describes himself as a “straddler” between contrasting worlds—the right brain and the left, the urban and the natural. In retirement he traded a suburban house on a 40-foot lot in the GTA for an off-grid cabin in a 50-acre forest up here. Now he operates Soul Trail, drawing on his counselling expertise to offer outdoor guided services such as forest bathing (which he terms forest therapy) and labyrinth walks. “Forest bathing, nature therapy, by whatever name, is about experiencing generally familiar environments in potentially unfamiliar ways,” says Baldwin, summing up what he was trying to accomplish on our introductory excursion. But it’s also about soaking up real medical benefits that science is just starting to understand. The term “forest bathing” is the literal translation of the Japanese term, shinrin-yoku (shinrin means “forest” and yoku meaning “bathing”), for the practice of embracing all facets of the forest around you. Stimulating more than just your sight and hearing, this mind-body

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Guide Beth Foster offers these tips for deepening your connection to the forest. (forestbathingwithbeth.ca) ALLOT TIME Forest bathing walks are typically up to three hours. You need time to get out of your head, “into a place of liminality, a transitional place.” SEEK TREES, WATER AND QUIET Good forest bathing spots have these elements. BUNDLE UP You’ll be moving slowly and it’s always cooler in the woods. TURN OFF TECH Turn off your phone. Don’t take photos. Don’t even look at a watch. SLOW DOWN Forest bathing is not hiking. It starts with wandering, “Usually off the trail, often in bare feet.” LEAN AGAINST SOMETHING Like a tree. This will help you feel safe and comforted. EXPLORE THE SENSES Close your eyes, open your ears, take off your shoes, feel the water.... FIND A SIT SPOT A place you can have an everyday connection with nature. SEIZE SUNRISE, SUNSET AND FULL MOONS “An extraordinary invitation to connect with nature. That’s the universe. That’s bigger than all of us.” HIRE A GUIDE A guide can make it easier to get out of your head, feel safe and share the experience with a group.

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On The Bay is pleased to offer this advertorial space to select clients that have a more indepth story to tell our readers. For more information contact sales@onthebaymagazine.com

The term “forest bathing” is the literal translation of the Japanese term, shinrin-yoku (shinrin means “forest” and yoku meaning “bathing”), for the practice of embracing all facets of the forest around you. experience teaches the importance of utilizing all of the characteristics of the forest alongside the human senses—touch included. Join a guide like Baldwin and you’ll quickly learn that embracing the flora and fauna is acceptable forest bathing behaviour, alongside walking in silence, sitting or leaning against a tree or on the ground, or standing in the centre of a forest clearing, arms relaxed, taking in everything the forest has to offer. What you definitely won’t be doing is moving fast. A forest bath is not a hike. Baldwin says that a typical three-hour forest therapy walk may not even cover a kilometre. Removing all of the time constraints and distance goals—something much more easily accomplished with the help of a guide—opens the way for a newfound appreciation for stopping and smelling not only the roses but the leaves, trees and earthy mosses. Wonderful smells—which science is now teaching us have powerful healing properties. While nature has long been touted as one of the best cures for anxiety and stress, forest bathing takes this one step further by exploring all of the physiological benefits that come with it, such as reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol plays a vital role in many normal body functions. However, with chronic and acute levels of stress, more often than not we end up producing too much of it, resulting in negative

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Forest bathing “invitations” may include dipping your bare feet in a stream. Or standing still in a clearing, taking in everything the forest has to offer.

effects which can include fatigue, muscle weakness and even a decreased immune response. Research has found that forest bathing counteracts some of these chronic stress responses by allowing the body to slow down, breathe and appreciate the calm and simplicity that comes with experiencing nature at a quarter of the speed. When stress and anxiety are reduced, our body’s natural tendency to respond with a fight-or-flight response lessens, which in turn can lower blood pressure as well as heart rate. With continued practice, forest bathing could have a wide range of long-term physical and psychological benefits. The most-cited medical name behind forest bathing research is Qing Li, a medical doctor and founder of the Japanese Society of Forest Medicine. Li’s research discovered that forest bathing had benefits beyond reducing blood pressure and stress. He extends them to include mood improvements, increased ability to focus, accelerated post-surgical healing, improved sleep and a boosted immune system response with a noted increase in the body’s NK (natural killer) cells responsible for killing tumor cells. Li attributes forest bathing’s health effects to “phytoncides” or “wood essential oils”—the antimicrobial volatile organic compounds given off by trees to protect themselves against pests. According to forest bathing practitioners like Beth Foster, a retired high school drama teacher who is now a busy forest bathing guide in Barrie, phytoncides are a big reason that green spaces make us feel so good. “Spending time in the woods inhaling phytoncides, especially if you’re following a guide who is encouraging a deeper connection, makes us feel better. It brings a sense of joy. You can never have too much of that.”

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Photos: Roger Klein

“The easiest way to experience nature more deeply is to shut off your phone, find a spot, sit on the ground or lean on a tree, then be still, be silent and be patient.” As the science behind forest bathing mounts, so does the professionalization of the field. There are now two organizations that train and certify forest therapy guides globally: the Global Institute of Forest Therapy (GIFT) and the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT). Both organizations have branched out into officially designating or certifying forest bathing trails. While any quiet forest can likely meet the needs of a forest bather, designated forest bathing trails direct people to sites with a large concentration of the proven most beneficial elements, such as access to water, a diversity of plants and landscapes, and the presence of phytoncide-emitting conifers. In 2018 the City of Markham opened four shinrin-yoku trails, one of which is the first GIFT-designated trail in Canada. An article about the trails published by the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects explains: “The most important feature necessary to certify a site as a healing forest is the qualitative way in which it engages all five senses. Considerations include temperature, humidity, luminosity, radiant heat, air current, sounds, volatile organic compounds given off by trees, and physiological factors such as heat and cold, light and dark.” ABOVE Is the dog the master of forest mindfulness? ABOVE RIGHT Soaking in the phytoncides at Bayview Escarpment Provincial Nature Reserve, Meaford.

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Foster, who is ANFT-certified, designed a free, self-guided forest bathing trail at the Scandinave Spa in Collingwood. Guests are encouraged to pick up a trail guidebook, which contains Foster’s “invitations,” at the Scandinave welcome hut or reception area. “It’s a lovely thing to do before or after a dip because there’s a relationship between forest bathing and hydrotherapy. The best forest bathing is when you have access to water of some sort. It just gives you more parts of nature to engage with,” says Foster. As the science catches up to what we’ve known intuitively all along, someday soon a healthy dose of nature may be just what the doctor will order. A Canadian initiative called PaRx (parkprescriptions.ca) is working to give healthcare providers the tools to prescribe nature connections to their patients. But don’t wait for the doctor to tell you to do it. Hire a forest bathing guide, or at least write yourself a prescription to get outside, slow the heck down and observe. As Baldwin explained it to me: “The easiest way to experience nature more deeply is to shut off your phone, find a spot, sit on the ground or lean on a tree, then be still, be silent and be patient. Give it at least 20 minutes, trying to dial down your thinking and turn up your senses, and wait for nature to come to you rather than seeking experiences like a hunter. “The most important thing to bring is an open mind. With that, and allowing thought to give way to experience, don’t be surprised to find yourself awestruck as you notice all that is really there—around us all the time but missed.”

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//ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

“ Buy me a brush” A spirited command to her then-husband launched Cecilia Spihlmann’s art career from desperation to profound serenity, with moody, introspective landscapes to match.

he landscape painter in Cecilia Spihlmann was born out of desperation. Trained in Peru as a graphic artist, she didn’t pick up a paintbrush until her 20s when she was travelling with her then-spouse whose job took him to different countries every three months. Living in a series of hotels—sometimes in places where it wasn’t safe for her to go out—took its toll. “I remember that’s when I said to him, ‘Please go to a store and buy me a brush, my five basic colours, and a canvas, that’s all I need’,” she recalls. “And I had never painted before! That was the creative side of me that was yelling, screaming to do something.” She started painting everywhere she went, rolling up her canvases in a little tube. She would ask the hotel room cleaners not to clean on the days when she was painting and then she would unhook the closet door from its hinges to use it as a frame for her work. Once she returned home to Lima, she went to workshops, was mentored by established artists and started showing her work. Her paintings at that time were abstract and heavily influenced by her graphic design background—lots of obvious shapes and hard edges.

FAST FORWARD 30 YEARS and a lot has changed. She now lives amongst the beauty of the Niagara Escarpment. And, all of the rigid form of her past work is gone, replaced by soft lines and rich colours, reflecting both serenity and stability. In her work studio—a tiny room with natural light streaming through large windows—Spihlmann casts a critical eye on her latest creation: a large acrylic painting that is almost the size of a closet door turned sideways. Called The Pond, the scene is brooding yet soothing—a mix of grey-greens and browns and full of shadows that border the still, murky water. She steps forward and adds a dash of pale yellow

Under the Old Tree—mixed media on panel, 24” x 36”.

BY LAURIE STEPHENS

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// ART BY CECILIA SPIHLMANN // PHOTOGRAPHY BY CECILIA SPIHLMANN

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//ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

TOP The Pond—acrylic on canvas, 36” x 72”. ABOVE The Red Cottage—acrylic on canvas, 42” x 42”.

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here and there, building reflections in the pond’s surface and subtly providing the viewer with more detail of a large limb of a fallen tree. Spihlmann says the inspiration for this painting is the beauty and diversity of the local natural scenery. It’s not a real place; it exists only in her imagination. “I try to paint realistically so many times, but I get so frustrated because you are never able to match or equal nature,” she says. “So, I just leave it to the person to interpret it, to just go into the painting and feel whatever they want to feel, see whatever they want to see. “For me, when I am painting, I am just imagining.” A self-described “bohemian,” Spihlmann is warm and engaging— just like her art—and quick to laugh. She describes her work as “mellow,” yet she is anything but. Her eyes flash and she becomes animated when talking about her work. She left Peru for good at age 37 with three children in tow, settling in Oakville in 2004 before moving to Collingwood in 2012. She rented a studio for a time at Collingwood’s Tremont Studios. However, when the opportunity arose to live in a spectacular log home at the base of a ski club, she decided it was the perfect place to set up her work studio. Her love of deep, rich colours stems from her heritage. She grew to appreciate the beautiful shades of blue while growing up in Lima on the South Pacific coast. But she also visited the Andes Mountains further inland where she took notice of the brown and red hues of the earth. “The ground changes colours there. And it’s like the people—very warm. I think that’s why I tend to work with a very soft palette. I do have contrast, but in very subtle ways.” Spihlman is busy preparing for a solo show coming up at Collingwood’s The Press Room Gallery in November. Her studio is crammed full of works in progress, and she pulls out a painting of a grove of birch trees in autumn, called The Red Cottage. Splashes of yellow dominate, but upon closer inspection, the white bark of the

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//ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

LEFT Fields of Gold—acrylic on canvas, 40” x 30”. ABOVE Night on the Bay—acrylic on canvas, 40” x 60”. BELOW Fall at the Cottage—acrylic on canvas, 41” x 41”.

“Creativity is something that’s in us and unless we discover it, we don’t know that we have it.” birch trees emerges, and the indistinct outline of the cottage is visible through the leaves. Another painting, aptly called Fields of Gold, depicts an expanse of wheat against a stormy grey sky that shows hints of sun poking through. Soft lines of a barn’s roof pull the viewer in for a closer look. “That’s what I meant by subtle,” she says. “It invites you to imagine, it invites you to feel whatever you want to feel, see whatever you want to see. You choose how to see it. This is not an exact place that I know. It’s just what in my mind I remember and maybe how I want it to be for me.” Spihlmann says she never does a draft of a painting, nor does she work from photographs. When ready to start a new piece, she typically sits in front of a blank canvas and lets her mood dictate what she creates. Colour is usually her first decision. If she is craving sun and light, she may begin by applying yellows and reds. If she has embraced a gloomy, rainy day, she may produce something that is peaceful and still, like The Pond. Her art extends beyond acrylic paintings. She also creates mixed media pieces that better reflect her Peruvian background through her use of South American textiles, clay, gold leaf and other materials. Her home is full of three-dimensional pieces, including a dining room light of warped, winding wood suspended from wires, and a long wooden table centrepiece decorated with feathers and pinecones. Another piece of wall art depicts a scene of a mother brown bear

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and her cub walking through the woods. Mounted on a wooden board, the bears are painted clay while the “woods” are natural sticks and branches. The sky is a rich copper-brown, accentuating the natural grain and hue of the board. All of her art in her home and work studio mirrors the serene state of her current life, a fact not lost on her as she reflects on the initial source of her inspiration to paint. “Creativity is something that’s in us and unless we discover it, we don’t know that we have it,” she says. “I think you always start out of necessity and that brings out your creativity—in everything. You don’t even realize you are needing something until you’re lacking something, and we have to give ourselves a chance to let it out.”

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Elaine Dickinson’s Fashion

Collingwood Optometry, which has served the community since 1967, is now expanding to include a second full-service optometry clinic, Cwood Eyecare. “By adding a second clinic, we are looking forward to growing along with this expanding community,” said Dr. Jayne Cation. Like Collingwood Optometry, Cwood Eyecare will offer a full scope of optometry services including comprehensive eye examinations enhanced by state-of-theart equipment as well as contact lens fittings and refractive eye surgery co-management. Both clinics also provide extensive dispensaries of glasses and sunglasses. Both locations offer thorough, health-focused eye examinations provided by qualified practitioners. Licensed opticians on staff at both locations help guide patients in making the most suitable purchases. “With large and varied dispensaries at both locations, we provide products that appeal to everyone,” said Dr. Cation. “We offer personalized services well above and beyond that provided by a chain business.” The top priority at both Collingwood Optometry and Cwood Eyecare is optimizing vision while treating every patient as a beloved family member.  460 Hume St., Unit 1 | 705-445-2970 115 Hurontario St., Suite 203 | 705-410-4050

has been an established signature fashion shop in Collingwood for over 36 years. Established in 1986 in beautiful downtown Collingwood. Elaine and her daughter Erin now proudly operate this familyowned business. The attraction to the shop is the multi-brands they carry such as Marc Cain, AG Jeans, Lisa Todd, Free People, Sarah Pacini and special occasion gowns, just to name a few. They carry everything from the must-have trending items to the classic special occasion dresses, as well as weekend/apres sports attire. The success of the boutique is their philosophy which is all about passion, love and heart. You can get all your favourite designers that you would find in the city with the luxury of easy access and free parking. Enjoy a laid back and personal shopping experience with their knowledgeable staff who are happy to assist with your selection. Whether shopping for yourself or as a gift, or simply getting advice on what best suits your style, we are always here to help. Take advantage of playing, working, and shopping in this four-season playground. Elaine, Erin and their staff look forward to seeing you.  163 Hurontario Street Collingwood ON 705-445-4093 | www.elainedickinsonsfashions.com

The law firm of Cowan & Vaillancourt LLP started over 25 years ago, originally as Besse Merrifield, then Besse Merrifield & Cowan LLP. In 2022, Jason Cowan and Nicole Vaillancourt changed the name to reflect the change of leadership of the firm. We offer our clients advice in a broad range of legal issues, including Real Estate, Wills, Estates, Corporate/Commercial law, Litigation and Family Law. Our office is located in a historic building in downtown Collingwood, but we are able to offer services remotely through video conferences as well, so that clients can obtain our services in the way that is most convenient for them. Our goal is to provide timely, relevant advice in a cost-effective manner. We are actively involved in our local community in advocating for accessible legal services, especially when it comes to accessing court services. We are proudly Safe Space Certified for members of the LGBTQ+ community and welcome clients from diverse backgrounds. Jason Cowan holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University, and a Law Degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Nicole holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University at Kingston, and a Law Degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Nicole is also a certified Collaborative Family Law Lawyer.  47 Hurontario St, Collingwood, ON 705-446-2000 | cvllp.ca 126

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

Renovate Inc. Mick Vaclavik, the CEO of Renovate Inc., has been in business for 17 years in The Blue Mountains/ Collingwood area. The company is involved in all aspects of residential construction including new builds, additions, renovations, design consultation and project management. Mick went to trade school and mentored under a master carpenter/bricklayer in the UK. With decades of experience in many different areas of building & design, he is always open to new ideas as technology progresses. “The truly masterful thing about Mick is his design sense. He will look at things onsite and make suggestions that I know will be a great solution.” says a previous client. Renovate Inc is unique because Mick takes a holistic approach and attention to detail is a priority to ensure client satisfaction. It’s important to Mick that his business has integrity and he prides himself on treating the team, as well as the clients, well and with respect. As a testament to Mick, a satisfied client says, “The staff, quality of workmanship and timely manner in which this large project was accomplished requires nothing less than a huge hooray.”  705.888.0123 | renovateinc.ca

ADVERTORIAL

DONATIONS AT TREASURE TAILS Elevated Photos Real Estate Marketing Beautifully showcased homes. That is the mantra for Elevated Photos, a Collingwood-based real estate marketing business launched in 2007 back in Toronto by then graphic designer and landscape photographer, Sebastian (Seb) Petrescu. “We work with Southern Georgian Bay realtors who give their clients exceptional marketing and an experience worthy of home seller referrals. When home owners watch their video of all the hard work they put into preparing their home for the market, it really helps to commemorate their achievement and adds value to their real estate experience.” Seb partners with Jason Whyte from JYT Media - a highly skilled drone pilot, to also capture this area’s beauty from an elevated viewpoint. What sets this duo apart is their passion, skill and attention to detail for the specific areas of the home that will likely stand out to home buyers. If you see them around taking photos, make sure to say hello!  416-999-7096 | seb@elevatedphotos.ca www.elevatedphotos.ca

ON THE BAY MAGAZINE IS EVERYWHERE. BLUE MOUNTAIN • Blue Mountain Inn • Mosaic • Weider Lodge • Westin Trillium House CLARKSBURG • Marsh Street Centre COLLINGWOOD • Beaver & Bulldog • Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts • Collingwood Public Library • Lakeside Seafood & Grill • Living Stone Resort • Living Waters Hotel • Metro • Mind’s Alive • Sobey’s • Stuart Ellis IDA

HERE’S WHERE TO FIND US!

• Summit Social House • The Huron Club CRAIGLEITH • The Alphorn CREEMORE • Foodland EUGENIA • Top ‘O the Rock FLESHERTON • Jolly’s Dairy Bar GLEN HURON • Giffin’s Country Market KIMBERLEY • Kimberley General Store MARKDALE • Chamber Office • Foodland MEAFORD • Grandma Lambe’s

• Chamber Office • Macdonald’s Furniture • McGinty’s Cafe • Meaford Hall • Meaford Public Library NOTTAWA • D&L Variety • Dornoch Tap & Grill • Greenhawk • The Tack Shoppe OWEN SOUND • European Bakery • Roxy Theatre • Zehrs RAVENNA • Ravenna General Store SINGHAMPTON • Esso • Mylar & Loreta’s

STAYNER • Coffee Culture • Foodland THORNBURY • Foodland • Goldsmith’s • The Corner Cafe • Thornbury Bakery

Treasure Tails is the downtown Collingwood thrift store for the Georgian Triangle Humane Society. The Treasure Tails team is always on the lookout for quality donations! The retail location carries new and gently used items including furniture, antiques, jewelry, décor, women’s clothing, pet accessories, kitchenware, one-of-a-kind collectibles and so much more. We are currently accepting all donations by appointment and would love to hear from you! If you are a local business and are interested in donating – there is a special program just for you -Friends of Treasure Tails! You can ask to speak to the manager, Sue, for further information about how you can become involved. Store revenue directly helps to support the pets and people in the Georgian Bay area and the innovative programs offered by the GTHS. We are so incredibly grateful for such a generous community and can’t wait to see you in store! Please contact the store at (705) 293-3233 to make arrangements for an appointment. Appointments are booked in 15-minute intervals based on the number of items indicated at time of booking. Due to appointments being in demand we are usually booking at least one week ahead. Follow us on Facebook @ gthstreasuretails to see all the new arrivals! Treasure Tails is located at 186 Hurontario Street, Collingwood.

WASAGA BEACH • Boston Pizza • Canadian Tire • Chamber Office • Foodland • IDA Pharmacy • Superstore • Wasaga Beach Public Library On the Bay is also available at the region’s private ski and golf clubs, and most Real Estate showrooms and offices.

We’d like to thank our distribution partners. On the Bay is Southern Georgian Bay’s premium magazine.

Georgian Triangle Humane Society 549 Tenth Line, Collingwood 705.445.5204 | info@gths.ca www.gths.ca

Treasure Tails 186 Hurontario St, Collingwood 705-293-3233 treasuretails@gths.ca

On The Bay is pleased to offer this advertorial space to select clients that have a more indepth story to tell our readers. For more information contact sales@onthebaymagazine.com SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

127

PROUDLY SERVING COLLINGWOOD, BLUE MOUNTAIN & THORNBURY

List your home with a trusted RE/MAX at Blue Realty sales representative or broker.

Reasons to list your home with RE/MAX at Blue Realty. 1. NAME RECOGNITION RE/MAX is the No. 1 name in real estate* thanks in part to decades of extensive advertising. At just about every turn, potential clients find RE/MAX ads – across TV, radio, print, outdoor signage, the Web and social media. Chances are, you would have a hard time finding someone who has never heard of “RE/MAX.” 2. UNRIVALLED EXPERTISE Our experienced and knowledgeable agents are the reason RE/MAX is consistently ranked number one in several markets across Canada. We provide our agents with exclusive tools to ensure they have the skills they need to effectively guide

Gerry Wayland Owner/Broker of Record (705) 446-6690 gerry@remax-bluemountain.com

Andrea Newton Sales Representative (705) 351-0905 andrea@remax-bluemountain.com

Debbie Pearce Sales Representative (905) 334-9484 deb@remax-bluemountain.com

you through the real estate process. Our office motto is Honesty, Knowledge and Goodness. Each RE/MAX at Blue Realty employee, sales representative or broker must live up to those three words. 3. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION The proof of quality service is in repeat customers and in customers who refer RE/MAX at Blue Realty team members to friends. RE/MAX at Blue Realty sales representatives and brokers typically generate a large percentage of their business from past customers and referrals. Our team is trusted and experienced.

Maggie Smyth Sales Representative (705) 734-5046 maggie@remax-bluemountain.com

Jamie Hibbard Sales Representative (705) 994-3272 jamie@remax-bluemountain.com

Joe Palacka Sales Representative (905) 626-4933 makeblue4u@gmail.com

4. LOCATION – LOCATION – LOCATION The RE/MAX at Blue Realty office is located in the heart of The Village at Blue Mountain right beside Starbuck’s. More than two million visitors walk past the office window each year. They don’t drive by at 60 kilometres per hour. They WALK past our window and review the listings prominently displayed. Why not put your home in our window? 5. RE/MAX AT BLUE REALTY WEBSITE Just type “Real Estate in Blue Mountain” or “Blue Mountain Real Estate” in any search engine and the RE/MAX at Blue website consistently appears in the top 2 organic (unpaid) searches. That’s marketing power to help sell your home faster.

Nash Cohen Sales Representative (5I9) 223-2220 nashcohen@hotmail.com

Larry McKenzie Broker (519) 673-7822 larry@larrymckenzie.ca

Kelly Cain Sales Representative (5I9) 872-1356 kelly@remax-bluemountain.com

Call 705-445-0440 or visit our website REMAX-BLUEMOUNTAIN.COM or visit our office in... Blue Mountain Village next to Starbucks *Nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX ®

LET OUR EXPERIENCE BE YOUR GUIDE PRIME COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PARCEL

PRIME high traffic location in the heart of Collingwood. Approx 200’ of commercial frontage with traffic counts of average 25,000/daily on First Street*. 5 properties being sold together. C-4 mixed use commercial zoning provides an extensive range of redevelopment opportunities! MLS 40236315 160, 162, 170, 172, 180 First Street, Collingwood

Nestled at the bottom of Blue Mountain is a stunning custom build meant for entertaining. This home truly offers a “Four-Season Resort Lifestyle” with the chairlift right across the road and Blue Mountain Village a short 5-minute walk. MLS®40261593

3+3 |

3+1 |

5,172 ft2 tol.fin.

100 ACRES MINUTES TO BLUE MOUNTAIN

Custom-built 5,300 sq/ft home, 60’x40’ heated workshop on 100.6-acres, 10 mins to Blue Mountain, Bruce Trail, Thornbury & 15 mins to Collingwood. 54-acres of hardwood bush, 46-acres of workable land, and a 1/2-acre spring-fed swimming pond. Explore your own limestone caves, wildlife, 7 natural springs and breath-taking views. MLS® 40227901

6+1 |

4+2 |

5,408 ft2 tol.fin.

$5,950,000

$2,895,000

$2,990,000

Derek Crespy** 705-441-0112 Mobile

Darice Lush* 705-443-0741 Mobile

Rebecca Cormier* 705-888-5100 Mobile

CHANCE OF A LIFETIME

Fabulous Century Home on the Millpond in downtown Thornbury. Fish, Canoe, Kayak from your back door. 2 min walk to fine dining & shopping, 5 min walk to marina & beaches of Georgian Bay. Gourmet kitchen, sun deck w/hot tub. Commercial potential. MLS® 40253438

4 |

BLUE MOUNTAIN BEAUTY

2 |

2,669 ft2 tol.fin.

7909POPLARSIDEROAD.COM

PRIVATE RIVERSIDE THORNBURY BEAUTY

9+ acre, mere feet from the Clearview/Collingwood boundary. Exquisite home, Niagara Escarpment views, forest, pond and open plan. Oil-finished wood floors in the main living areas, heated floors in bathrooms, oversized 3-car attached garage. Bonus: 3500 sq.ft. outbuilding. MLS® 40269408

Must-see stunning .9 acre riverside home on quiet dead-end street, walking distance to downtown Thornbury. Private, 4463 sq.ft., 5 bed, 5 bath home has a chalet feel, with soaring ceilings, saltwater pool with heated shower in the pool shed, and a 2-car heated attached garage. MLS® 40195327

3+2 |

4 |

4,440 ft2 tol.fin.

3+2 |

4+1 |

4,463 ft2 tol.fin.

$2,250,000

$3,888,000

$3,499,000

Brad Williams** 705-444-4646 Lorraine Champion* 705-441-3642

Chris McCormick** 705-446-8851 Mobile

Cori Woolley* 705-994-7800 Kate Veer* 705-443-1475

FOUR SEASONS REALTY LIMITED, BROKERAGE Each Office Independently Owned and Operated

remaxcollingwood.com 67 First St., Collingwood 705-445-8500 47 Bruce St., Thornbury 519-599-2600 202 Montreal St., Stayner 705-428-4500 *sales representative **broker ***broker of record

COLLINGWOOD / BARRIE | 705.445.5454 WIARTON | 519.534.5757 OWEN SOUND / TOBERMORY | 519.371.5455 SAUBLE BEACH | 519.422.0005

Nick Alfano*

Kim Archer**

Dave Armstrong*

Vince Artuso*

Chris Assaff*

Diana Berdini** Office Manager

Michael Biggins**

Vanessa Burgess-Mason*

Gail Crawford*

Eva Dalton*

Maria Elensky**

Michelle Exner*

Sophi Giancola*

Read Hilton*

Kate Hobson*

Rob Holroyd**

Keith Hull**

Ellen Jarman*

Blane Johnson*

Kim Johnson*

Alyson Jones*

John M. Kacmar**

Stefanie Kilby*

Michelle Kingsbury*

Jennifer MacGregor*

Cheryl MacLaurin*

Joan Malbeuf*

Kris McAleer*

Rob McAleer*

Melanie McBride*

Linda McClean*

Mark McDade*

Taylor McFadyen*

Gerry McIntyre*

Lane McMeekin**

Jane Mehlenbacher*

Cheryl J Morrison**

Dave Moyer*

Cathie Mustard*

Morgan Ornstein*

Barbara Picot*

Ron Picot*

Cynthia Razum**

Jennifer Ridsdale**

David Rowlands**

Deb SaundersChatwin**

Lori Schwengers**

Ralph Schwengers*

Karie Steinberg*

Gary Taylor**

Neil Thain**

Brendan Thomson*

Jodi Ward*

Fran Webster*

Rick Wiles**

Leah Wilkins*

Paige Young*

Larisa Yurkiw*

OUR OFFICE LOCATIONS | CHESTNUT PARK ® REAL ESTATE LIMITED, BROKERAGE TORONTO (YONGE ST)

GREY BRUCE / SAUBLE BEACH

TORONTO (FOREST HILL)

SIMCOE COUNTY / BARRIE / INNISFIL / ORILLIA

SOUTHERN GEORGIAN BAY / COLLINGWOOD GREY BRUCE / OWEN SOUND GREY BRUCE / WIARTON GREY BRUCE / TOBERMORY

LAKE SIMCOE / NORTH OF MARKHAM

HUNTSVILLE / LAKE OF BAYS / ALMAGUIN (MAIN ST.)

AURORA

BAYSVILLE / LAKE OF BAYS

HALIBURTON

MUSKOKA / PORT CARLING

GRAVENHURST

PETERBOROUGH & THE KAWARTHAS

MUSKOKA / FOOT’S BAY

PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY / PICTON

HUNTSVILLE / LAKE OF BAYS (FLORENCE ST.)

KINGSTON

KITCHENER/WATERLOO*** ***Affiliate Office

ERIN / CALEDON / MONO / KING

*Sales Representative **Broker

HURON-PERTH / STRATFORD

For all of our listings please visit chestnutpark.com

1000 ISLANDS NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY UXBRIDGE UNIONVILLE / NORTH OF MARKHAM

$3,050,000

COLLINGWOOD INVESTMENT PROPERTY

West end of Collingwood in Balmoral Village. 1.155 Acre vacant land parcel with approval for a mixed-use building with 2 stories for Medical/Commercial and 3 stories for 35 Residential Units with underground parking. Zoned R 4-3 (H-18) MLS®40247025 Barb Picot* 705.444.3452 Ron Picot* 705.446.8580 $1,699,000

EXCLUSIVE LISTING

Luxurious Frontier log home on triple wide waterfront property. 3 bdrm, 2 bath home, with high end finishes and 24’ vaulted ceiling great room. Separate guest cottage, detached garage, sensation grounds and full docking system with good water depth. Take the virtual tour at www.markmcdade.ca Mark McDade* 519.387.7650 $1,199,000

VETERANS ROAD S CHATSWORTH

Spectacular 137 ac country farm just west of Berkeley, this property is a regeneration forest, mainly pine w/some mixed hdwd on the NE corner of the land. Your own private 2 ac spring fed lake. Looking for a special country property, considering expansion to your farm holdings. Come and have a look.

Dave Moyer* 519.379.1996 $859,000

RUPERTS LANDING-COLLINGWOOD

This 3 bedrm, 2 bath home features a private balcony with views of both Georgian Bay and the ski hills. Enjoy entertaining in this open concept home on the 6th floor of Bayview Tower. Community tennis, yr round pool & fitness MLS®40260678 Rob Holroyd* 705.818.2040

$2,150,000

$2,399,900

WWW.READHILTON.COM

WHITE ROSE ESTATE – CLEARVIEW

10 min from Collingwood, this residence on 1.5 acres features 5,240 sq.ft of fin. living space, 3 car garage, outdoor pool & views to the escarpment. 2 Primary Bdrms w/luxurious ensuites, 3 Guest Bdrms, a 4 pc & 2 pc bath, 2 storey Great Room, Chef’s Kitchen, Dining Room, Office & fully finished basement w/Movie area, Recreation & Gym area. Expansive windows for natural light, quartz counters, Engineered hardwood floors. A must see! MLS®40279440 Barb Picot* 705.444.3452 Ron Picot* 705.446.8580

$1,699,000

THE HOUSE ON THE HILL

Gorgeous setting and curb appeal! A well-loved family Century home in a prime location in Thornbury. So many possibilities waiting for your touch. Zoning mix of residential and commercial. Currently a Home Business but could be a Nanny/In-law suite. MLS®40264820 Ellen Jarman* 705.441.2630 $1,199,000

MEAFORD WATERFRONT LOT

Enjoy spectacular sunsets from this premium waterfront lot in an exclusive enclave of fine homes. The lot slopes gently to 100 feet of pristine Georgian Bay shoreline, just north of Leith. A rare find! MLS®40262791

Dave Moyer* 519.379.1996 Cynthia Razum** 519.377.9134 $829,900

PRETTY RIVER ESTATES

This beautiful 2400 sq.ft, 3+1 bdrm semidetached home has a finished bsmt w/ separate entrance, a single garage w/ paved driveway & fully fenced yard. Walk to the Georgian Trail system, short drive to all of Collingwood’s amenities MLS®40274562 Morgan Ornstein* 705.441.4916

$1,649,000

4.5 ACRES IN OWEN SOUND!

Stunning 4.5-acre property in Owen Sound on quiet dead-end street just minutes from Georgian Shores Marina, golf (Cobble Beach, Legacy Ridge) and great schools! 3 bed 3 bath 2-car garage with oversized 3 car detached garage. Goats negotiable. Larisa Yurkiw* 519.270.0839 $999,000

COLLINGWOOD

Spacious Georgian Meadows 5 bed 3 bath home. Main floor is wheelchair accessible. Open concept living. Finished basement. Fully fenced backyard. Great location steps to neighbourhood parks & trail system, close to Blue Mountain. MLS®40271484 Michelle Kingsbury* 705.888.8177 $829,000

ESTABLISHED NEIGHBOURHOOD

Attractive, one owner home offers bright open concept living/dining and kitchen. Custom shutters on main level. Partially finished basement. Fenced yard. Upgraded furnace, A/C and carpet. Well maintained property. MLS®40255363 Cheryl J Morrison** 705.446.4672 Deb Saunders-Chatwin**

Impressive 3 bdrm,4 bath post/beam home in private Grey Highlands setting. Vaulted ceilings, abundant windows, antique hemlock floors (main level), wood burning f/p, custom highend quality finishes throughout. Dle garage, carport +++ MLS®40275690. Gail Crawford* 705.444.3751 Read Hilton* 705.351.8100 $1,200,000

OLD BALDY & ESCARPMENT VIEWS

This 3 bdrm, 3 bath home has spectacular views. Great room / vaulted ceilings showcase the gardens. Picturesque ravine lot and detached single garage. Access to Bruce Trail. Primary bdrm has an east facing balcony for sunrises & coffee! MLS®40270446 Gail Crawford* 705.444.3751 Read Hilton* 705.351.8100 $949,000

MEAFORD – WALK TO GEORGIAN BAY

Charming side-split home located a short walk to St. Vincent Park Beach & Boat Launch. 3 Bdrms, 2 Baths, 3,333 sq. ft. with Office & lower level Rec Room. 2-car garage w/attached finished workshop and parking for 8+ cars. MLS®40268453 Barb Picot* 705.444.3452 Ron Picot* 705.446.8580 $549,000

NATURE LOVERS PARADISE

This 27 acre wildlife property borders on the Sydenham River and is home to many native plants and animals. Launch your canoe or kayak from the property and enjoy lazing on the river. Building envelope approved and ready for your custom home to complete this package. Dave Moyer* 519.379.1996

ADVERTISERS

READER BUYING GUIDE For more information, link directly to advertisers at onthebaymagazine.com

ANIMALS/PETS Georgian Triangle Humane Society

PAGE 45 & 127

Mullin’s Pet Market

PAGE 45

ARTS/MUSEUMS/ PHOTOGRAPHY Art by Cecilia Spihlmann

PAGE 115

Craig Gallery

PAGE 85

Danfield Fine Art & Antiques

PAGE 37

PAGE 119

Cwood Eyecare

PAGE 91

Glerups

PAGE 121

Lemonwood

PAGE 121

Dr. Robert McCoppen Family Dentistry

PAGE 41

Loved You Madly

PAGE 119

Vaiya

PAGE 119

Dr. John Miller & Dr. Sam Goodman Preventative, Cosmetic & Therapeutic Dentistry

PAGE 91

Erie Street Dental

FLOORING Area Rug Shop

PAGE 68 & 69

Dean’s Carpet

PAGE 43

Grey Roots Museum & Archives

PAGE 125

FOOD & DRINK

Loft Gallery Inc.

PAGE 121

Freshwater Distillery

PAGE 61

Margarethe Vanderpas Studio

PAGE 121

YF Patissier Chocolatier

PAGE 59

Meaford Hall Arts & Cultural Centre

PAGE 123

SGB Gallery

PAGE 125

The Historic Roxy Owen Sound Little Theatre

PAGE 125

Blue Mountain Chrysler

PAGE 51

Buff-It Detailing

PAGE 51

Jaguar/Landrover Brampton

PAGE 7

POND SUPPLIES Silvercreek Aquaculture

FURNITURE PAGE 81

G3 Pool & Spa

Marlwood Golf & Country Club

PAGE 65

BMO Private Wealth, Jacqueline Hewson

RBC Dominion Securities Inc., Paul Chapman

PAGE 83

JDC Janssen Design

JDC Custom Homes Inc.

PAGE 113

LFI Design

Kofoed Built

PAGE 67

Bruce Power

PAGE 101

DOLL HOUSES Georgian Bay Miniatures

PAGE 35

EVENTS Classic Movies On The Bay

PAGE 19

Collingwood Fashion Week

PAGE 117

Collingwood Music Festival

PAGE 115

Symphony in the Barn

PAGE 123

Sweetwater Music Festival

PAGE 123

FASHION/JEWELRY Blundstone

PAGE 99

Brabary Fine Lingerie

PAGE 119

D.C. Taylor Jewellers

PAGE 136

Columbia, Blue Mountain

SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

PAGE 97

PAGE 113

HOME DÉCOR/DESIGN

Coulter Dawe and Associates

COMMUNITY SERVICES

PAGE 109

Royal LePage RCR Realty, Brokerage Keleher + Co.

PAGE 3

PAGE 41

Cowan & Vaillancourt LLP

PAGE 73

PAGE 109

PAGE 47

PAGE 89

PAGE 83

Royal LePage RCR Realty, Brokerage Basia Regan

PAGE 45

PAGE 113

Yvette Jancso Architects

PAGE 44

Sotheby’s International Realty Canada

Vortex Wellness Studio

Steve Hamelin Design Studio

Royal LePage Locations North Realty Inc., Brokerage PAGE 99 Mardy van Beest

PAGE 44

Scandinave Spa

PAGE 35

Royal LePage Locations North Realty Inc., Brokerage PAGE 55 Karen Willison

Royal LePage RCR Realty, Brokerage Suzanne Lawrence

PAGE 51

Renovate Inc.

Royal LePage Locations North Realty Inc., Brokerage PAGE 39 Josh Dolan

PAGE 43

Parkway Yamaha

PAGE 95

Royal LePage Locations North Realty Inc., Brokerage Jane Moysey, Lorraine McDonald PAGE 18 & Sheila Shepherd

Cameron Stephens Mortgage Trust

PAGE 91

PAGE 59

Mountain Ridge Custom Homes Inc.

Royal LePage Locations North Realty Inc., Brokerage Hawkins Ryerse Real Estate Group PAGE 21

F45 Training Blue Mountain Good Health Mart Collingwood

PAGE 85

PAGE 28

Royal LePage Locations North Realty Inc., PAGE 8 & 9 Brokerage

Brian Renken Professional Corporation, Barristers & Solicitors

PAGE 49

PAGE 4 & 5

PAGE 103

Re/Max Realty Enterprises Inc., Brokerage The Kris Rose Team

HEALTH/BEAUTY/FITNESS

Leggat Blue Mountain Honda

Lischkoff Design Build

PAGE 43

BlueRock Wealth Management Inc.

GOLF

Cathie Hunt, CPA Professional Corporation

L. Patten & Sons Ltd.

PAGE 10 & 105

Baker Tilly SGB LLP

Georgian Bay Dental Hygiene

BUILDERS/CONTRACTORS/ ARCHITECTS

PAGE 67

PROFESSIONAL/FINANCIAL/ LEGAL

PAGE 39

Larry’s Small Engines

PAGE 101

POOLS

Orangeville Furniture

AUTO/ATV/SMALL ENGINE

132

Elaine Dickinson’s Fashions

PAGE 33 PAGE 27

Barrie Trim & Mouldings Inc.

PAGE 29

WEALTHinsurance

PAGE 13

The New Classical 102.9 FM

PAGE 11 & 99

Amazing Gates of Canada

TD Wealth Management, Darryn Stroud

RADIO

HOME IMPROVEMENT & SUPPLY ADS Advanced Door Systems

PAGE 2

PAGE 135

PAGE 74 & 133

REAL ESTATE

PAGE 71 & 111

Century 21 Millennium Inc, Brokerage Jen Scholte

PAGE 23

PAGE 75

Century 21 Millennium Inc, Brokerage Katia Abaimova

PAGE 61

Collingwood Kitchen & Bath Design Centre Court Contractors

PAGE 107

Huronia Container Services

PAGE 115

The Fireplace Family

PAGE 85

Trans Canada Wood Products Ltd.

PAGE 65

Chestnut Park Real Estate Limited, Brokerage PAGE 12 & 107 The Picot Team

13 Forty Landscape Supplies

PAGE 109

Environmental Pest Control

PAGE 115

Engel & Volkers Toronto Central, Brokerage McGregor Hahne Group

Green Earth Landscapes

PAGE 111

Forest Hill Real Estate Inc., Brokerage

Mulch-It

PAGE 111

The Landmark Group

PAGE 15

MEDICAL/DENTAL PROFESSIONALS Collingwood Optometry Collingwood Sport Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre Culford Family Hearing

PAGE 91 PAGE 91 PAGE 101

Fairways (Manorwood Homes Inc.)

PAGE 6

Windfall Blue Mountain (Georgian Communities)

PAGE 17

RECREATION, RENTALS & REPAIRS Little Ed’s Ski & Bike Shop

PAGE 95

My Eco Adventures

PAGE 39

Smitty’s Bike Shop

PAGE 95

RESTAURANTS

Chestnut Park Real Estate Limited, PAGE 130 & 131 Brokerage

Colliers International London Ontario, Brokerage

LANDSCAPE/GARDEN & SUPPLIES

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENTS

PAGE 33

PAGE 105 PAGE 31

Forest Hill Real Estate, Inc., Brokerage Wispy Boivin & Miranda Kofoed

PAGE 65

Re/Max at Blue Realty Inc., Brokerage

PAGE 128

Re/Max By The Bay Brokerage Katrina Ruttan & Philip Grainger

PAGE 25

Re/Max Four Seasons Realty Ltd., Brokerage

PAGE 129

Re/Max Four Seasons Realty Ltd., Brokerage Darice Lush

PAGE 67

Boston Pizza Collingwood

PAGE 61

Copper Blues Bar & Grill

PAGE 59

Summitview Pavilion, Blue Mountain

PAGE 57

SENIOR LIVING Balmoral Retirement Community (Chartwell)

PAGE 116

CARP

PAGE 116

SKIING Blue Mountain

PAGE 16

TRAVEL Simcoe Country Airport Service

PAGE 53

WINDOW FASHIONS Ashton’s Blinds, Draperies & Shutters

PAGE 85

Salnek’s Custom Window Treatments

PAGE 25

Shades & Shutters

PAGE 83

to the

Classical Everywhere Contest Winners!!

From left: Rick Gordon (of The New Classical 102.9), Jonathan Craig and Bridget Light.

From left: Rick Gordon (of The New Classical 102.9) and Renée Desrochers.

CRAIG GALLERY • 4 N Sykes St., #1, Meaford Craig Gallery is a family run art gallery in downtown Meaford, featuring the work of established Ontario artists, local artists and artisans.

ADORN II • 32 Bruce St. S., Thornbury Adorn II sells beautiful European products to Adorn your home and yourself. From exclusive fragrances and body creams, bath salts and french milled soaps to Murano glass mirrors and chandeliers, Berger chairs and Belgium rugs.

From left: Matt Boucher, Sherry Parsons, Susan Holden (of The New Classical 102.9), Ryan Maharaj, and Andrew Boucher.

CARSTAR • 301 Pretty River Pkwy, Collingwood CARSTAR offers comprehensive auto body repair services, from minor dents and dings to repairing accident damage. Whether you’ve had a fender bender, tangled with Mother Nature or want to freshen up your car’s look, you can relax, and Carstar will take it from here!

The New Classical 102.9 FM is the perfect musical background for your business, shop or professional environment. In the spring, we encouraged businesses to play the soothing, civilized sounds ofThe New Classical 102.9 in their establishments. If one of our Secret Shoppers visited a business playing The New Classical 102.9 FM, that business was entered into a draw to win $1000 of FREE radio advertising. We would like to sincerely congratulate the winners (pictured above). If you missed this opportunity to participate, DON’T WORRY! We are doing it again this fall!

classicalfm.ca

LOOKING BACK

DOWN BY THE BAY BY ROGER KLEIN

LOOKING WEST ACROSS a shale bedrock outcropping, photographer Jack Saunders captured this image in the 1950s of children gathering at the water’s edge. The granite boulders offer a small landmark and a special place for friends to meet or just lie in the summer sun. The shipyard and grain elevator in the distance reveal that this photo is Sunset Point in Collingwood. At the time, much of the town’s waterfront was occupied by heavy industry, sewage lagoons and a garbage dump. The park dates back to the late 1880s when the area was known as Fisherman’s Point. The fenced property was owned by a man named Bernard Callary. It was Callary who first opened the land to the public. A few years later, in 1884, he went on to become the town’s mayor. Callery died unexpectedly while still in office. He was found dead in bed on the morning of Sep 17, 1896. Fifty-two years old, he was unmarried and had no children.

Following his death, the Town of Collingwood purchased the land from his estate for $1,500. The initial intention was to call it Callary Park, but it was renamed Victoria Park and then Georgian Bay Park before being formally named Sunset Point Park on June 29, 1926. The park has been the town’s crown

jewel ever since. It first gained widespread popularity in the 1930s when a “tourist park” was developed with overnight cabins and tents. In the early 1970s, the Rotary Club became involved in redeveloping sections of the park. Fill was brought in to improve the beach; a new change house was also built. In 1986 more shoreline reinforcement was added to protect the park against erosion caused by record high-water levels. The stone Inukshuk, one of most prominent features at the park, was erected in 2003 by the Crompton family as a tribute to their son Peter, who died in a boating accident in Muskoka. Peter was an avid windsurfer who frequented “the point” to ride the waves with friends on windy days. The stone figure faces the prevailing wind, watching over the Bay in recognition of a life lived and taken too soon—a persistent reminder to all not to squander this place or the time we have here. Photo: Courtesy Saunders Studio Collection. Digital Preservation: Jason Booth

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SUMMER 2022 ON THE BAY

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On The Bay Magazine Summer 2022

Articles inside

Looking Back

The Life Aquatic

Reviving Giants

rEVved Up

Vintage Vibes

Inbox

Canoe Love

Travel with a Purpose

The Great Escape Artists

Fenceposts