On The Bay Summer 2017

SUMMER 2017

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Waterfronts!

How we use them now, and how we’re building for the future

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FROM THE MID

IN THIS ISSUE FEATURES 18 Waterfront!

From Wasaga Beach to Meaford, our waterfronts have always been a key component of our region’s identity. Today, towns across our

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region are making plans and investments to create shorelines that are accessible, enjoyable and sustainable. A look at the past, present and future of our waterfronts.

BY JANET LEES

39 Collingwood Terminals Gateway to the past, or white elephant? One man’s viewpoint.

BY JANET LEES

42 A Sound Investment Owen Sound is poised to make waterfront enjoyment an even bigger part of its charm.

BY JANET LEES

44 On The Bay! Summer means getting out and enjoying our waterfronts.

BY LAURIE STEPHENS

62 Sophisticated Touches Designer Kimberley Seldon transforms a country house south of Creemore from merely great to downright stunning.

BY JUDY ROSS

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75 Berry Beneficial Strawberries and raspberries and blackberries, oh my!

BY EMILY WORTS

COLUMNS Fenceposts

14 Science Projects

BY DAN NEEDLES Farm to Table

DEPARTMENTS 8 From our Editor 10 From our Readers 95 Openings 98 Marketplace 99 Gallery of Realtors 108 Reader Buying Guide 110 Looking Back

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83 Great Garlic!

Dunridge Farms brings organic, sustainable garlic to Southern Georgian Bay.

BY EMILY WORTS

SUMMER 2017

www.onthebaymagazine.com

Artist Spotlight

91 Shimmering Shores Thornbury artist Deborah Masters combines colour and texture to bring nature to life in ethereal ways.

Waterfronts!

How we use them now, and how we’re building for the future

ON THE COVER: Archer Woods builds a sand castle at Little River Beach Park in Thornbury.

PHOTO BY KRISTIE WOODS

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FOUR SEASON RETREATS Invest in Enjoyment!

VOLUME 14, ISSUE 2 P UB L I S H ER

Jeffrey Shearer jshearer@onthebaymagazine.com ED I T OR

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ON THE BAY

SUMMER 2017

On The Bay is published by On The Bay Magazine Inc. 4 issues per year and distributed by Canada Post to the majority of households and businesses in Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Nottawa, Craigleith, Glencairn, Thornbury, Clarksburg, Ravenna, Markdale, Meaford, Creemore, Duntroon, Stayner, Glen Huron, Dunedin, Kimberley, Singhampton and Flesherton.

The magazine is also distributed to hotels, resorts, developer showrooms, realtor offices, and to members of private ski and golf clubs in the area.

Subscriptions outside the distribution area are $25.95 per year for 4 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, editor or staff of On The Bay Magazine.

Letters to the editor are welcome: readermail@onthebaymagazine.com Publications Mail Agreement No. 40943009 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: On The Bay Magazine Suite 201, 186 Hurontario St., Collingwood, Ontario, L9Y 4T4 Tel: 705-444-9192 Toll-free: 1-888-282-2014 Fax: 705-444-5658 Printed in Canada by Renaissance Printing Inc.

www.onthebaymagazine.com

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FR O M

O U R

E D IT OR

The Weight of

Water In June 2004, almost to the day as I write this, we were getting ready to send the

inaugural issue of On The Bay to the printer. After six months of researching story ideas, tracking down local writers and photographers, hiring an art director and salespeople, producing a prototype and launching the idea of this new regional magazine to the community, Publisher Jeff Shearer and I were ready to go “live” with the Summer 2004 issue of On The Bay. But first, we had to choose the photo that would grace the very first cover of the very first issue of this new magazine we had already grown to love.

We knew the stakes were high: our debut cover had to convey who the magazine was for and what it was about. It had to create a connection with the readers and give them an instant understanding of what to expect. It had to capture readers’ interest and make them want to open the magazine, pore through its pages, set it proudly on their coffee tables or pass it along to friends. It had to be perfect, or there might not be a second chance.

We had chosen the name On The Bay as a nod not only to our region’s geographic location but to what makes Southern Georgian Bay unique, what ties all of our varied communities together, what forms our collective identity, informs our chosen lifestyle and anchors us to this place. We knew the cover had to reflect that identity by speaking to the idea that we all love being “On The Bay.” With that in mind, we set up a photo shoot on the waterfront in Thornbury with Noelle and Doug Wansbrough and their sons, Tyler and Luke. We chose a young family deliberately, because we knew our area was far more than a “retirement community” – it was an active, four-season lifestyle community that attracted a broad demographic ranging from thirty-somethings and forty-somethings to “junior seniors” and “senior seniors.”

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ON THE BAY

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Now in our 14th year, looking back at that first cover of On The Bay reminds me that the direction we chose has continued to resonate with our readers and with our community.

The stories we wanted to tell were the stories of these diverse yet connected groups of people: their interests, their cares, their concerns, their activities, their homes, their lifestyles, and their shared future on the shores of Southern Georgian Bay. Now in our 14th year, looking back at that first cover of On The Bay reminds me that the direction we chose has continued to resonate with our readers and with our community. In our 62 editions to date, we have published stories about issues that affect us all, such as water levels, water taking, gravel pits, wind turbines, healthcare, real estate, economic development, and demographic shifts. We have highlighted our shared love of the outdoors with stories about skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, cycling, hiking, paddling, boating, sailing and fishing. We have taken a peek inside beautiful homes and gardens. We have sampled our region’s finest food and beverages. We have presented tips and advice from local experts on how to stay well, healthy and active no matter what your age.

With your help and support, we have created the magazine we envisioned in 2004, and the future has never looked brighter for On The Bay or for the community we portray within these pages.

And so, it is fitting that this issue’s cover and feature stories take us back to the Bay, where it all began, but with a view to future generations who will make their own memories here. From Wasaga Beach to Meaford and beyond to Owen Sound, our waterfronts are once again in the spotlight as municipalities look to realize their potential to draw more residents, visitors and tourists to our shores. Some of the plans are bold and ambitious; others are more about enhancing and protecting what nature provided.

In some locations, the next five to 10 years could see major changes to our waterfront. And this magazine will be here to tell you those stories and to hold our leaders accountable for ensuring that we all continue to celebrate life On The Bay. ❧

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FROM OUR

READERS It’s always a pleasure to see my copy of On The Bay arrive in my mailbox. The photography is stunning and the articles often open my eyes to things I didn’t even know were in my backyard!

Peggy Govers

RE: YES, WE CAN! SUMMER 2014 You may recall the article in On The Bay entitled “Yes We Can” in the Summer 2014 issue. Well, the same team that was referenced in that article have now formed a new organization: Georgian Bay Great Lakes Foundation. We are still the same volunteer team and we still have the same sound science with positive solutions backed by the same highly respected scientific advisors.

Why do we all love the Bay? Why do we keep coming back year after year?

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ON THE BAY

SUMMER 2017

For the beautiful blue, clear water? For the sunsets? For memorable family get-togethers? Whatever the reason, we all love the Bay and we all want to keep it forever in our minds.

But there are many threats to the Bay: water quality, water levels, wetlands, the fishery are all under threats. What organization is looking out for the Bay? Georgian Bay Great Lakes Foundation is, and if you are reading this, you need to know about this organization and figure out how you can support the sound science this group is known for.

We are the same group that first figured out that erosion was happening in the St. Clair River and was contributing to the 14 years of sustained low water levels. While we have a water level reprieve now, the long-term trends are merging, and the future will likely be more low water levels and new record lows. We have retained the same internationally respected coastal consulting firm, W.F. Baird and Associates, to look at future lake levels based on historic trends including the increased outflow from Lake Huron into the St. Clair River.

The preliminary findings are concerning, and we will be releasing Baird Report II in the fall of 2017. If you want to be part of this next stage of ground-breaking research, you can contribute to our work through the Huronia Community Foundation, the charity with which we are affiliated.

We have also been working with McMaster University’s Dr. Pat Chow-Fraser since 2003. Her team of graduate and doctoral students has been assessing and reporting on the state of Georgian Bay water quality, wetlands and the fishery in published papers in scientific journals such as the International Association of Great Lakes Researchers Journal. Dr. Chow-Fraser’s work on the Nottawasaga River covered multiple sources for the plume that goes out into the Bay each year after storm events, but her team needs more resources and funding in order to conduct a full evaluation. And we would like to be able to determine the cause of the fish and bird die-offs that happen sporadically along the beaches from Collingwood waterfront and the beaches to the east.

Our own hydraulic engineer, Bill Bialkowski, presented a paper last month at the annual conference of the International Great Lakes Researchers. Bill’s

airplane-wing design for flexible controls for the St. Clair River north of the Blue Water Bridge is the only design by any Great Lakes group that meets the International Joint Commission’s recommendation to our governments to restore water levels in Lakes Michigan-Huron responsibly in consideration of both extreme highs and lows.

Asian carp pose a very serious threat to Georgian Bay’s fishery and our wetlands. These very large, invasive fish will rip apart our wetlands and consume all the food base of our native fishery. Georgian Bay Great Lakes Foundation’s respected experts are counted on to be the voice at international meetings where we are demanding action to cut off the connections at Chicago and Ohio’s Sandusky River to keep these four- to fivefoot fish out of our beloved Bay. “Sound science and solutions” is both the motto and the challenge of this member of the Huronia Community Foundation charity.

Mary Muter, Chair Georgain Bay Great Lakes Foundation www.georgianbaygreatlakesfoundation.ca

RE: ALIEN INVADER, SUMMER 2016 Georgian Bay Forever wanted to update Mark Huminilowycz’s great articles for On The Bay about communities and caring organizations working together to fight an “alien invader,” the plant phragmites. Great progress has been made by communities in Southern Georgian Bay in the fight against this invasive plant blocking shorelines and “choking out other native plants and wildlife.”

To date, more than 30 tonnes of invasive phragmites have been removed

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from Southern Georgian Bay by community volunteers and partners Georgian Bay Forever, the RBC Foundation, the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority, the Town of Collingwood, the Blue Mountain Watershed Trust, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Honey Harbour Association and so many more.

The efforts are working and shorelines are recovering, but the fight is far from over. There are many phragmites stands that still need to be attacked.

Evening On

Tickets are selling like the wind…

70% sold out!

Don’t be disappointed, buy your ticket today.

CL UD NINE

Ladies and gentleman, please make sure your seats are in a full upright and locked position because this event is not to be missed. On Friday, August 11, 2017 at 5:00 p.m., spend an Evening on Cloud 9 – your feet won’t leave the ground. Leave your tux and gown at home, but prepare for a mysterious adventure. We must keep you in a holding pattern until we can release more information. At this time, all that we can tell you is that Oliver and Bonacini will prepare a meal that is out of this world! You will be in close range of the Collingwood General & Marine Hospital. Entertainment will be a jewel in the night.

More information will arrive in your mailbox when you purchase a ticket. Visit CollingwoodHospital.ca or call the Collingwood G&M Hospital Foundation at 705-444-8645.

G&M HOSPITAL

FOUNDATION

EveningOnCloud9.ca ON THE BAY

SUMMER 2017

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The RBC Blue Water Project has generously donated $32,000 to Georgian Bay Forever to help continue training and recruiting community volunteers to eradicate this plant. That’s where you come in! We need volunteers for this summer’s cuts in early August on the shorelines you care about on Georgian Bay. Please contact heather.sargeant@gbf.org to see how you can help or visit our website at www.gbf.org.

Heather Sargeant Communications Director, Georgian Bay Forever

RE: COLLINGWOOD HOSPITAL UPDATE There has been a lot of activity on the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH) redevelopment front over the past couple of months, with some key milestones checked off and notable meetings which have occurred. In mid-May, CGMH received the first set of comments back from the Capital Branch of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), on both its Stage 1 A and Stage 1 B, Master Program/Master Plan, submitted September 30, 2016.

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ON THE BAY

SUMMER 2017

A meeting was arranged quickly, and on June 12, 2017, discussions occurred with the Capital Branch of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Hospital’s Stage 1 Planning Consultants, along with hospital board members and senior staff, to discuss the comments we received.

This was a very productive and informative meeting, which helped provide further clarity to the team. We now have the opportunity to put the polishing touches on the Master Program/Master Plan, and provide insight into the comments the MOHLTC was seeking further information on. The hospital aims to have the updated submission back to the MOHLTC by early fall 2017.

While the hospital did not receive a planning grant in the 2017 Capital Budget, with support from MPP Jim Wilson, a private member’s resolution – which called for the immediate approval of planning grants for hospital redevelopment projects in Collingwood and Alliston – was passed June 1 with unanimous support from all three parties in the legislature.

Just to note, this is not an approval to move to Stage 2, but it’s a very positive sign to demonstrate that the government is serious about this project and reconfirms our notion that we are on the overall Capital List with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Even MPP Wilson agrees that until the cheque is sent, the community can help by writing letters and emails to the Premier and Minister of Health directly, and signing petitions.

The Premier can be reached at kwynne.mpp@liberal.ola.org or by mailing a letter to Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M7A 1A8. Minister Hoskins can be reached at ehoskins.mpp@liberal.ola.org or by writing him at the same address as above.

As our CEO, Guy Chartrand most recently stated, “It’s all about continuing to build awareness and moving the file forward.” There is still a long journey ahead and we continue to work through the five-stage planning process, which aims to see a new hospital built in the South Georgian Bay community in the next decade.

On another positive front, the hospital and foundation were very pleased

by the April 25, 2017 commitment by the County of Simcoe, as they continue to invest $45 million over the next 15 years into hospital capital projects.

Collingwood G&M Hospital and Stevenson Memorial Hospital are at the forefront of the receiving end, as they continue to move their redevelopment projects forward.

CGMH is now working on planning applications for its preferred Poplar Sideroad site and continues to meet with the Town of Collingwood, County of Simcoe and other approval authorities/agencies, as it prepares to submit its planning applications. The sixth regional Mayors’ Forum will take place this summer and includes representation from Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Clearview, The Blue Mountains, Grey Highlands and the County of Simcoe.

The Mayors’ Forum provides an opportunity for regional leaders to meet with hospital leadership to collaborate on the government requirements set in the five phases of the redevelopment process.

While the redevelopment process remains competitive, with lots of hospitals all vying for capital funds at the same time, we continue to gain momentum and have strong community support. We are on a very strong path forward, which will continue with the pre-work for Stage 2, as we await our Stage 1 approval to proceed.

Thom Paterson, Board Chair Collingwood General and Marine Hospital

WHERE DO YOU STAND ON THE ISSUES? Do you have any comments, suggestions or additional information in response to any of our stories?

Don’t be shy! We’d love to hear from you! To submit your letter to the Editor, go to www.onthebaymagazine.com and click on “Have Your Say.” Comments will be published in an upcoming issue of On The Bay. We reserve the right to edit for style, content and space considerations.

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13

FENC E P O S T S

SCIENCE PROJECTS True confessions from the 9th Concession

by DAN NEEDLES

❧

illustration by SHELAGH ARMSTRONG-HODGSON

The topic of science rarely comes up at our dinner table now that my kids have cleared the public school system. There was a time when we talked of nothing else. Our lives were governed by overdue science projects.

One time I got a call from the principal of our little rural school asking if I would come and judge the annual science fair.

“I’m flattered,” I said. “But I don’t know anything about science. You pointed that out to me just last month.”

My daughter had come home furious because I had pasted a picture of a frog on her reptile project and she received a B-minus for her efforts. Mr. M. chided me in the hallway soon after. “This is your fourth reptile project, Dan. Surely by now you know that a frog is an amphibian.”

“So do you really want me to judge science projects?” I asked.

“You’re perfect for the job. You have broad shoulders. You take abuse well.

And you spend a lot of time out of the country. The best part is that you have no conflicts, because none of your kids is any good at science.”

And they weren’t. My brother’s kids inherited all the left-brain science genes.

It seemed whenever I called the cousins they were out classifying insects or advancing to the provincial solar car finals. If my brother called me, chances are he’d catch my kids in the middle of a whipped cream fight.

By that point I’d freighted at least 50 science projects to the school: Styrofoam castles, waterwheels, a lie detector set, windup cars, rock collections, a deadly trebuchet that broke a window, a Greek warship and more. Charlie, the bus driver, wouldn’t allow my projects on the bus. I assumed this was for safety reasons, but Charlie finally told me it was because I had helped. “Don’t do their homework!” he shouted at me and banged the bus door shut in my face. “Charlie is right,” I said to Mr. M. “Lots of kids do these things by themselves, don’t they?”

“I’ve never seen it myself,” he said. “But I’ve only been doing this for 35 years.”

I always liked Mr. M. He loved kids and had a great sense of humour, which is a fatal combination for anyone in education these days. He had a bad habit of bursting into laughter at the wrong moment and it got him

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ON THE BAY

SUMMER 2017

banished to places like our little school on the hill in the middle of nowhere.

“Anyway,” he said, “you don’t have to worry about actually judging anything. I tell you who wins long before the contest, so you don’t get into trouble.”

This was reassuring. Mr. M. was old enough to remember the famous project my wife’s cousin Eddie entered for the 1974 Grey County Science Fair. His father said if they were going to build something it should be useful. So they went out to the shop and welded together a corn dryer about the size of a cruise missile.

It weighed a ton and they had to tow it to school behind the 1066 International.

If you’ve ever wondered why they have height, width and weight restrictions on science projects at your school, it’s because of cousin Eddie’s corn dryer. He didn’t win but he inspired new province-wide regulations for science fairs. And the corn dryer is still in service today.

“So what kinds of projects do we have this year?” I asked.

“There’s a satellite auto-guidance system for a rototiller. The veterinarian’s kid is doing nose swabs on everybody to identify this year’s flu virus. And another kid is building an ethanol plant. I’m not sure if that one’s going to be allowed on school property because it’s basically a corn liquor distillery.”

“So which one wins?”

“None of those. You can choose among any of the Old Faithfuls – the vinegar and baking soda volcano, the leaf identification chart, or the poster that asks, ‘Which falls faster – the stone or the bag of feathers?’”

“But what about the show-offs? Won’t they be upset if they go to all that work and don’t get a prize?” Mr. M. shrugged. “You give them each a big purple ribbon with a Special Creativity Award. Then I take a picture of the kid and their project, and we put it up in the hallway for a week. That gives you lots of time to get to the airport.”

Mr. M. is long since retired and the little school has been shuttered for nearly a decade, but every time I go by the abandoned building I am gently reminded that a frog is an amphibian. ❧ Author and playwright Dan Needles is the recipient of the Leacock Medal for Humour. He lives on a small farm in Nottawa.

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Wate Our waterfronts, from Wasaga Beach (left) and Collingwood (upper left) to Thornbury (upper right) and Meaford (above), have a rich history and a bright future.

ON THE BAY

SUMMER 2017

PHOTO BY RICHARD GARNER

FEATURE

From Wasaga Beach to Meaford, our waterfronts have always been a key component of our region’s identity. Today, towns across Southern Georgian Bay are making plans and investments to create shorelines that are accessible, enjoyable and sustainable. A look at the past, present and future of our waterfronts.

by JANET LEES

terfront!

ON THE BAY

SUMMER 2017

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PHOTO BY DAVE WEST

F E AT UR E

The Shipyards Amphitheatre, a community park located at the north end of Maple Street, draws crowds to the waterfront to watch musical and theatrical performances.

n any given summer day, our waterfronts are teeming with life, with sailors and paddlers setting out to ply the waters of the Bay, picnickers and sunbathers relaxing on its beaches, and children splashing in its clear, turquoise shallows. The Georgian Bay shoreline extends more than 100 kilometres from Wasaga Beach to Meaford, of which vast expanses are open to the public – in some cases, for the first time in more than a century.

Now, municipalities across Southern Georgian Bay are putting plans in motion to make our waterfronts even more accessible and enjoyable.

Each town has its own vision of what the future holds for the section of waterfront within its care, but they all agree that our waterfronts are integral to the identity of our region and essential to its growth, strength and development.

Collingwood George Czerny’s nostalgia for Collingwood’s waterfront stretches back to the late 1970s, when shipping and shipbuilding were still the town’s bread and butter. He has fond memories of standing on Heritage Drive to watch the enormous ships being hammered and welded into existence.

“From ’77 on I used to drive down there every day and marvel at the shipyard and think, ‘wow, this is fantastic,’” he recalls. “You could see the sparks flying from the welding that was happening, and you could stand on that road and watch what was going on as they built a ship within 100 yards of where you were standing. The shipyard took in all of the waterfront from Heritage Drive to Maple Street; there was no public access.”

On days when a ship was launched – called a “side launch” because the newly built ships entered the water broadside – businesses would

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close, children would be let out of school, and residents and visitors alike would crowd the public portion of the waterfront adjacent to the shipyards to watch the spectacle as the massive ship hit the water at a heart-stopping angle, sending huge waves crashing over the pier.

On the way to his ship-watching vantage point, Czerny would pass trucks leaving the Collingwood Terminals loaded with grain. “The ships came from the western side of the Great Lakes bringing grain to the Terminals, and it would be loaded onto trucks that would take it to market,” he explains. “The ships would load or unload at the Terminals and then steam off back across Georgian Bay. Ships came from all over the world; sometimes you would see one from Rotterdam or some other European city and think how far it had travelled across the ocean, down the St. Lawrence and through the Great Lakes to get to our little town on the southern shore of Georgian Bay.” The shipyard closed in 1986 and grain service to Collingwood Terminals ended in 1993, bringing the town’s twin engines of commerce to a halt. In the years that followed, as Collingwood struggled to reinvent itself and gradually saw the economy shift from industry to tourism, the shoreline where the shipyards had operated remained closed to the public.

That changed in 2006 when the Shipyards residential development began to blossom on the site of the defunct industrial shipyards, opening up the waterfront to the public for the first time in over 100 years and installing pedestrian pathways, bike trails, parks, an amphitheatre and a waterfront promenade.

The Town of Collingwood sees the waterfront as a key driver for tourism, growth and economic development. With that in mind, the town completed a comprehensive Waterfront Master Plan in November 2016, which has now been adopted by council as a long-term, comprehensive blueprint for turning the Collingwood waterfront into a four-season public playground.

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The Collingwood Waterfront Master Plan includes a splash pad surrounding an Indigenous Gathering Space (left) and a pedestrian piazza that extends from the downtown to the waterfront (above), with reminders of the town’s shipping and shipbuilding history.

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Developed in collaboration with numerous stakeholder and waterfront user groups and after extensive public input, the bold, $50-million plan focuses on the 7.5-kilometre section of shoreline where the majority of public spaces are located, from Hen and Chickens Island in the west to Sunset Point Park in the east. Priorities include an off-road trail network, mixed-use activity in the downtown-area waterfront and on the pier, enhanced recreational amenities in Sunset Point Park and Harbourview Park, and new facilities for motorized and non-motorized boating.

“Rejuvenated public spaces will support Collingwood’s existing strengths: natural beauty, a historically significant harbour, a vibrant commercial downtown and an active community life,” reads the plan’s executive summary.

“This is really more of a concept plan that lays out how we will organize things as we go along the path,” explains Dean Collver, Collingwood’s director of parks, recreation and culture. “It gives us a consolidated overview so that things have a connected feel rather than portions and parcels that are developed in a piecemeal way.” The town

and its consultants, Brook McIlroy, held 30 public meetings over several days at locations ranging from the curling club to the grain elevators.

“We really wanted a high level of public engagement,” says Collver. “We ended up talking to a little over 2,000 public points of contact.”

These included user groups such as boaters and paddlers, environmental groups, condo associations, seniors and the general population. “The consultants also identified youth very specifically, so we had four youth sessions in total geared to grades 8 to 12. Recognizing that this is a long-term plan, those youth will be the ones who will ultimately be living with it – and potentially paying for it.”

This isn’t the first time Collingwood has attempted to conceive a long-term vision for its waterfront; several other plans have been developed over the past 30 years but never came to fruition. The difference, says Collver, is that this plan contains action steps and cost estimates, so it is more concrete than simply a wish list that might end up languishing on a shelf as its predecessors have.

The Collingwood Waterfront Master Plan has been divided into

ON THE BAY

SUMMER 2017

23

F E AT UR E

The Collingwood Waterfront Master Plan extends from Hen and Chickens Island in the west to Sunset Point Park in the east.

three implementation phases, with the $24-million first phase broken into five smaller steps in order to “break the cost into bite-sized pieces and create achievable goals,” explains Collver.

Step One of Phase One is a $7-million project that will create a gathering place centred on a four-season pavilion in Harbourview Park (behind McDonald’s restaurant). The Park Pavilion would be a hub for paddlers and for users of the Collingwood Trail Network and the Georgian Trail, offering public restroom facilities, a restaurant/café, boaters’ club area, lounge and patio. There would also be a boat storage building for paddlers.

Next to the pavilion, the plan envisions an “Indigenous Gathering Structure” honouring the First Nations people who settled in the area more than 15,000 years before Europeans arrived. “The Park Pavilion will also have interpretation and recollection of First Nations and our first peoples, which strategically ties it all together,” notes Collver. “We don’t have a lot of local reflections of indigenous culture; this is a way to remind us that this land was used by First Nations first.”

The inclusion of indigenous elements is at least partially strategic, he admits. “We don’t have the tax dollars to support this kind of capital spend, so we have to go after other sources. Our first obvious choice is to go to the province and see what the opportunities are there to accomplish some of their objectives while also accomplishing ours.”

Incorporating First Nations and other cultural and historical aspects along with active transportation and sustainability will enable the town

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The Collingwood Waterfront Master Plan has been divided into three implementation phases, with the $24-million first phase broken into five smaller steps in order to “break the cost into bite-sized pieces and create achievable goals,” explains Collver. to seek funding from multiple ministries, including heritage, aboriginal affairs, tourism and transportation, says Collver. “It opens up more opportunities for us to essentially get access to more provincial budgets.”

The province isn’t the only source of funding the town will be considering; Collingwood is currently in negotiations with the County of Simcoe to sell off some land along the rail line between Poplar Sideroad and Utopia, and “those funds could be directed to the Waterfront Master

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F E AT UR E

With the longest freshwater beach in the world, Wasaga has long been a popular summer destination for tourists.

Plan reserve to show the province that we’re investing in this, not just looking for handouts,” says Collver. Development charges could also go towards the waterfront project.

Other sources of funding could include the federal government, granting agencies such as the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Regional Tourism Organization 7 (RTO7), and partnerships with local developers and business owners as well as groups and organizations such as the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA), Environment Network, Downtown Business Improvement Association (BIA), Collingwood Trails Committee, Collingwood Yacht Club, Collingwood Rowing Club, Canoe and Dragon Boat Club, and the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts.

Another, possibly, would see the town seeking out private donations either directly or through a community foundation. Operating independently of government, community foundations are not-for-profit charitable organizations that pool the charitable gifts of many donors into a community endowment fund or funds. The foundation would then distribute grants within the community in a variety of areas, including arts and culture, education, recreation, health, social services or the environment, acting as a granting organization for various projects.

“In a perfect world, if everything goes well, we would be doing design and final construction drawings in 2018 and building in 2019,” says Collver. “We would have to have the $7 million in hand and we will have to go through another level of public engagement to get a real solid construction plan, then go to tender and build.”

Step Two in the Harbourview Park vision would see the addition of a 333-metre-long oval water feature encircling the Indigenous Gathering Structure, which would serve as a skating trail in the winter and a splash pad in the summer. “This was the number one thing people mentioned that they wanted in all of our public sessions, pretty much through all of our demographics,” notes Collver.

Collver and Martin Rydlo, the town’s director of marketing and

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business development, are already making the rounds to various government ministries and organizations to present Phase One of the Waterfront Master Plan. For his part, Rydlo sees it as an easy sell in terms of the growth, economic development and community building that could result from such a project.

“Because the outdoor active lifestyle is such a key piece that brings people here, we have a tremendous opportunity before us,” he enthuses.

“Gathering places like this only attract more people who want to be here and enjoy the great outdoor lifestyle. I’m so excited about this Harbourview Pavilion because it has so many facets to it – winter, spring, summer, fall – whether it’s integrating the trails, whether it’s integrating with skating, or whether it’s integrating with our aboriginal history, it will become a real central place for the community.”

Harbourview Park is just one small piece of the five-phase Waterfront Master Plan, which also lays out priorities for Collingwood Harbour, “the Ridgeline” next to downtown, the Shipyards, Collingwood Pier, Sunset Point Park, and the areas known as the Eastern and Western Fens. For a complete copy of the full, 74-page plan, go to www.collingwood.ca/wmp.

Mayor Sandra Cooper says she is “very confident” the plan will come to fruition, although it may take some time. “It’s a legacy plan and it’s not going to happen overnight or even a year or two years down the road,” says Cooper. “It might be 10 years to completion, but it has been embraced by council and by our residents and it’s a positive move for the future.”

Wasaga Beach Collingwood isn’t alone in seeing the Georgian Bay shoreline as the key to its future; Wasaga Beach also has an ambitious plan for its waterfront, with a view to reinventing the town as a vibrant community with a strong economic core and plenty of “unique and authentic experiences” to attract permanent and seasonal residents as well as visitors and tourists.

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F E AT UR E

Featuring the longest freshwater beach in the world, Wasaga’s waterfront is a vital component of that rebuilding and rebranding.

Wasaga Beach has a rich history as a summer beach town. For over 80 years, “The Beach” was a popular holiday spot for soldiers from Base Borden and tourists from across Ontario and the northern U.S. Families, teens and young adults flocked to the carnival-like atmosphere, which included midway rides, a movie theatre, indoor and outdoor bowling, dancing, wave pools, water slides, restaurants, hotels, arcades, shops and restaurants – all within a stone’s throw of the spectacular waterfront. The beach itself attracted millions of sunbathers, picnickers and partiers, and was the preferred site of events ranging from classic car shows to watersports competitions. It wasn’t unusual for over 10,000 people to descend on the beach in a single summer weekend.

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In the early 2000s, the town began to move away from its raucous party image and shifted its focus to attracting more full-time residents looking for a quiet, year-round lifestyle on or near the beach while continuing to bring tourists and families to the waterfront in the summer months. However, although relatively low real estate prices spurred residential growth that earned Wasaga Beach the title of fastest-growing community in Canada, tourism began a decline that saw numbers drop by about 100,000 visitors a year. The town’s economy went from sluggish to struggling.

Then disaster struck. On November 30, 2007, a major fire destroyed 90 per cent of the buildings along the street mall in Beach Area One. The waterfront continued to draw tourists, but with little else to do nearby, the numbers continued to fall and the town’s economy stalled. A second

Wasaga Beach (right) is a “clean slate” for the town’s Downtown Development Master Plan, which would see the main beach area transformed into a centre for amusement, activities and entertainment (above).

ON THE BAY

SUMMER 2017

29

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The Blue Mountains has developed a Delphi Point Park Management Plan to make the area more inviting while also enhancing the natural feel and protecting the ancient fossil beds.

setback followed when a developer proposed a redevelopment plan, only to declare bankruptcy before the project could move ahead.

In 2015, with no other purchasers on the horizon, town council took an audacious step, voting to buy up seven of the Beach Area One properties itself at a cost of $13.8 million.

The town has worked to spiff up the properties and get them rented.

“In the two years since we made that purchase, we are happy to say today that all of our buildings with the exception of two are leased, and we are in talks to lease the other two,” says Mayor Brian Smith. “That has brought a lot of vibrance back to the beach. That area has become very popular, we’re close to a million-visitor increase in tourism over the first two summers, and that is through a lot of hard work and ensuring that when people come to visit Wasaga Beach, they have things to do for more than a few hours.”

Now, as the owner of 76 per cent of the property at the main beach area and with a new master plan approved at the end of March, the town is poised to begin rebuilding its downtown and beachfront. “Our goal is to create a walkable, mixed-use space and a hub or community gathering place not only on the south side of the Nottawasaga River on Main Street but also on the beach side where all the tourists tend to congregate,” says Smith. “Wasaga Beach has had a few plans done in the past, but they have been more like visions; once they were done they were stuck on a shelf and nothing happened. This one is different because it’s not pie-in-the sky.

It has to be realistic, it has to be affordable, it has to be something we can accomplish in the near future, and it has to be sustainable.”

The Downtown Development Master Plan (DDMP) aims to bring the “fun” back by turning the Beach District into the “entertainment activity centre” of Wasaga Beach. “Taking a cue from its cultural heritage, the Beach District will bring back family and indoor entertainment to diversify the activities offered, ensuring that the beach is a dependable destination through bad weather and through the off season,” reads the plan. “By strengthening the beach as a destination, the town reinforces the synergy held between the beach and town to create a sustainable entity.”

Priority projects targeted for the beachfront include a beach boardwalk, a Festival Square “event plaza,” an “entertainment zone,” a

FE A T UR E

“resort residential zone,” and boutique hotels. Framing the event plaza would be 3- to 6-storey mixed-use buildings containing retail shops and restaurants on the ground floor with residential apartments above.

Designed to “leverage and protect the town’s main asset,” the beachfront boardwalk would reduce the effects of wind erosion on the beach sand. According to the detailed plan, the elevated boardwalk would have an effect similar to sand dunes, redirecting wind and blown sand while providing an “attractive and accessible” vantage point to take in views of the Bay. “The beach boardwalk would cohesively connect the beachfront from end to end and be designated as part of the greater Wasaga Beach trail network,” reads the plan. “Connected to the Festival Square, the beach boardwalk would be a high pedestrian traffic zone and could be a defining element of the beachfront.”

The Festival Square would be the “final destination and climax of the visitor experience … designed to open onto the beach for crowds to enjoy concerts and events from the sand, as well as having a beautiful backdrop.”

Recognizing that “successful beach destinations cannot rely on sun and sand alone,” the entertainment zone would have a variety of activities to entice visitors to stay longer, creating greater economic benefit for the town. Entertainment components and attractions could include rides and amusement, an observation tower, outdoor water play and indoor water parks, indoor and outdoor performance venues, skating rinks, indoor arcades and bowling.

Wasaga Beach council has shortlisted Fram Building Group and Slokker Canada (developers of the Shipyards in Collingwood) as the building partner for town-owned land within the DDMP project.

Connecting up with the beachfront would be a new pedestrianfriendly Main Street corridor that would give beachgoers another way to spend their time and money. “We believe that this revitalization and redevelopment of our waterfront and the creation of our downtown is going to have a similar impact to the Village at Blue in terms of increasing tourism visitation not only to Wasaga Beach but to all of Simcoe County,” says Andrew McNeill, the town’s director of economic development and tourism, adding, “We are moving quickly to get some shovels in the ground. We have a request for expressions of interest right now looking for mixed-use development partners to work with the town, and the goal is to make this plan real as quickly as possible.”

The DDMP, which would cost about $650 million to implement, would also create 1,400 jobs and result in a 45 per cent increase in longerstay tourists, says McNeill.

“For a couple of generations, there was a formula that really worked here. There was a downtown, there was a main street, and there was a whole main end of the beach that had amusements, rides, carousels, etc. so that folks that came here for the beach – which was obviously our main draw – if it was windy, rainy, or when the sun went down, there were lots of things to do in our community. For the past couple of decades, the town kind of went away from our strength, and we struggled. We’re now going back and trying to re-create what our strength was and will be.”

Adds Mayor Smith, “We have to build a community that is attractive to our full-time residents while creating a tourism atmosphere that is attractive for all, but it has to be that if people come to

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Thornbury Harbour will be the subject of a Harbour Master Plan that will look at how to draw visitors from the downtown to the harbour.

Wasaga Beach, it can be raining and there will still be plenty to do.

“We have the advantage of having a clean slate, and how many communities can say that? We have the ability to start from scratch.”

For full details on the “Build Wasaga” initiative and the DDMP, go to www.wasagabeach.com and click on “Downtown Development Project.”

The Blue Mountains If the plans for Collingwood and Wasaga Beach come to pass, those looking for a less busy, more “pure” and peaceful waterfront experience will likely head to The Blue Mountains, where there are no massive entertainment venues, water slides or amusement parks proposed.

The public portions of shoreline in The Blue Mountains include Northwinds Beach, Craigleith Provincial Park, Delphi Point, Council Beach, Peasemarsh Beach, Bayview Park, Thornbury Harbour, Little River Beach Park, Lions Park and Lora Bay Park. All are kept relatively unspoiled and pristine, and the town sees no reason to change that.

“Where some other municipalities are looking at developing their waterfront more as a developed piece of property, keeping our character is hugely important to us,” says Shawn Everitt, director of community services for the town. “The nice thing for us is we don’t need to redefine ourselves because we’re already defined.”

In addition to attracting different demographics compared to Collingwood and Wasaga Beach, The Blue Mountains also has a completely different shoreline – and even different types of shoreline from one end of the town to the other, thanks to glaciation.

“We’re blessed with a waterfront that from Christie Beach to Council Beach is more of a rocky type of shoreline and from Council Beach to Craigleith Provincial Park, complete shale,” says Everitt. “Then we have a sandy beach from Northwinds around to Long Point Road, and it’s all because of the glaciers. We’ve got a real variety of shoreline, and we try

FE A T UR E

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Invest an hour of your time with Thornbury Harbour will undergo a Harbour Master Plan over the next two years, which will focus on beautifying the area surrounding the harbour as well as opportunities for additional parking and enhancements to the green space. to keep it as natural as possible, with less bling.” Tying it all together is the Georgian Trail. “We look at the Georgian Trail as the spine because it really connects our waterfronts,” notes Everitt.

As part of its Leisure Activities Plan, The Blue Mountains conducted a complete review of all of the waterfront properties in the town, including the walkways down to the water’s edge. “We went through each of them with council and said what are the future uses of these and which ones do we want to enhance,” explains Everitt.

As a result of that process, a pedestrian walkway will be installed at Northwinds Beach this year to allow beachgoers to get directly to the waterfront from the crosswalk near The Depot. “We wanted to create pedestrian connectivity at Grey Road 19 and Hwy. 26,” says Everitt.

“With the new walkway, you will be able to cross at the intersection and take a ramped walkway right over to Northwinds.”

He adds the walkway should also help with Northwinds’ limited

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F E AT UR E

Meaford’s Waterfront Strategy and Master Plan, completed in 2014, proposes a Harbour Village concept that would include shops, restaurants, inns, studios and galleries around the town’s Old Harbour.

parking woes. “One of the issues is the parking at Northwinds and it’s not legal for people to park on the road, so we’re hoping that with this enhanced pedestrian connectivity there will be opportunities for people to park on the other side of the road off the highway and walk over.”

Thornbury Harbour will undergo a Harbour Master Plan over the next two years, which will focus on beautifying the area surrounding the harbour as well as opportunities for additional parking and enhancements to the green space. Little River Park, the pebbled beach area next to the harbour and the Thornbury Pier, will also undergo improvements including enhancing the public washrooms to better accommodate the many families who use the park.

The Harbour Master Plan will also look at how to better draw visitors from the downtown to the harbour. “For most people passing by, you know that the water’s there, but you wouldn’t necessarily know there’s a harbour. We have this amazing harbour, and we need to market it better and make more of a connection to the harbour from the downtown.”

With that in mind, last year the town completed a $400,000 project to give the historic trestle bridge across the Beaver River a facelift and add night lighting. “That trestle bridge is a key aspect of the community,” says Everitt. “We wanted to enhance its presence to make it more eye catching, so that when you stand on the Highway 26 bridge you can look to the north and have a great view of the trestle bridge and maybe that will make you want to explore down to the waterfront.”

Delphi Point, across from Georgian Peaks, is seeing increased use from those looking for quiet enjoyment of the waterfront. “It’s a perfect

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beach to go out with your beach chair on the shale,” says Everitt. “You’re basically knee-deep in water and the shale is flat as flat can be. It’s not a beach that’s really meant for swimming, but we’re finding that it’s a beach that’s being used for relaxation.”

After a tornado ripped through the area in 2007, cutting a path of destruction through Delphi Point, the town rebuilt the property using the wood from the downed trees to build new sign posts, benches and pavilions. “Everything you see on that property, we’ve actually used that wood, so the history is still there,” notes Everitt.

Delphi is also designated by UNESCO as environmentally significant due to the large fossil beds that carpet the shale beach. “In the scientific world, it is a heavily identified piece of property to find trilobites,” says Everitt, referring to fossils of extinct marine anthropods that were abundant in the Paleozoic era. But while scientific and educational groups are welcome, there have been instances of visitors damaging or taking some of the fossils, so the town is currently working on a waterfront master plan for the neighbourhoods of Delphi and Peaks Bay with a view to protecting these natural treasures.

“We’re trying to protect the shoreline the way it is today, understanding that there is a huge amount of traffic,” says Everitt.

Protecting and making the most of what nature has provided sums up the town’s approach to its shoreline. “In everything we’ve done, we’ve always identified that the waterfront is our priority, and we’ve really taken the stance that, we will try to keep them as natural as possible.”

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Meaford Whereas in Collingwood and The Blue Mountains the municipality only owns or manages intermittent sections of its waterfront, Meaford controls the lion’s share. “We feel very fortunate in Meaford to have the care and control of the majority of our waterfront right from Fred Raper Park through to David Johnson Park,” says Rob Armstrong, director of development and environmental services.

As for the town’s approach to its shoreline, Armstrong explains, “We want to keep the waterfront for the public. It’s mostly about improving what we have, making it prettier and more accessible.”

Meaford completed a Waterfront Strategy & Master Plan in 2014, which covers the open space and harbour lands along Bayfield Street, the Old Harbour walls, the Bighead River mouth, the lands east of the harbour, the beaches, and the New Harbour. The planning process included a “visioning” session with local residents.

The plan envisions a $4.6-million Harbour Village concept, which reimagines the Old Harbour as the location of a new waterfront village commercial destination featuring shops, restaurants, inns, studios and art galleries that would foster tourism and economic development. The Harbour Village concept also envisions increased non-motorized boating, along with trails and a boardwalk extending across the Bighead River.

The plan includes this dream of the future: “The Harbour Village attracts local residents and tourists alike with its shops and restaurants along the west wall overlooking the Bighead River mouth that is animated with anglers and water-based activities on kayaks, canoes and small sailboats. Community fairs and events spill over from the Harbour Village to the extended sidewalks on Bayfield Street that are enhanced with street trees, lighting, benches and decorative paving.

Nelson Street is animated with ground level commercial activity and is a key pedestrian corridor from the downtown to the waterfront and the pedestrian bridge across the river. The Rotary Harbour Pavilion, with striking views to both harbours and the bay, shines as the gathering place for small and large community events.”

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However, it is unclear how, when or if the Harbour Village vision will become a reality. In the meantime, the plan ensures that land uses and development in and around Meaford’s hidden gem of a harbour will be consistent with waterfront enjoyment. “This is a long-term plan; it’s not something that’s going to happen overnight,” says Armstrong, adding the town would be looking for private investors to complete the project.

While he admits there were “competing interests,” with some residents wanting the New Harbour greatly expanded for boating, in the end the town’s consultant recommended the Harbour Village concept as a more affordable, viable and sustainable option.

“It was very clear through the visioning session that the residents really view the waterfront and particularly the harbour as being one of our key assets going forward, from a tourism point of view and a recreational/activity point of view. This plan really found a balance between the recreational use and the public use.”

The plan envisions a $4.6-million Harbour Village concept, which reimagines the Old Harbour as the location of a new waterfront village commercial destination featuring shops, restaurants, inns, studios and art galleries that would foster tourism and economic development.

HAVE YOUR SAY! What do you think of the various plans for our waterfronts? Do you have any memories to share? We want to hear from you! Email readermail@onthebaymagazine.com or go to www. onthebaymagazine.com and click “Have Your Say” to send a letter to the editor to be published in an upcoming issue of On The Bay.

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PHOTO BY RICHARD GARNER

Picture this: 10 years from now, you are riding in a boat on Georgian Bay heading from east to west. You take in the view of the hustle and hubbub of Wasaga Beach, with its vibrant throngs basking on the 14-kilometre-long beach and reveling in the adjacent amusements. You glide past Collingwood and appreciate its active lifestyle, its architecture and icons, its refined waterfront replete with nods to history and culture.

As you travel farther west past Craigleith, Thornbury and Meaford, the shoreline reverts to its unadorned beauty, with fewer and fewer manmade structures to supplement the immaculate image Mother Nature created. Pleasure craft enter and exit the picturesque harbours as fishermen and families dot the banks.

If all goes according to plan, in the coming decade vast swaths of our coastline could look completely different than they do today and bring thousands more to our shores. One thing is certain: our waterfront will continue to play a vital role in our regional identity for years to come. ❧

FEATURE

In the town’s “visioning” session, some local residents wanted to see Meaford Harbour expanded for boaters, but the plan’s consultant saw this as more costly and less sustainable than the Harbour Village concept.

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FEATURE

Collingwood

Terminals

John Wiggins takes in the view of the iconic Collingwood Terminals from his Shipyards condo.

Gateway to the past, or white elephant?

One man’s viewpoint.

by JANET LEES photo by JESSICA CRANDLEMIRE he view from the third-floor office in John Wiggins’ Shipyards condo is enviable: a perfect panorama of Collingwood’s waterfront, with the Collingwood Terminals grain elevator framed squarely in the centre of the north window’s circular porthole motif.

The iconic structure stands like a sentry at the entrance to Collingwood Harbour, harkening back to the days when Collingwood was a thriving shipping port known as the “Chicago of the North.” Lit up at night, the façade’s ethereal glow conjures the ghosts of the thousands who toiled in its shadow during Collingwood’s 100-year shipbuilding heyday.

It is arguably our region’s most recognizable and beloved landmark. Yet far from relishing the sight, Wiggins looks out his window at the Terminals building and dreams of tearing it down.

“As far as I’m concerned, that little piece of land out there, which I call Harbour Island and everybody else calls The Spit, has that big hunk of concrete on it that’s doing absolutely nothing – it doesn’t pay taxes, and it’s kind of in the way of a huge opportunity,” explains Wiggins. “Unfortunately, everyone’s in love with it, so whenever I mention knocking it down they want to hang me from the nearest tree.”

Wiggins’ vision for the property includes demolishing the Terminals building, using the rubble to expand the Millennium Park property on the water side of the Terminals, and developing a “very meaningful, world-class” arts and convention centre on the land.

“I see the possibility of becoming an Aspen or a Banff of the east,” says Wiggins. “It’s a gem of a property and how do you turn that into something very significant? The challenge is getting people over the hurdle of what it could be and how important it could be in the future.”

A former ad designer and the retired founder of Creemore Springs Brewery, Wiggins has created a conceptual drawing of what he envisions on the property: a hotel, conference centre, performing arts theatre, sound studio, rehearsal hall and artist’s studios, with underground parking beneath the complex.

“I think if you put together what I’m talking about, there could be a million dollars worth of taxes each year instead of costing the town money,” says Wiggins, noting that the town owns the building and property. However, he admits the idea will be a “tough sell” – the historic significance of the building and the fact that it is within the Collingwood Downtown Heritage Conservation District mean that any proposal to demolish or significantly change the structure would likely meet with fierce opposition.

Wiggins’ idea is just the latest in a long line of uses that have been suggested for the Terminals and surrounding land. In the late ’90s, a local engineering firm proposed “The Collingwood Aerial” – a gondola that would take visitors from the grain elevators to downtown Collingwood and all the way to Blue Mountain. In 2012, a pair of local residents proposed turning the elevators into a specialty mushroom farm. Other ideas floated over the years

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SUMMER 2017

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Wiggins’ concept for what he calls “Harbour Island” would see the Terminals torn down to make way for a world-class arts and convention centre.

have included an office building, art gallery, marine museum, youth centre, sports facility, resort, cruise ship terminal, restaurant, shops and services, hotel, and condominiums.

In the few instances where an idea went beyond the conceptual stage, it fell by the wayside once the proponents realized the enormous cost involved in modernizing and converting a massive building with no water, sewer or electrical servicing, with cement walls several feet thick and reinforced with rebar.

Dean Collver, Collingwood’s director of parks, recreation and culture, recently met with Wiggins to discuss his idea and says he was impressed by Wiggins’ interest and effort, calling his plan “ambitious.”

However, he adds the town’s Waterfront Master Plan (WMP), which has been adopted by council and does not currently contain any proposals relating to the Terminals, will likely take precedence over other plans and proposals for at least the near future.

“The WMP was an intensive 11-month project that made over 2,000 points of contact with community members along the way. Additionally, it established an estimated $50-million project scope that we are just beginning to navigate,” notes Collver. “John’s concept is, by his own admission, a significant addition to that scope. I definitely applaud his enthusiasm and vision, though, and would not want to deter him from his own efforts to move it forward, if it is feasible to do so.”

He adds the building’s designation as part of the Heritage Conservation District would make such a project especially challenging.

“It would be a difficult and extensive process to have it removed from designation prior to any consideration of demolition.”

The Terminals building is currently undergoing an engineering assessment to evaluate the soundness of the structure and any repairs that may be required. “This could be considered the first step in developing a longer-term outlook for the building,” says Collver.

For his part, Wiggins says he is still at the research stage and hopes to

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Wiggins’ vision for the property includes demolishing the Terminals building, using the rubble to expand the Millennium Park property on the water side of the Terminals, and developing a “very meaningful, world-class” arts and convention centre on the land. get others behind his concept or something similar to move it forward. “I see myself as a catalyst,” he says, adding, “It’s not against the terminals; it’s about what could be there and making the most out of a jewel of a piece of property.” ❧

HAVE YOUR SAY! What do you think of John Wiggins’ idea for the Collingwood Terminals property? What would you like to see happen to the Terminals building? We want your feedback! Email readermail@onthebaymagazine.com or go to www.onthebaymagazine. com and click “Have Your Say” to send a letter to the editor to be published in an upcoming issue of On The Bay.

Nominate a Grassroots Hero Group!

We’re on the lookout for the next crop of Grassroots Heroes, and we’re honouring groups this year! Do you know of a local charitable or nonprofit group that is making a difference in our community? A group of dedicated volunteers who go “above and beyond” to positively impact Southern Georgian Bay? Deadline for nominations is July 31, 2017.

We will make our selections in August, 2017 to be published in the Winter 2017 issue.

www.onthebaymagazine.com/nominate-a-grassroots-hero

ON THE BAY

SUMMER 2017

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COURTESY OF THE CITY OF OWEN SOUND

F E AT UR E

Owen Sound is about to embark on a Downtown River Precinct project, which would connect pedestrians from the waterfront to the downtown along the Sydenham River.

A Sound Investment Owen Sound is poised to make waterfront enjoyment an even bigger part of its charm

by JANET LEES

wen Sound’s history is intricately tied to its harbour, and the city once known as “Little Liverpool” is gearing up to ensure the waterfront creates an even more important link to its future.

Originally named Sydenham, Owen Sound was a “jumping off point” for travellers and immigrants as well as a major port of call for the merchant ships plying Georgian Bay from the 1800s onwards, earning it a rowdy reputation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today the harbour that once brought sailors ashore for the brothels, bars and bootlegging has evolved into a local attraction that is as peaceful as it is picturesque.

Large ships continue to frequent Owen Sound regularly, moving grain and other goods in and out or docking for repairs, but the city’s harbour and the adjoining Sydenham River, which runs through its downtown, have taken on new significance as part of an urban planning strategy that incorporates waterside walking, cycling, arts and cultural elements and on-the-water activities as incentives to fuel growth, economic development and tourism.

“The waterfront is a huge asset for the city; it really is invaluable,” says community services director Pam Coulter. “When you come here and you

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experience that waterfront, it’s such a great place that you definitely want to come back, and if you work here you think, ‘wow, I am so lucky to be able come down here on my lunch and take this beautiful walk.’”

Owen Sound’s harbour already offers plenty to see, do and experience, including Kelso Beach; a marina; municipal boat launch; pedestrian walkways lined with benches, flower planters and heritage lights; a historic CP train station (soon to be transformed into a local craft brewpub); and The Community Waterfront Heritage Centre and Marine Rail Museum, housed in a former CN Railway station together with the city’s Tourism Centre.

The Waterfront Trail system follows the shoreline, connecting to the west with the Georgian Bluffs Rail Trail and to the east with the Tom Thomson Trail, which runs all the way to Meaford and the Georgian Trail. The section of trail on the city’s east waterfront was recently upgraded and extended from the Bayshore Community Centre along the waterfront, and the rail trail has been widened and hard surfaced.

Now, the focus for upgrades is shifting from the harbourfront to the Sydenham River, which the city considers an extension of

the waterfront that connects Georgian Bay with the downtown.

“We’ve done a lot of work on our main street and the downtown, but the next phase we’ll be turning our attention to is what we like to call the Downtown River precinct,” says Coulter. “It really is to turn our attention back to the river to make it an inviting, inclusive, beautiful urban space with all kinds of activities and reasons to bring more people to the downtown.”

The Downtown River Precinct will comprise a continuous riverside trail linking the harbour to the Mill Dam. Along the wide, landscaped promenade will be benches and tables, parks and parkettes, a multipurpose civic square for special events and outdoor markets, landings for short-term boat tie-up and canoe/kayak launching, space for art and artisans as well as cultural elements. “The focus is on taking back some of that river space for pedestrians and making it a comfortable space; an urban park,” says Coulter. “We want to connect pedestrians better between the downtown and the waterfront.”

Pedestrians currently have to cross the four-lane-wide 10th Street to get from the harbour to downtown, so that impediment is also being addressed. “Engineers are now doing environmental assessment on the 10th Street bridge,” says Coulter, “and one of the questions that is being asked is, how do we connect pedestrians better with the downtown?

It’s easier if you’re in a kayak to get from the river to the harbour, so we want to make it easier for pedestrians, too.” Options could include a pedestrian overpass or tunnel.

Don’t Miss the

FALL ISSUE

“The waterfront is a huge asset for the city; it really is invaluable,” says community services director Pam Coulter.

“When you come here and you experience that waterfront, it’s such a great place that you definitely want to come back.”

Look for our fall issue end of September.

Work is set to begin in early 2018 on the first phase of the Downtown River Precinct project, with one phase per year expected to be completed over the next four years.

In the meantime, in addition to its long-running Summerfolk music festival August 18-20, Owen Sound is gearing up for another major shindig on the waterfront this summer. From June 30 to July 9, the city will celebrate Canada’s 150th and Owen Sound’s 160th birthdays with the “big, bold, innovative” Maawanji’iding: Festival Canadiana.

The First Nations and Métis communities will join the city and other community partners to present a series of entertaining and inspirational events for all ages, most of which will be free to the public or offered at nominal charge. “We’re going to be celebrating our first nations heritage along with Canada’s first nations heritage and the sesquicentennial,” says Coulter.

The goal with all of the waterfront improvements and urban design is to put Owen Sound firmly on the map for tourists, visitors, new residents and businesses.

“The waterfront really is what makes Owen Sound unique in terms of where people want to live and spend time,” says Coulter. “We see it as a valuable asset to build on for the future.” ❧

ON THE BAY

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ACTI V I TI E S

ON The

BAY! Summer means getting out and enjoying our waterfronts

It’s early morning, sun rising, and I am thinking about my day.

Do I want to swim and sunbathe or go for a sail? Maybe hunt for fossils on a shale beach. Or go

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ON THE BAY

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fishing. Summer in Southern Georgian Bay is truly defined by its proximity to water, with a spectacular view of the Escarpment as a bonus.

by LAURIE STEPHENS photography by KRISTIE & BRENDEN WOODS

Thornbury’s Little River Park and adjoining harbour are a hive of activity in the summer months.

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SUMMER 2017

45

PHOTO BY DAVE WEST PHOTOGRAPHY

ACTI V I TI E S

Stand-up paddle board races and demos are among the activities during Sidelaunch Days Festival, a two-day waterfront event celebrating Collingwood’s shipbuilding history, to be held this year on August 12 and 13.

s I drive from Meaford to Wasaga Beach trying to make up my mind, I periodically duck south off of Highway 26 into the many crooks and crannies of the shoreline.

Along its 55-kilometre expanse, I find deep, sheltered harbours rimmed with fishermen and shallow coves with spits and shoals filled with waterfowl. Dog-walkers stroll countless sand and shale beaches. Campers are breakfasting along the waterfront, and cyclists ride past kids playing Frisbee along a boardwalk.

I soon realize that the Southern Georgian Bay waterfront is one long, leisurely summer playground for residents and tourists alike. My choices are endless.

Harbours Rockin’ Ronnie Fach gestures out to the shimmering Georgian Bay, describing the wonders of early-morning fishing. Every day, he makes his way down to Meaford Harbour, his red wagon in tow, to greet the sunrise, meet up with his fishing buddies and cast a line into the water, hoping to snag a rainbow trout.

Fach is an institution here, and he is quite the ambassador for Meaford Harbour, too. If you catch a fish, he’ll clean and fillet it for you for free, on the spot, because, “Hey, that’s friendship; that’s hospitality.” All the while, he’ll keep you captivated with stories and pictures of the ones that didn’t get away.

The 55-year-old retired roofer looks the part of a seasoned fisherman: tanned face with day-old stubble, baseball cap and outdoors attire. He fishes seven days a week from sunrise to sundown, and from his perspective, life couldn’t get much better.

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“Have you ever seen the sunrise here in the morning? It’s gorgeous,” he exclaims. “This morning, it lit up the whole sky.”

Fach is on to something. Meaford Harbour is not only a fisherman’s paradise; it is also a picturesque community hub for all kinds of summer activities for residents and visitors alike. Tranquil on this particular morning, it will soon become hectic as people come to take advantage of the harbour’s many attractions.

Meaford Harbour is a full-service facility: 200 slips for boaters, large parkland areas for RVs, beach and fishing areas, and a comfort station that contains washrooms, showers and a lounge. Work is under way on developing the new David Johnston Park, a small beach area named after Canada’s Governor General.

“We’re actually putting in some walking trails and some permanent picnic tables and benches, enhancing accessibility to the waterfront,” says Rod Willis, Meaford’s manager of Parks & Facilities Operations. The plan includes the installation of a Mobi-Mat, a portable roll-out mat for wheelchairs “so that people with accessibility issues will have easier access to the water.”

On the harbour’s east side you’ll spot a farmer’s market that is open every Friday from 3 to 7 p.m., a chip stand, a sailing school that opens July 1, and – hard to miss – an eight-foot-tall red Muskoka chair that is part of the Big Red Chair Tour of area attractions that won Meaford an Economic Development Council of Ontario award for partnership and collaboration.

A pavilion on the east side hosts a number of summer events. Antique car owners gather here every other Tuesday night to show off their vintage and classic cars, while music lovers can set up their lawn chairs and take in the Summer Sunday Concert Series featuring local bands, which runs every Sunday night from 6 to 8 p.m.

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Kitefest (top), also part of Sidelaunch Days, will be held at Millennium Park August 12-13. Claire and Reed Johnson (above) jump off the Collingwood pier beside the grain terminal.

Then there are the annual events: The Meaford Festival on Canada Day weekend will feature live bands, fireworks and “Christmas in the Harbour” where boaters will be encouraged to decorate their boats in a Christmas theme, and the 21st annual Meaford Harbour 5km Run/Walk event will be held on July 8, in support of the Meaford Hospital Foundation.

While these events draw large crowds, Willis says the harbour is first and foremost a sailing and fishing destination: “Georgian Bay and this side of the Bay is made for sailing – it’s the ultimate sailing place. And the fishing is phenomenal – both salmon and rainbow trout.”

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The Sidelaunch Days Harbour Festival is a two-day event celebrating Collingwood’s shipbuilding history.

About 35 kilometres to the east, another harbour – this one in Collingwood – is another popular hotspot for waterfront enthusiasts.

On this morning, cyclists pedal up Harbourlands Park – a spit that runs up the Harbour’s east side – to Millennium Park, a small green oasis behind the iconic Collingwood grain terminals that provides breathtaking views of Collingwood Harbour, Nottawasaga Bay and the Blue Mountains.

Both parks are peaceful spots lined with benches, gardens and plaques that mark the shipbuilding and shipping history of Collingwood. The grain terminals’ huge white columns cast a shadow over four teenage girls taking a dip in the harbour, descending into the water via a ladder off the concrete pier.

If being on the water is what you desire, Collingwood Harbour has the Collingwood Yacht Club, the Boatworks Sailing Centre and the Collingwood Canoe and Dragonboat Club. The municipality also runs its own sailing school out of the harbour, providing sailing lessons for both kids, and, more recently, for adults in 4.2-metre dinghies.

“We introduced adult sailing in the evenings and it’s very popular,” says Dean Collver, Collingwood’s director of Parks, Recreation & Culture. “It gets people out and active and they can see what it’s like to sail in the harbour and on the Bay.” If you’d rather let someone else take the helm, you can hop on a charter boat to take a sightseeing tour, sunset cruise or dinner cruise on Georgian Bay, all of which take you past the de-commissioned Nottawasaga Island Lighthouse, a historic landmark that is currently being restored.

In addition to its weekly summer programs, Collingwood Harbour hosts two big events this summer: Collingwood Festival for Canada over the July 1 weekend, and the Sidelaunch Days Harbour Festival August 12-13.

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SUMMER 2017

Swimmers enjoy a dip in Georgian Bay at Sunset Point Park (above).

At right, practitioners take a yoga class on the Thornbury Pier.

Collver says the Canada Day weekend will be a jam-packed celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday. Fireworks will be launched from Hens and Chickens Island on the north side of the harbour, and the Harbourview Park Amphitheatre will feature live entertainment over the entire weekend. There will also be harbour cruises with Collingwood Charters and SummerBound Charters, and an opportunity to try rowing, paddling or sailing for free as part of a “Get Out on the Water” event.

The Sidelaunch Days Harbour Festival is a two-day event celebrating Collingwood’s shipbuilding history. Activities include live music, Shakespearean plays, watersport demonstrations, historic walking tours and activities for kids. The harbour itself will host an Ontario series stand-up paddleboard (SUP) race, the proceeds of which will go to support restoration of the lighthouse.

“This is true waterfront festival, so we’ll have vendors and interactive events all along the Promenade,” says Collver.

Thornbury Harbour is another hub of activity in the Blue Mountain area.

To access the actual harbour, drive a couple of blocks from downtown Thornbury along to where the Beaver River empties out into Georgian Bay. On this morning, the river’s banks are jammed with fishermen, standing shoulderto-shoulder and leaving me to wonder how their lines don’t get tangled.

Once past the river’s mouth, the harbour’s waterfront is lined with massive boulders and well-groomed walkways. Benches face the Escarpment and afford a breathtaking view of The Peaks Ski Club.

This harbour will also host Canada Day activities, including a community parade and the Gord Price Air Show that spectators will be able to watch from waters’ edge, says Shawn Everitt, director of community services for the Town of Blue Mountains.

Thornbury Harbour is also known for its environmental stewardship: it has a gold rating by Boating Ontario’s Clean Marine Program, a “significant achievement that not many harbours have achieved,” says Everitt.

Ryan Gibbons, harbour manager, says the rating is useful as an economic development tool to attract environmentally conscious boaters.

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A little further west, you’ll find another stunning harbour in Owen Sound.

Once a bustling commercial trading port, it is now a hub of recreational activity. Located where two rivers meet, the natural harbour is a fisherman’s paradise, hosting a number of fishing derbies in the spring and fall.

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Collver says Sunset Point is the premier family destination in Collingwood right now.

If you don’t fish but love the water, the harbour is also a hotspot for sailing, canoeing, kayaking and windsurfing, and the Owen Sound Marina has a public boat launch for small craft.

Waterfront Parks A short drive from Thornbury Harbour heading east, I come across Patrick Kuzee, a visitor from the Netherlands who is on a one-night stopover at Craigleith Provincial Park.

The 44-year-old former pro hockey player, who now works with troubled youth, wanted an easy, scenic place to park his RV before he and his family head to Algonquin Park for their three-week vacation. Craigleith Provincial Park, situated between Georgian Bay and Highway 26, was a good choice, he says, despite its proximity to a major roadway.

“It’s beautiful, surprisingly,” he says. “The only downside is it’s right next to the highway, but we came out with the family this morning to have

Collingwood’s Sunset Point Park attracts all ages for a variety of activities. A cyclist rides the Georgian Trail along the waterfront (top), while On The Bay photographer Kristie Woods and son Archer test the water (middle left) and Bill Scanlon and Jill Gorman take a stroll along the path.(lower left).

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The sun sets over Collingwood Harbour and the Collingwood Terminals building.

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PHOTO BY RICHARD GARNER

Hop on a charter boat to take a sightseeing tour, sunset cruise or dinner cruise on Georgian Bay, all of which take you past the de-commissioned Nottawasaga Island Lighthouse, a historic landmark that is currently being restored.

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ACTI V I TI E S

A family enjoys a day at Thornbury’s Little River Beach Park (above) with a view of a group on the pier getting ready to jump into Georgian Bay. At right (l-r), Isaac and Ireland Benjamin-Capes explore the Thornbury shoreline.

breakfast and watch the sunrise and it’s very serene. In the early morning, it’s nice to be on the waterfront.”

Located at the base of the Blue Mountains, the park offers visitors like the Kuzee family all kinds of options for activity.

It is known for its flat, shale shoreline – a fossil-hunter’s delight – that allows for easy launch of every type of water craft from sailboats, canoes and kayaks to paddle boards, windsurfers and kiteboards. It has a lovely beach area, and the Georgian Trail is just across the highway for walking and cycling.

“With the Niagara Escarpment – which is a World Biosphere Reserve – serving as a backdrop, you will find Craigleith’s shoreline showcases some of the most spectacular views found on the Georgian Bay Coastal Route,” says Aaron Speers, operations coordinator for the park. “These rocky shorelines are a significant source of provincially protected fossils that date back 450 million years.”

Of course, there are plenty of fish to be caught, too. “Anglers are drawn to Craigleith in hopes of landing one of Georgian Bay’s hard-fighting rainbow trout, which are frequently caught from shore in the Park’s east end,” notes Speers.

Open this year from April 14 to October 22, Craigleith Provincial Park has 157 camping sites spread along the shoreline and nestled amongst hard- and softwood trees. Each site can accommodate up to six people in tents or in RVs up to 35 feet in length. Campers can take advantage of comfort stations that include flush toilets, showers and a laundromat.

During peak summer season, the campground is filled to capacity; Speers says the park recorded more than 46,000 camper nights (one camper staying in the park for one night) last year.

This year, the park has a bit of a different look to it, thanks to a large storm

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last fall that swept through the area. High winds knocked down 500-600 trees in the west end of the campground, and during the cleanup, another 200 ash trees were found to have been affected by the Emerald Ash Borer and had to be removed as well, says Speers.

Still, Craigleith Provincial Park has maintained its charm – and its tree canopy – and is a “perfect base camp for the numerous activities in the area,” says Speers.

For a completely different park experience, I drive about 13 kilometres east along Highway 26 to Sunset Point Park in Collingwood.

Very much a family-oriented park, Sunset is a 15-minute walk from downtown Collingwood. It runs along a long span of the municipality’s coastline and features a number of water-access areas – both sandy and rocky – and lengthy tracts of grassy parkland where kids toss Frisbees or fly kites.

At the east end of the park, there is a large EnviroPark where you will see children climbing huge, plastic structures sunk in sand, as well as volleyball courts and a barbecue area with picnic benches.

Sunset Point Park is also known for its wind, making it an extremely popular site for launching windsurfers or kiteboards.

“Kiteboarding is a sport that is really taking off,” says Collver. “We’re definitely seeing more of it year after year, and windsurfing is taking a bit of a backseat to kiteboarding.”

One of the few organized events at Sunset Point is the popular Taste of the Town, held this year on June 4. Organized by the local Rotary Club, local gourmet chefs and vintners and brewers provide food and drink samples for the few thousand people who attend.

Above all, Sunset Point Park is for families, and that’s what attracts Darko and Marie-Claire Pascuttini, Collingwood retirees who are frequent users of the park in the summer. They often bring their grandson here when he is visiting. Today, they are walking their miniature schnauzer, Lila, along an east-end walkway, watching the park slowly come to life.

“We like the view,” says Darko. “You see lots of families here, and it’s nice

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to see sailboats on the water.” Adds Marie-Claire, “It’s soothing.” Collver says Sunset Point is the premier family destination in Collingwood right now.

“Families come for access to the water,” he says, “but mostly it’s people coming down and setting up a Hibachi and cooking with their family, having beach access and getting into some nice clean water.”

A number of other parks in our region are also known for their unique attractions. Kelso Beach Park in Owen Sound is a 22-acre, full-service playground that runs along the west side of Owen Sound Harbour. With a stunning beach as a backdrop, the park has playground equipment, ball diamonds, a soccer field, an amphitheatre and bandshell – facilities that draw thousands of visitors each summer.

Kelso is renowned for its international Summerfolk Music Festival – held this year on August 18-20 and featuring more than 50 performances, an artisan craft sale, kids’ activities, a wine bar and a beer tent. This event is very popular, so be sure to get your tickets early.

Millennium Park in Collingwood hosts KiteFest on the August 12-13 weekend, an event that sees hundreds of colourful kites fill the sky over the park, including a 150-foot kite that can be seen from just about anywhere in town. Millennium will also hold a three-day outdoor fitness competition called UG Beach WOD, welcoming 1,500 athletes from across Canada, on July 7-9.

Harbourview Park, also in Collingwood, has the Shipyards Amphitheatre that holds regular summer activities such as Movies by the Bay and Bard on the Bay Shakespeare productions. Special events include the Peak to Shore Festival on July 9, where the Devin Cuddy Band will perform.

If music is your thing, Thornbury’s Bayview Park holds Jazz By The Bay every Sunday evening at 6 p.m. in the park’s pavilion.

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You’ll want to stay till the sun goes down – Wasaga Beach offers some of the most spectacular sunsets you’ll ever see.

Beaches When you think about beaches in the Southern Georgian Bay area, likely the first that comes to mind is Wasaga Beach.

Renowned for being the longest freshwater beach in the world, Wasaga is visited by millions of beach lovers each year who are attracted by its 14 kilometres of white sandy beach and warm, shallow waters. It draws huge numbers on summer weekends, from young families all the way up to seniors.

Because of its size, the beach is divided into six smaller beaches, so if you want to steer clear of the tourists and crowds who flock to beaches 1 and 2, you can make your way to beaches 4 or 5 for a more private, serene afternoon.

And you’ll want to stay till the sun goes down – Wasaga Beach offers some of the most spectacular sunsets you’ll ever see.

In addition to Wasaga Beach, our region is home to countless smaller beaches between Collingwood and Owen Sound, each with its own unique ambiance.

One family-oriented summer playground is Northwinds Beach, located off Highway 26 in Craigleith. As I drive into the parking lot, I am struck by its features. Several lines of large boulders jut out into the Bay breaking up the beach areas, and there is an abundance of graceful willows that provide some shade from the sun.

One of the most popular beaches in The Blue Mountains, Northwinds

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Beach is a summer hotspot for sunbathers, swimmers, kayakers, windsurfers, paddle-boarders – and even future builders.

As I walk down onto the sandy beach, I find Niall Busch, 2, busy at work this morning, using his toy digger to push sand and pebbles into a truck, oblivious to anything else going on around him. He apparently raises quite the ruckus if some time at the beach isn’t part of his day.

“Niall just loves the beach – he loves the sand and the dirt,” says his mother, Alexis Williams, 34, of Burlington. “We tend to come in the morning when it isn’t so busy.”

Williams and her family – including 40-something husband Scott Busch and nine-month-old Colin – are Blue Mountain weekenders who own a chalet just across the highway from Northwinds and are frequent visitors to the beach, much to Niall’s delight.

Williams is a former triathlete and has swum out to a local curiosity: a shoal about a half-kilometre from shore that has a flag pole and metal artwork erected on it. The shoal has no specific name, says the town’s Shawn Everitt; “We just call it the Flag Island, because of the flag.”

Everitt says Northwinds is the town’s highest-traffic beach, and that is borne out by a filled-to-capacity parking lot on warm summer weekends.

Parked cars often take up spots at the historic Craigleith Depot across the highway from the beach.

The popularity of Northwinds presents a pedestrian traffic issue, and

Everitt says plans are under way to begin constructing a walkway, either this fall or next spring, that will make pedestrian crossing safer.

Northwinds has small playground apparatus in one section of the beach, some picnic benches and barbecue areas, as well as public washrooms.

Beach-goers can rent canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards from Craigleith Watersports.

But, for the most part, Northwinds Beach and most other beaches in the Blue Mountains area – including Peasemarsh, Delphi and Lora Bay Park – are what Everitt calls “passive” beaches.

“The nice thing with The Blue Mountains is, we’ve focused on keeping the natural elements to our parks,” he says. “You see some places that go overboard – we have resisted splash pads on waterfronts. We’ve consciously made the decision to keep our waterfronts as undeveloped as possible, and more of a passive use.”

Peasemarsh and Delphi certainly fit that description. The further west I travel from Northwinds, the more rocky and wild the waterfront becomes.

Peasemarsh, part of the Grey-Sauble Conservation Area, is a small, quiet beach that features a lot of shale, sandy spits and big swaths of tall grasses filled with red-winged blackbirds. Even though I am just off the highway, I feel as though I am a long way from civilization. Delphi is mostly shale and is littered with fossils. Everitt says it is becoming quite popular: “You see a lot of people just putting their beach chairs right out onto the shale – they’re basically sitting in water up to their knees.”

Christie Beach in Meaford is similar to Peasemarsh – small, quaint and with natural terrain of wild grasses, bushes and marshland. The water is shallow and filled with rock outcroppings that serve as perches for ducks and geese. There is a small pavilion with picnic tables and places for portable barbecues.

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Everitt says the different shorelines in The Blue Mountains area – from sand at Northwinds to rugged shale as you head west – provide a variety of natural experiences for water lovers.

“We still use the theory that our waterfront is at the toe of the Escarpment, and of course the Escarpment is as natural as it can possibly be,” he says.

“There’s minimal playground equipment; there’s not a lot of development along the waterfront. It’s really just go there, rest, and relax along the water.”

My sojourns along Southern Georgian Bay are just a sampling of what’s available to residents, visitors and weekenders on our waterfronts this summer. There are countless other recreational opportunities along the shoreline, just waiting for you to discover. No matter how active or sedate, private or public you want to be, there is a piece of waterfront paradise waiting for you just around the corner. ❧

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In the lofty great room, two large leather sofas offer durable comfort for a family with four young children. Additional furniture was chosen to give the room warmth and definition. The dazzling Italian chandelier adds glamour.

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by JUDY ROSS photos by DEREK TRASK

he house settles into the folds of the land at the end of a long, curving driveway. Tall trees surround it, forming a leafy canopy that can be seen from every window. Once inside, it feels organic and relaxed – peaceful, even though it is a weekend home to a family with four young children (two sets of twins).

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The most dramatic of these new fixtures are the two contemporary chandeliers that hang like orbiting planets in the large open living space. Consisting of brass-toned rings that descend from the high ceiling, they were hand-made and shipped from Italy.

It was the prospect of the second set of twins that prompted Jim and Maricke Emanoilidis to “have the conversation” about what their weekend life would be like in the city with four kids. “We envisioned our days spent driving to hockey practices and ballet lessons, and that’s not what we wanted,” says Maricke. “We decided then to look for a house in the country where we could all escape and be together on weekends.”

Their search ended when they found this property south of Creemore, which features a custom three-storey home set amongst 67 acres of woods with a creek meandering through it. They fell in love immediately. The house, with its open, airy rooms and a lower level with plenty of kid-friendly space, was perfect for their family. And, as an added bonus, the owner was willing

A wool carpet from Elte anchors the great room (top).

Designer Kimberley Seldon (above) added two black leather armchairs to the dining room table for visual impact. New lighting was installed during the redesign, including the art lights over the repainted sideboard (top).

to sell most of the furniture, which the Emanoilidises presumed would make their move so much easier. It wasn’t until after taking possession that they realized there’s much more to the look of a house than furniture. All the carpets, lamps and art had been taken away; as Maricke says, “all the stuff that gives it life!”

With no time to find the “stuff” herself, Maricke contacted Kimberley Seldon, the superstar Toronto designer who also has a country home in the area. Seldon toured the house, interviewed the couple about their lifestyle, took photos and measurements, then went away for two months to pull her vision together.

Her only directive from Maricke and Jim was that they wanted something

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Call 705.444.5005 kitchenpainters.com The kitchen pine cabinetry (above) was painted a soft grey for a more contemporary look. Pendant lights over the kitchen island are from Hollace Cluny. At one end of the kitchen (left) is a convenient built-in hutch and a desk with a view of the woods. Desk chair from Hollace Cluny.

The couple still remembers the spring day six months after that first meeting with Seldon, when she greeted them on the front porch for the ‘big reveal.’

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a little more contemporary, but they didn’t want a ‘don’t touch’ kind of house.

“When you start with a beautiful property like this,” explains Seldon, “you don’t want to detract from the setting or the architecture. Basically my job is to not mess it up.”

No structural changes were made, although some of the interior pine cabinetry was painted out to elevate the country look and make it more polished. A few walls had to be opened up to install new light fixtures – a key consideration in the overall design. The most dramatic of these new fixtures are the two contemporary chandeliers that hang like orbiting planets in the large open living space. Consisting of brass-toned rings that descend from the

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Two cabanas – one with a bedroom and one with a bath/ changing room – are connected by a covered, high-ceilinged space that opens to the pool.

high ceiling, they were hand-made and shipped from Italy. The chandeliers, according to Maricke, were a very “big splurge,” which she and Jim justified by calling them illuminated art.

Seldon agrees that the light fixtures act as large pieces of artwork, but they’re also practical, adding LED lighting (both up and down lights) in what could feel like a cavernous space. “A two-storey height is not comfortable psychologically for humans,” she offers. “You need a big feature overhead to fill it up and make it feel warmer. The circular shapes also help to soften the hard edges of the architecture.”

The couple still remembers the spring day six months after that first meeting with Seldon, when she greeted them on the front porch for the ‘big reveal.’ From the foyer on into the main floor, everything had changed as though a magic wand had been passed over the entire space. In the living area the two oversized leather couches remained, but there were new chairs,

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A stone staircase leads from the house to the resort-like pool area (above). The covered living space boasts a fireplace, TV, dining table and kitchen (top). The oversize pendant lights are from Sescolite.

carpet, lamps, tables, a Kilim ottoman, toss blankets and cushions, and interesting art pieces like the wooden stool encased in a block of resin that attracts attention on the coffee table.

Seldon also placed both an ottoman and a coffee table between the two living room sofas – “one coffee table is often not enough in a large room,” she maintains – and added four end tables as well as consoles behind the sofas to frame the living space in the open room.

“It just all worked together,” enthuses Maricke, “and it was something that I would have no vision, or time, to do on my own.”

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The foyer (top left) was revamped by Kimberley Seldon with new statement light fixtures and wall art. Two shadow boxes on the right wall are from Avenue Road, Toronto. A red door flanked by tall planters (top) provides a welcoming entrance to the three-storey house. Five-year-old twin girls share a bedroom (middle), which has two sets of bunk beds for sleepovers with friends. The firepit (bottom), with its circle of weathered cedar chairs, was a selling feature when Jim and Maricke Emanoilidis decided to buy this weekend home for their family. Here, they gather with Owen and Parker, 9, and Bridget and Ada, 5.

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FEATU RE D

HOME

The view of the house from the pool cabana (above) is enhanced in the evening with landscape lighting. Garden maintenance provided by Hill‘N Dale Landscaping. A screened porch off the kitchen (left) is well used in summer. Designer Kimberley Seldon found the wall art (made from oil tin tops) at the North Carolina Art Crawl.

making the same mistakes over and over. “Clients often think they only need a few things to finish off the interior space, but it’s always more complex than that,” she notes.

For instance, the dining table and wooden chairs purchased from the former owner were well suited to the space, but Seldon added two black armchairs for the ends of the table. “And that,” she says, “made a big difference,” anchoring the table and making a bolder statement.

The massive stone fireplace was impressive, but needed to be more of a feature, so Seldon found two matching white credenzas to flank both sides. “They add needed storage but more importantly, they make a statement out of the fireplace,” she says. “People underestimate what is required to fill a big space.”

Although the property had already been beautifully landscaped, the Emanoilidises wanted to put in a swimming pool, so Seldon came up with a design that would make the pool area like a resort, complete

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with an outdoor kitchen, living and dining space. Two cabanas – one with a bedroom and one with a bath/changing room – are connected by a covered, high-ceilinged space that opens to the pool, where the family can gather around the fireplace, watch TV and have meals all summer long.

The poolside bedroom is often used as a guest suite. “With Kimberley’s help we have really created a weekend party house,” says Maricke. “It works perfectly because with four kids, we don’t get a lot of invitations. We have people come to us.”

The success of any design project comes down to how the family enjoys living in the space, and how the design choices have endured.

Maricke laughs when she thinks of it. “I didn’t change a thing after Kimberley staged the house for our ‘reveal.’ The living room is exactly as she arranged it. Even the throw blankets on the chairs are in the exact same place.”

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The Dykstra family on their Clarksburg strawberry farm (l-r): daughter Chelsey, Karen and Roger Dykstra, Jane and Sid Dykstra.

Berry

Beneficial hen asked to name Ontario’s fruits, our minds immediately turn to apples, pears, peaches and plums. The flavourful little morsels we call berries, found on farms and in the wild across

Strawberries and raspberries and blackberries, oh my! stories by EMILY WORTS

photography by KRISTIE & BRENDEN WOODS

our region, are often overshadowed by their grander counterparts. Berries may be small, but they’re mighty, packing a healthy punch with their sweet, tangy goodness. Nothing says summer better than berries.

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It seems that each type of local berry is available only for a fleeting moment, but when we add them together our berry season is a long one. Strawberries can come on as early as the first week of June with raspberries following close behind, and many farms are still picking blueberries into October.

Kevin Ward, a second-generation Clearview farmer and owner of Fernwood Farms and Market in Stayner, has expanded the operation from the asparagus farm his parents, Roy and Linda, started in the 1970s to include dozens of varieties of strawberries, raspberries, high-bush blueberries and red and black currants.

“It’s a long season of different fruits coming on,” says Ward, “and it all depends on the weather.”

For many farmers, the temperamental growing conditions of our area mean farm survival depends on diversification. Pair that with our short growing season and berries fill in some of the necessary gaps.

“Strawberries helped fill out the season when they were short on cash,” says Karen Dykstra of Dykstra Orchards, recalling why her father-in-law started planting strawberries in the Thornbury area in the 1970s. The Dykstra farm was originally an apple operation, but strawberries brought in much-needed spring and early summer income and helped keep farm workers employed longer. The Dykstra sons, Roger and Sid, increased their father’s strawberry patch to five acres (which translates to 30,000 quarts of berries) and today strawberries are a significant part of the family business.

For others, like Roy Ward, the decision to diversify was based less on economics and more on his love for all things sweet, remembers his son Kevin, who shares his father’s passion for berries. Today Fernwood Farms is 50 per cent fruit, with six acres devoted to strawberries, two acres to raspberries, three-and-a-half to high bush blueberries and a couple of 100-foot rows to red and black currants.

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Please Donate Today www.barbaraweiderhouse.ca Fernwood’s strawberry season begins with the Wendy variety, usually around the 10th of June if the weather cooperates (warm days and cool nights). The Annapolis variety comes on seven days later, followed by Summer Rose. The appropriately named Valley Sunset closes the strawberry season in late June or early July.

“We plant many different varieties,” says Ward. “Each one has a slightly different flavour and shape, and they come on at different times.”

Ward does plant a few fall varieties of strawberries, but admits different insects, which can be very aggressive, make growing a challenge and besides, by the fall our taste buds have moved on.

Canadians love their fruit seasons and they stay true to them, says Mary-Lynn Sheridan of the Farmer’s Pantry in Clarksburg.

“We like local, seasonal and fresh,” she says. “We are so used to the seasons that it doesn’t seem right to eat strawberries in July. We like our strawberries, then our raspberries, then our peaches, then apples. I’m telling you, by the end of the season we are on to other things. It’s the pattern I see.”

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Wild blueberries (top) can be found in abundance and can also be grown in your own backyard. Goldsmith’s Orchard Market grows both red and black raspberries in their greenhouse (middle) and sells them in their store on Hwy. 26 in Thornbury (bottom).

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The Farmer’s Pantry began as a roadside market tent on Hwy. 26 between Thornbury and Meaford. It was Mary-Lynn and Mike Sheridan’s eldest daughter who convinced her parents to move operations somewhere more “fun.” “She thought it was boring, standing by the roadside,” recalls Mary-Lynn.

So the family bought the farm where the current Farmer’s Pantry resides and started something fun not only for their three children but for all visitors: a pick-your-own orchard including apples and raspberries. The Farmer’s Pantry has 5,500 canes of raspberries. but you won’t find them lined up row after row.

“We don’t want people to feel like they’re at Canada’s Wonderland, in a line-up,” explains Mary-Lynn.

At the Farmer’s Pantry, visitors are encouraged to walk around the farm, where raspberry canes are interspersed with orchard trees and pumpkin patches.

“Visitors can see a lot of the farm and see different plantings at different stages,” says Mary-Lynn. “There is a lot of education going on.”

Most of the raspberry canes at the Farmer’s Pantry are of the Boyne variety.

According to the Sheridans, these work well in the area’s soil and they don’t have sharp thorns like other varieties, so they are picker friendly. Raspberry varieties are planted with the soil in mind but also for flavour, colour (the Sheridans plant red, black and white varieties) and for size, as larger ones tend to crumble.

The Sheridans don’t plant strawberries; they leave that to their nearby

“We like local, seasonal and fresh,” says Mary-Lynn Sheridan. “We are so used to the seasons that it doesn’t seem right to eat strawberries in July. We like our strawberries, then our raspberries, then our peaches, then apples.”

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Wild Things Planting berries at home and finding them in the woods Local garden centres have embraced the trend toward growing our own food and also recognize the flavour and health benefits of fresh berries. In most local garden centres you will find a wide variety of berries that can thrive in your own backyard. Berry bushes are easy to incorporate into existing edible and ornamental gardens, or gardens designated especially for fruit. With a little bit of sun and welldrained soil, you can enjoy fresh fruit from your own personal berry patch. Strawberries, raspberries, red and black currants, gooseberries and blackberries are some of the plants you might want to consider.

There are also dozens of varieties of wild berries that can be foraged across Ontario. In our area, easily recognizable are wild strawberries, wild raspberries and high bush blackberries. Some varieties that are not as well-known but have benefits of their own including false Solomon’s seal and service berries. A little farther north, be on the lookout for wild blueberries and cranberries in abundance. You have to know where to look, what to look for and when to look; there are books dedicated to the wild berries of Ontario to help you on your search. It’s also important to remember that while many berries are edible, some are poisonous to humans, while others are toxic when unripe, so make sure you know what you’re eating.

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Be a

‘BIG’

on your own or with your spouse

Recipe Berry Vodka Cocktails accented with the fresh flavours of summer are an amazing way to infuse a little sunshine into a long, dark winter. Berry vodka is a pretty fun alternative to jam when preserving the flavours of the season and just like jam, it stands the test of time.

Making berry vodka is also much less of an undertaking than those daunting canning projects that prevent many of us from even getting started. It’s a quick way to make sure those berries that are melting on the vine in the heat of the summer don’t go to waste.

You can get as fancy as you like, combining different fruits and spices as you would in a pie or jam. I prefer to keep it simple with a single berry variety (I particularly love the ruby red colour strawberries or raspberries produce in fruit-infused vodka).

The fruit will be the dominant flavour here, so you don’t need to use pricey artisanal vodkas. On the other hand, if you have a favourite, hey, why not? We are also lucky enough to have locally distilled vodkas, so take advantage and make a truly local brew.

Ingredients

Like Phil and Loretta with their ‘little’ Matthew

• 2 cups strawberries or raspberries • 2-3 cups vodka • Optional accents could include lemon zest, herbs and whole spices like cinnamon sticks, chopped ginger or sliced vanilla beans Instructions

• Wash and pat the fruit dry.

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• Trim away any stems.

• Chop or crumble berries into small pieces (raspberries and small fruits can be left whole.

• Transfer the berries to a canning jar, along with any extra herbs or spices you are using and any juice from the cutting board.

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• Muddle the berries with a wooden spoon to break them up and release their juices.

• Pour the vodka over the berries. Use enough to completely cover the berries and fill the jar, about 2 to 3 cups.

• Seal the jar tightly and place it out of direct sunlight.

• Shake the mixture daily. You’ll see the vodka gradually take on the colour of the berries.

• Taste it after three days and continue infusing to your liking. It should be finished in three to five days, but you can infuse the vodka longer.

• When the vodka is to your liking, line a strainer with cheesecloth and strain into a measuring cup.

• Discard the fruit after straining.

• Pour the vodka into clean glass bottles (if you have a small funnel, use it).

• Seal the bottles or the vodka will evaporate.

• Store the vodka out of direct sunlight; it will keep indefinitely.

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Berry vodka (left) infuses the flavours of summer into your favourite cocktail. Local strawberries (above) are shipped to markets and grocery stores across our region and throughout Ontario.

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neighbours, the Dykstras, who are considered strawberry royalty in the area.

Large grocery stores from Owen Sound to Alliston carry Dykstra berries and you can also find them at local farm markets such as Goldsmith’s and Grandma Lambe’s or even better, at the Dykstra Orchards farm itself, located on Clark Street in Clarksburg.

Nothing beats the freshness of the berries at the farm gate, says Karen Dykstra.

“We have people who come every day for their fresh basket for breakfast or to buy their flats for jam.”

The Dykstras recently had to close their pick-your-own operation due to increased demand on the ready-pick side of the business. Karen admits she misses the camaraderie, but she still interacts with customers at the farm gate and enjoys hearing what people are doing with their berries. She has noticed a resurgence in jam and pie making, with the younger generation wanting to share the experience of cooking and preserving berries with their children.

Fresh, local berries have never been so popular. Touted as a great-tasting super food, berries of all colours and varieties are packed with fibre (a nutrient necessary for a healthy digestive system), phytochemicals (naturally occurring nutrients that protect cells from damage), and loads of antioxidants, among other things.

Kevin Ward agrees the demand for berries is growing along with the area’s population. “Nothing has changed – the berries are still the same – but there is more information out there and more people to feed.”

Looking to the future, there’s no doubt local berries of all varieties will continue to line the spring, summer and fall shelves of local grocery stores, farmer’s stalls and market stands. We might even catch a glimpse of new varieties.

Ward sees a market for Goji berries (which are already being grown in Ontario in limited supply) and Haskaps, which Ward describes as a refined berry, “looking like a blueberry, tasting like a cross between a blueberry and a raspberry with a champagne flavour.” Haskaps aren’t bothered by frost and they are native to North America, he adds.

We only have a couple of weeks to enjoy the sweetness of a strawberry, the tartness of a raspberry or the juiciness of a blueberry. Make sure you stop to pick, or pick up, your farm-fresh berries early and often, because they’ll be gone before you know it. Each of our local berries is here and gone in a flash, so eat them with abandon, preserve them whenever and however you can, and always keep an eye out for the roadside stand or farmer’s field that is offering up bountiful berries in season. ❧

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Kimberly and Tim Schneider and daughter Teaghen among the garlic crop at Dunridge Farms.

FARM

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Great GARLIC! Dunridge Farms brings organic, sustainable garlic to Southern Georgian Bay stories by EMILY WORTS

photography by KRISTIE & BRENDEN WOODS

oday I am in one of 6,800 cars that will drive past the giant garlic bulb, swaying in the relentless wind on Highway 124 just north of Duntroon, which marks the entrance to Dunridge Farms. I know this because the farm’s owner, Tim Schneider, told me so. And he has done his research.

Schneider is a strategic planner by profession; a garlic farmer and cider maker by passion. He has researched

climate change, carbon inputs and energy efficiency for his entire career, and has applied that knowledge to his family’s 100 acres, turning it into an organic, sustainable farm. From soil type (Harriston loam) to wind velocity (strong) to the years of experience acquired and shared by local elders, Tim and his wife Kimberly have found the perfect microclimate to grow garlic and the optimum site for farm-gate sales.

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Tim Schneider says leaving the stalks on the bulbs improves the flavour of the garlic while attesting that Dunridge Farms garlic is grown locally and organically.

The Schneiders bought the property in 2003 and erected a small building on it before moving to England on business with their three young girls.

They were abroad for seven years and in that time had their farm and its soil managed organically. “It was important to me that the kids could run outside and I didn’t want to worry about our water,” says Kimberly of their initial decision to grow organically.

The soil was ready to plant upon their return in 2010. They immediately hired a consultant, did some soil research and decided what crops would be “awesome as opposed to just good,” recalls Tim. While not many farms at that time were growing Ontario garlic on any sort of scale, garlic fit all the requirements for the property’s growing conditions. “Garlic is what got us started,” says Tim. “It’s what got me passionate about farming.”

In addition to the 50,000 garlic cloves the family planted last fall (which they hope to double this year) the Schneiders also grow organic black turtle beans and heritage apples (including Snows, Golden Delicious and Cortlands), which are harvested to make Dunridge Farms sweet and hard cider.

“We don’t know what is going to happen in farming,” says Tim. “What we’re trying to do is diversify between everything that is viable here.”

Diversification makes sense on a small family farm, especially when growing organically, to reduce risk and maintain self-sufficiency, he explains.

“Our crops are high risk because we use our soil to grow food, not chemicals.”

In spite of diversification, the garlic remains the main draw that brings people to the farm gate and takes the Schneiders out to local farmer’s markets, including Collingwood’s and Creemore’s.

On a summer Saturday, you will see Tim or one of his three daughters

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tying one-pound bunches of garlic – stalks and all – at the farmer’s markets.

The Schneiders believe leaving the stalks on the bulbs improves the flavour of the garlic, but they also leave the stalks on to assure customers that their garlic is grown locally and organically.

“Because of the size, people think it can’t be organic,” says Kimberly of their large garlic bulbs.

The Schneiders attribute the colossal size of their garlic to three things: proper watering, exceptional seed stock (they plant a hybrid variety which is a cross of German Rocambole and Music), and trimming the scapes when they have curled one-and-a-half times.

Tim also likes to keep the stalks on their bundles of garlic because a lot of people don’t know what a garlic plant looks like, he says.

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In addition to raw garlic (above), Kimberly Schneider dehydrates and processes any leftover garlic into garlic powder (top). Garlic scapes (top right) have many culinary uses, including scape pesto (lower right).

“Garlic has been around for years in family gardens, but it’s a relatively new product for a lot of people,” he says.

For the Schneiders, much of what they do is about education. “It makes me sad to think there is a whole community of people who don’t know what to do with fresh products,” says Kimberly.

The Schneiders host volunteers from Barrie’s “Eat Your Town” movement in an attempt to help educate young and old. Last July a dozen volunteers signed up to be “farmer for a day,” exchanging their labour for a hands-on learning experience and lunch, with a portion of the harvest going to a Barriearea food bank.

Through initiatives like Eat Your Town and an annual garlic festival Dunridge Farms hosts, Kimberly’s goal is to help grow the collective knowledge around local, fresh, sustainable and organic food.

Dunridge Farms sets aside its largest and nicest heads of garlic to process for seeds, which are sold online and at the farm gate. The success of the seed business means Dunridge garlic is propagating in private gardens across Ontario and has also been planted in elementary and high school gardens in the area. It thrills Kimberly to know that in some small part she is helping to raise awareness, not just about garlic, but about growing in general.

The Schneiders are committed to continuous learning themselves.

Tim’s ancestors on his mother’s side were part of the original local pioneer movement in the mid-1800s, and were farmers through the generations, but the Schneiders admit much of that knowledge has been diluted over the years. To fill in the gaps, they rely heavily on the expertise of local elders to answer their questions about everything from soil health to wind patterns.

In addition to raw garlic, Dunridge Farms offers value-added products

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Recipe

VIEWS OF CREEMORE HILLS!

Scape Pesto Kimberly Schneider created this recipe for pesto using garlic scapes from the farm and pumpkin seeds as an alternative to pine nuts (two of her daughters have nut allergies). Kimberly sells her pesto at the Collingwood and Creemore farmer’s markets and shared her recipe so On The Bay readers can make it at home.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup raw organic pumpkin seeds • 1/4 tsp kosher salt • 20 small, tender garlic scapes, washed and trimmed • 1 cup fresh parsley leaves • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil • 2 tsp lemon juice • Grated parmesan cheese (optional) • Red pepper flakes (optional) Instructions

• Spread pumpkin seeds on baking sheet and roast in 350°F for 7-10 minutes (until golden and puffed). Let cool.

• Place in blender with salt and pulse a few times until just chopped up. Set aside.

• In the blender, pulse scapes and parsley until just combined.

All the charm of yesteryear plus all the modern conveniences of today.

Fully renovated Victorian farmhouse sits on 100 rolling acres with swimming pond, barns, woods & tenant farmer working appox. 80 acres. Large open kitchen, dining & family rm. 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths.

Minutes to Mad River Golf Club, Devils Glen Country Club & all the amenities in the charming, vibrant village of Creemore. $1,299,000

With motor running, add olive oil until mixture comes together.

• Stir in lemon juice and pumpkin seeds.

• Add cheese and pepper flakes if using.

RCR Realty, Brokerage

Independently Owned & Operated

RCR Realty, Brokerage

Independently Owned & Operated

BASIA REGAN, Sales Representative

BASIA REGAN

BASIA REGAN

Tel (705) 466-2115 basiaregan@royallepage.ca www.basiaregan.com

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FA RM

TO

“Green garlic” – young garlic with tender leaves that is harvested early in the season before the bulb is fully formed – looks similar to green onions but has a mellow garlic flavour that is less spicy than mature garlic.

T A B L E

For centuries, garlic has been coveted as an essential element in Mediterranean cooking. that are in equally high demand. Garlic stores well and lasts for about nine months, after which Kimberly dehydrates any that is left over from the fall harvest and grinds it into garlic powder. This spring she processed over 20 pounds of powder and it was gone within a week.

The family harvests the garlic in late spring. Trimming the scape – the curly green stalk that will eventually turn to flower – is an essential part of growing garlic successfully.

Dunridge Farms products are available at: • Farm Gate, 3079 County Road 124 Duntroon • Farm to Table Market & Kitchen, 65 Simcoe St., Collingwood • Creemore 100 Mile Store, 176 Mill St., Creemore • Creemore Farmer’s Market • Collingwood Farmer’s Market • Community Food Co-op, 65 Simcoe St., Collingwood • The Healthy Butcher, 565 Queen Street West, Toronto

Contact: 705-994-3764 info@dunridgefarms.com Or on facebook@dunridgefarms

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“Scapes are a mystery to many,” says Tim. “Some cultures covet them; some compost them, thinking they’re not worthy.”

Kimberly thinks they’re more than worthy and makes the most of this delicious part of the garlic plant by blending the scapes into pesto. Two of the Schneider daughters have nut allergies, so Kimberly came up with a pine nut alternative for her scape pesto. Using the commercial kitchen at the Collingwood Community Food Cooperative, she processes her pesto with roasted pumpkin seeds and sells it at the farmer’s markets.

If you are part of the Schneider inner circle (and you help pick the scapes), you may be lucky enough to enjoy her pesto field-side with fresh pasta, as a reward for your labours. Kimberly is known for taking her food processor down to the field, plugging it into the generator and making a pesto lunch on the spot, enjoyed with jugs of Dunridge cider, of course.

For centuries, garlic has been coveted as an essential element in Mediterranean cooking. More recently the health benefits of garlic have been touted in mainstream media. Today most kitchens can’t function without it.

“So many people come for health reasons, they eat a clove a day, drink garlic and lemon, put it in their green smoothies,” says Tim. “I don’t promise anything, but it’s no secret that it’s good for you.”

Health and therapeutic benefits are a bonus, but for me, garlic is a staple of my diet and my cooking simply because it is delicious. Knowing that it is being grown sustainably, organically and flavourfully just down the road means I can add yet another item to my ever-growing list of why I love living where I do. ❧

Award winning

Big Red Chair TOUR... 2017

We left 10 family sized

Big Red Chairs

in scenic locations.

Can you find them all?

Start your journey at Meaford Hall or visit www.Meaford.ca/bigredchairs

How do you measure success?     

I have saved lives I have reduced pain and suffering I have worked as part of a compassionate professional team I have seen what great care can accomplish Now …. I have left a gift in my will to help transform health care for the 21st Century.

“By leaving a legacy we are strengthening our community and leaving the world a better place. At the end of the day, we are going to be there to care for each other.

That’s what this journey is all about.” ~ Sandra Andrews, Semi-retired CGMH nurse

For more information about donating life insurance or planning a gift in your will contact Jarvis Strong 705-444-8675 or jarvis.strong@cgmh.on.ca

G&M HOSPITAL

FOUNDATION

Local Arts Tour the

September 23 2017 • 6 - 10pm

Art has the Power To Illuminate To Educate To Inspire To Motivate WEEKLY PAINTING CLASSES GROUP PAINTING PARTIES 10 Third St., Collingwood 705-293-1771 www.collingwoodartclass.com

151 Hurontario St. Collingwood

buttergallery.ca

45 LOCAL ARTISTS 942 2nd Avenue East Owen Sound 519-371-0479

www.artistscoop.ca

NEW LOCATION

766 Mountain Rd. Collingwood 705 718 7737 | 705 441 4109

www.bonniedorgelo.com

Intersections

WOOD gallery & studio 10th St. at 3rd Ave. E., Owen Sound Thurs, Fri, Sat 10am - 4pm or by chance

www.intersectionsstudio.com

ARTI ST

SP OTL I GHT

Shimmering

Shores “Still Waters” (above), 12 x 16 inches, acrylic on wood board. “A Day at the Beach” (right),14 x 18 inches, encaustic mixed medium on wood board. “Shimmering Shores” (above right) 12 x 16 inches, encaustic mixed medium.

Thornbury artist Deborah Masters combines colour and texture to bring nature to life in ethereal ways

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AR TI S T

S P OT L IG HT

DEBORAH MASTERS A Design Arts graduate, Deborah Masters moved on to further her studies in the fine art of decorative painting in France, Toronto and Australia, where she worked alongside well-known decorative artist Jennifer Bennell on an episode of the popular TV show Our House. Her decorative work has been featured in The Globe and Mail’s Fashion and Design section and also appeared on the front cover of the coffee table book, The Timberframe Way, out of Colorado.

“Fifteen years ago I took an OCA course in encaustics – the ancient form of painting with hot wax – and started to combine the wax medium with my decorative techniques to create paintings,” says Masters. “My passion is colour and texture, combining the two to create a work of art. My inspiration comes from nature – the beauty of a waxy hosta leaf, the richness of a poppy field, the shimmering reflections on water or a pebbly shoreline can be achieved through the beautiful flexibility of the encaustic medium.”

Working from her studio in Thornbury, Masters creates her paintings as well as applying a wide range of decorative finishes to furniture. Her work can be seen by appointment at her studio or at open house events through the year. Masters is represented locally at Butter Gallery in Collingwood, and her work can be found in private collections in the area, across Canada, in the U.S. and Dubai. ❧

“Company” (top), 9 x 12 inches, encaustic mixed medium on wood board. “Painted Sands” (right) 20 x 16 inches, acrylic on wood board. “Seaside Memories” (above),16 x 20 inches, encaustic mixed medium on wood board.

“Patiently Waiting” (left), 12 x 16 inches, encaustic mixed medium on wood board.

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The Authentic Look of Cedar & Slate with Lifetime Performance

Maintenance Free Fire Retardant Withstand Winds up to 290 km/h Not damaged by UV, mould, mildew Made in Ontario Timeless beauty you can count on for years to come.

EnviroshakeÂŽ products authentically replicate the look of natural cedar shakes, and slate while offering discerning homeowners the maintenance free lifetime performance they expect from their roofing and siding products. EnviroshakeÂŽ products not only offer the most authentic cedar shake and slate look, they are designed to offer superior performance in the Canadian climate.

Contact us today for a complimentary sample or for the address of an Enviroshake project near you.

1-519-380-9265 or 1-866-423-3302 www.enviroshake.com

SPECIAL

John Ardiel (centre) and his sons Greg (left) and Liam (right) carry on the family’s Beaver Valley apple legacy with Ardiel Cider House ciders at Georgian Hills Vineyards.

Nancy Esson and Adrienne Wood, co-owners of Right at Home Canada, Georgian Triangle.

INFORMATION

SECTION

Coco the Australian Shepherd gets picked up for a grooming by Tip to Tail owner Kelly Hunt-Doherty.

The latest new business openings and business transformations including new owners, moves and major renovations. More great reasons to shop local!

BALMORAL PLACE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY Located on Black Ash Creek in Collingwood’s Balmoral Village, Balmoral Place is an innovative age-in-place community that will consist of seniors’ apartments and a fullservice retirement residence. The retirement residence will offer a variety of suite types and sizes to choose from, along with services to meet individual needs. The monthly rental fee will include senior-friendly accommodations, nutritious meals, housekeeping, activities, wellness services including medication management, and much more. Residents will also have access to the community clubhouse (including a heated saltwater pool) and transportation services.

Apartments at Balmoral Place, located in a natural setting with views of Blue Mountain and Georgian Bay, are designed for active adults, 55 years and over, who are looking for a unique retirement lifestyle. Units will feature full kitchens, in-suite laundry, housekeeping services, the option of home-cooked meals served in a private dining area, plus full access to the Community Clubhouse.

“What separates Balmoral Place from typical ‘retirement’ communities is its size, choices of housing, quality wellness and recreational services and our local transportation program,” All photos courtesy of business owners

says John Woods, CEO of MTCO Holdings Inc., a developer and operator of seniors’ housing communities throughout Ontario. “We have many years of collective experience in retirement community living,” Woods adds. “Our vision is to offer an outstanding selection of amenities and services at an affordable price, with the finest combination of style and ambience in a caring, supportive community.”

8 & 10 Harbour Street West, Collingwood 705-444-9898 www.balmoralplace.ca

BARTEL PROPERTY CARE This new Meaford-based, family-owned business offers professional lawn maintenance in Meaford, Owen Sound, Thornbury and surrounding areas, with equipment to service large multi-acre properties as well as small town lots. The company’s services include lawn rolling, aeration, fertilizing, power raking, troubleshooting and lawn advice. Bartel Property Care also offers complete yard maintenance including care for mulched areas, flowerbeds, hedges and shrubs.

After owning and operating a successful building business in Saskatchewan since 2001, Colin Bartel and his partner decided to move to Southern Georgian Bay in 2016 on the recommendation of close friends in the region.

“We fell in love with the area, and it seemed like things just worked out for us to locate here,” says Bartel. “Even though we were builders by trade out west, we took care of about 10 acres of property as well. It was something we really had an interest in, so we saw an opportunity here to get more into property care and actually make it a thriving business.”

Bartel’s business philosophy is simple: “Put in an honest days work, don’t promise more than you can deliver, and be easy to communicate with.”

519-377-8126 www.bartelpropertycare.com

GIBSON & CO. “A place where people can go after work or dinner for a drink, or skip dinner altogether and order a bunch of small plates to share over drinks.” That is how owner Luke Anderson describes Gibson & Co., a new restaurant, café and bar in Collingwood. “We wanted to create a place for people to go if they just wanted a drink and some smaller food options to share,” says Anderson.

The restaurant will be open mornings and early afternoons for coffee, sandwiches and baked goods, and late afternoons and evenings for drinks and meals for sharing including charcuterie, cheeses and antipasti. “Our ON THE BAY

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Staff of MTCO Holdings, developer of Balmoral Place, l-r: Tyse Saffuri, community relations manager, Sara Cronkwright (director of marketing) and Michael Nagy (operations & marketing co-ordinator).

evening food menu, created with the help of chef Matt DeMille, formally of Drake Devonshire and Enoteca Sociale, will be aimed at dishes designed for sharing,” says Anderson. “We will be relying on the local expertise of Collingwood Bread Company and Dags & Willow to source our food menu options.”

A former airplane technician with a penchant for hosting family and friends for meals and drinks, Anderson says Gibson & Co. will serve coffee from a small-batch coffee roaster in Toronto, as well as local craft beer, North American whiskey and bourbon, traditional cocktails and a selection of fine wines.

“It’s all about education,” he says. “The enjoyment and appreciation of food and drink comes from understanding and learning about what we are consuming and the story behind it. We’ll be hosting various guest chefs, brew masters, winemakers and distillers for special events throughout the year. By staying open for longer hours, we hope to make downtown Collingwood more of an evening/night-time destination for locals and visitors alike.”

Open Sun. – Thurs. 8 – 12 a.m., Fri. & Sat. 8 – 2 a.m.

93 Hurontario Street, Unit 3, Collingwood 705-293-3500 www.gibsonandcompany.ca

INTERSECTIONS WOOD GALLERY & STUDIO This unique new gallery in Owen Sound brings together an impressive variety of wood, woodworking, art, craft and design. “Our region has a long tradition, [and] Intersections carries this tradition forward with sustainably cut trees made into furniture and sculpture,” says owner Stephen Hogbin. “Intersections Gallery presents the finest works in wood and our studio offers classes where woodworking may be experienced.”

Hogbin, himself a renowned international wood artist, moved to Southern Georgian Bay in 1979. He has exhibited frequently on three continents while continuing to fulfil commissions for clients in the region. He invites the public

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Herma Vegter-Petrie, owner of the expanded Lëuk Huis store in Collingwood.

to discover wood art, craft and design by visiting the gallery or taking studio classes given by specialists in their fields, including conceptual artist Kevin Yates; Amber Harwood of Georgian Bay Art Conservancy; renowned wood turner Carl Durance; and Pierre Rousseau, a knowledgeable instructor on the fundamentals of all things wood. Evening, one-day, weekend and one-week classes are available.

Artists and would-be artists also have the opportunity to join as members. “People can join our organization through membership or by signing up for studio classes,” says Hogbin.

“We have a study collection and an extensive library for members, which includes exhibition catalogues and a broad range of literature on trees and woodworking from all disciplines, including architecture. Occasionally, the works of guest artists are also shown.”

Open Thurs. – Sat. 10 – 4 or by chance 299 10th Street East, Owen Sound Tel: 519-371-4998 Website: www.intersectionsstudio.com

STONEWATER STUDIO Kim and Walt Blake, originally from London, Ontario, have opened a gallery and wood workshop in Thornbury specializing in crafting one-of-a-kind, handmade and innovative wood décor pieces to beautify indoor and outdoor spaces.

“Our thought process is new, even though our mediums may not be,” says Kim. “Using locally sourced materials and mixed media, we bring wood back to life by enhancing characteristics that others may consider imperfections. We take pride in offering high-quality products – both practical and esthetic – that make a statement and leave clients feeling that much more in touch with nature.”

Kim also operates Stonewater Design, an interior and graphic design business. “Drawn to simple beauty, I have a lifelong love for colour, texture and style, and an unbridled passion for producing unique and striking pieces,” she says.

After years in the sales business, partner

Gibson & Co. owner Luke Anderson.

Walt Blake is “taking a dive into his creative side.” Combining his handyman skills and attention to detail, he has discovered a talent for transforming raw materials from nature into one-of-a-kind wooden creations that enhance the distinctive beauty that was once hidden.

In addition to its distinctive wood products, Stonewater Studio also sells original acrylic paintings, photography and jewelry. “We’re happy to do custom orders and invite folks to just drop in and say hi,” says Kim. “We love meeting people!”

Open Fri. – Sun. 10 - 5. Weekdays by appointment.

207138 Hwy 26, RR1, Thornbury 705 718 1968 www.stonewaterstudio.ca

TRANSFORMATIONS GEORGIAN HILLS VINEYARDS – ARDIEL CIDER HOUSE Renowned for its award-winning Southern Georgian Bay wines and premium craft ciders, Georgian Hills Vineyards has now added Ardiel Cider House to its portfolio.

“The recent cider revolution has led us to preserve and nurture the older apple orchards to ensure that Ardiel Cider House continues to produce and craft locally grown, distinct and delicious ciders,” says John Ardiel, a partner in Georgian Hills Vineyards. For almost a century, his family has been growing and experimenting with new varieties of apples on their farm in the Beaver Valley.

“All of our ciders are made from unique varieties of heritage apples grown in the Beaver Valley,” says Ardiel. “They are the cornerstone of making our distinct and delicious ciders.”

He describes Ardiel Dry Cider as “a full-bodied beverage with a vibrant mid palate ending in a clean, dry and refreshing finish,” while the Big John Hop Cider is “unique in style, with attractive floral hop aromas, citrus and spice mid palate, ending with tangy tart cider notes. Both are premium craft ciders that express tradition and place.”

Georgian Hills Vineyards offers daily wine

SPECIAL

Stephen Hogbin, owner of Intersections Wood Gallery in Owen Sound.

tours at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Visitors can also enjoy views of the vineyards while tasting Georgian Hills wines and Ardiel Cider House ciders paired with artisanal cheese and charcuterie, either on the patio or with a prepared basket for a picnic among the vines.

Open daily year round 11 – 5. Wine tours daily 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

496350 Grey Road 2, The Blue Mountains 519-599-2255 www.georgianhillsvineyards.ca

LËUK HUIS Herma Vegter-Petrie’s popular Lëuk Huis store has expanded to three shops in one downtown Collingwood location, featuring distinctive items that cater to customers looking for a true lifestyle brand.

“Our three shops showcase unique items that allow our customers to truly experience Lëuk – through floral and events, fashion and cafe, and home furnishing and decorating services,” says Vegter-Petrie. “Each shop offers inspiration and treasures to add to your home.”

She adds, “Lëuk Huis was conceived from a sense of European well being, where warmth and comfort merge into a beautiful selection of unique finds from around the world. Here is where vision becomes reality. Enveloped in cozy textures, we offer a layered lifestyle through luxurious linens, and unique new and vintage furniture pieces.”

Inspired by leading architecture and new on-trend designs, Lëuk Huis’ in-house decorators partner with clients to offer their experience and their vast library of fabrics, accessories, furniture pieces and lighting.

Open Mon. – Thurs. 10 – 5:30, Fri. & Sat. 10 – 6, Sun. 11 – 4 78 Hurontario Street, Collingwood 705-293-2323 www.leukbijhermas.ca

RIGHT AT HOME CANADA, GEORGIAN TRIANGLE This home healthcare company has moved

Kim and Walt Blake, owners of Stonewater Studio in Thornbury.

its location to a new office on Hurontario Street in Collingwood, which offers more space for families, clients and caregivers to meet, community social events and training/information sessions for members of the community.

Right at Home provides medical and nonmedical companion home healthcare for seniors and disabled adults, including Personal Support Worker (PSW) care, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, foot care and other services. “Essentially, our caregivers will provide whatever care the client and family would like – whatever it takes to make them comfortable in their own homes, wherever home is for them,” says co-owner Nancy Esson. “It’s all about peace of mind for our clients and their loved ones.”

Adds co-owner and care planner Adrienne Wood, “We want to be the family when family is not able to be there.”

Since its inception, Right at Home Canada, Georgian Triangle has helped more than 150 families and created over 75 jobs in Southern Georgian Bay. “We are growing and contributing to our community as both service providers and employers of choice,” says Esson.

Available 24/7 by phone. Office open daily 8:30 – 5.

313 Hurontario Street, Collingwood 705-293-5500 www.rightathomecanada.com/georgian-triangle

TIP TO TAIL PET BOARDING/GROOMING & DAY CARE Tip to Tail, a professional full-service grooming, day care & boarding pet spa for dogs and cats serving the Southern Georgian Bay area, has moved from its downtown Meaford location to a 30-acre country retreat near Walters Falls, with many places for pets to relax, enjoy themselves and de-stress.

“The move has allowed for expansion to serve our clients better, with an 8,000-square-foot fenced play area, new fenced puppy playground, enlarged full spa and new large boarding suites for felines,” says owner Kelly-Elaine HuntDoherty, who has been working with dogs and cats for over 35 years.

INFORMATION

SECTION

Billy Vastis and Imad Abou-Chalha, new owners of Collingwood’s Tremont Café.

Hunt-Doherty says the location offers a safe and serene wooded setting where felines are separated from dogs. Luxurious feline boarding suites feature window views of a creek and woods, individual screened sunrooms and multi-level climbing stations. Tip to Tail also offers non-kennelled boarding and day care for dogs. There is no charge for pickup and drop-off throughout Grey and Bruce counties.

“Your pet will think that they have gone to pet heaven,” says Hunt-Doherty. “Our small hobby farm is the perfect place to spoil your pride and joy. We treat your pet like family!”

637254 St. Vincent/Sydenham Town Line, Meaford 519-477-0812 or 519-379-5862 www.tiptotail.ca

TREMONT CAFÉ Collingwood’s popular Tremont Café, in the heart of the downtown arts and culture district, has been sold to two entrepreneurs with 30 years’ combined experience in the hospitality industry. Billy Vastis has managed cafes, lounges, nightclubs, restaurants and boutique hotels. His partner Imad Abou-Chalha comes from a business background, attending culinary management school in New York and managing establishments in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Tremont’s bar manager, Stefano brings Tremont 10 years of bartending experience in some of Toronto’s most prestigious restaurants.

“The previous owners created an amazing place with a great reputation,” says Vastis. “After a year of researching Collingwood, we felt that the current demographic and ongoing transition is a perfect fit for our vision for the Tremont – a place of inspired hospitality where guests can share our love for authentic food, complex coffee and well-crafted cocktails, and are consistently welcomed with open arms and treated like family. We’re here to give love, and hope to get some in return.”

Open Wed. – Sun. 11 – 12 a.m.

80 Simcoe Street, Collingwood 705-293-6000 www.thetremontcafe.com ON THE BAY

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A Guide to Merchants Thornbury 705-606-0188 wcustomup@gmail.com

and Services in Southern Adrienne Wood Care Planner Georgian Triangle

Georgian Bay.

• Companionship • Homemaking & Healthy Meal Preparation • Shopping, Errands and Transportation • Hygiene & Personal Care • Physical Assistance • Nursing & Therapy • Dementia Specialists • Hospital to Home Transition & PostOperative Care

Call Today!

705-293-5500 rightathomecanada.com/GeorgianTriangle awood@rightathomecanada.com

Professional pest protection for your home or cottage Refer a friend

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Cluster Flies • Ladybugs Wasps • Pine Bugs Boxelder Bugs • Mice Call us for a FREE consultation

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Painting & Decorating Additions · Kitchens Bathrooms · Basements Decks/Fences Windows & Doors Roofing~fascia, soffits All renovations

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wrightway@rogers.com PROFESSIONAL SERVICE FOR OVER 35 YEARS

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Need a new smile?

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We do house calls & nursing home visits *IMPLANT DENTURES AVAILABLE*

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705-994-5100

www.peakliving.ca • info@peakliving.ca County Rd 124, Nottawa (705) 445-2782

• BRAKES • EXHAUST • SUSPENSION • CUSTOM BENDING

www.mckeemuffler.com

Georgian Bay Upholstery

Rockford Plaza, 103015 Grey Rd 18, Owen Sound

519-372-1421

www.georgianbayupholstery.ca

THE WORLDWIDE LEADER IN

PROPERTY RESTORATION

Fire • Water • Mould 24/7 Emergency Number

519-416-1122 www.belfor.com

Fine Custom Cabinetry | Kitchens | Architectural Woodwork 705-446-8932 | Unit #3, 100 Mountain Rd, Collingwood

Michael Dillon • 705-888-6444 michael.handsforhire@gmail.com www.handsforhire.ca

Pets • Grooming Small Animals Birds • Reptiles Pond Supplies

Prompt, courteous service for over 34 years Custom built furniture Upholstery of antique & modern furniture 10-year warranty

Come see the big picture @

Licensed Plumbers, Electricians and HVAC

Full Line of Services & Products

276 Main Street E. Stayner, ON 705.428.6668 Mon to Wed 10am-5pm • Thurs & Fri 10am - 6pm Sat 10am - 5pm • Sun 11am - 3pm

www.staynerpetcentre.com

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“THERE WHEN IT MATTERS”

705-429-8474 • 682 River Rd. W., Wasaga Beach www.wasagabeachdentureclinic.ca

Specializing in “Weekender Services” • All Repairs & Renovations • Realtor Support Services • Property Management & Maintenance • House Cleaning • Doors & Windows

4600+ HOME INSPECTIONS DAVID COOK

705-790-3013 or 705-428-0007

W W W. PA R AG O N I N S P E C T I O N S . CO M

Great homes. Great lifestyles. $4,900,000

$2,988,000

$3,388,000

CREEMOREMEADOWS.CA

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT INSPIRED

OVERLOOKING THE 11TH FAIRWAY AT THE GEORGIAN BAY CLUB

Modern masterpiece bungalow with sweeping 50 mile views. Seamlessly integrated into its surroundings on 70 acres with 5 beds & 6 baths. Unsurpassed attention to detail: zinc anthrax roof, Douglas fir millwork, concrete & steel structure & more.

Known as “Raven Stone” & built using natural materials with over 5,000 sq ft on multiple levels w/6 bdrms & 6 baths, floor to ceiling windows w/stunning views to Georgian Bay & the Escarpment, stone terrace w/adjoining saltwater pool. MLS®1625311

Appropriately named, “Tranquil Waters”, this custom-built residence is an attractive blend of luxury living & outdoor appeal. Impeccably built to the highest standards w/over 8,000 sq ft of finished living space, 6 Bdrms, 5 Baths & dramatic Post & Beam construction, Gourmet Chef’s kitchen, office, extra-large Family Room, lower level Bar, Media Room, Sauna, outdoor Hot Tub, 3 car garage & award-winning manicured grounds w/water feature & panoramic views of crystalline Georgian Bay. MLS®1709683

Cheryl MacLaurin* 705.446.8005

Barb Picot* 705.444.3452

Ron Picot* 705.446.8580

Thank you for your business, your trust and your confidence. It is our pleasure to work with you.

WWW.CHESTNUTPARK.COM | 705.445.5454

S O UTH ER N GEO R GI A N BAY & G R E Y BR U C E | W W W . C H E S T N U T P AR K . C OM | 7 05.445.5454

$2,495,000

$1,950,000

$1,890,000

PRIVATE COUNTRY ESTATE

BALMY BEACH ESTATE

COLLINGWOOD AREA—EQUESTRIAN

Exclusive custom-built residence w/panoramic views from the escarpment to the shores of Georgian Bay. 4,575 sq ft w/4 bdrms, 3.5 baths, reclaimed hemlock floors, wood-burning Rumford fireplace, 20’ ceilings & Geothermal heating/cooling. MLS®1618833

Historically significant property replica to Butchart gardens-Victoria, BC w/ 647 water frontage on 4+ acres. Numerous opportunities for development/ retreat. Renovated 5 bdrm / 2 bath home + 2 cottages & barn. Expansive shoring & 3 bay boat- house.

• • • •

Ron Picot* 705.446.8580 $1,795,000

Dutch Masters Design Square 100 Acres 140x 250 outdoor Sandring 28 12x12 Box Stalls/ 15 paddocks

• • •

In Floor Heating in Viewing Lounge, Tack room, Laundry room feed room and Office

Sue Mallett* 705.444.7181 suzzanne.mallett@sympatico.ca David Rowlands** 705.321.8717 davidr@bmts.com

Gary Taylor** 519.378.4663 Al Shreeve** 519.377.2131 $1,495,000

$1,688,000

•

Farm Manager’s Residence 80 ft x180 ft Indoor Arena/ Travelright Footing Multiple outdoor watering stations

$1,300,000

EXCLUSIVE ESTATE RESIDENCE

MULTI-USE FARMHOUSE PROPERTY

ENCHANTING LAKE HURON

50 ACRES - CONTEMPORARY LIVING

Rare opportunity to own a 2.8 acre estate abutting the 17th & 18th holes of the Georgian Bay Club with no common element fees. Private w/views to Georgian Bay, 5 Bdrms, 3 Baths, inground salt-water pool, gardens & det. 2,700 sq ft workshop/garage. MLS®1710479

Perfect for the horse enthusiast or reborn into a new venture. 98 acres, 2,910 sq ft renovated farmhouse w/4 bdrms, 3 baths, Chef’s Kitchen, wood-burning fireplace, 40x75 ft barn w/tack room & 50x30 Garage/Workshop w/many possibilities. MLS®1616022

Luxuriously built-finest materials.

Contemporary open concept w/soaring ceilings, hardwood floors, commercial kitchen + wood burning fplaces indoors/out, plunge pool, flag stone paths/patios, water front docks/decks.

Protected waterfront - Myles Bay.

Architecturally designed Masterpiece with sleek finishes & an abundance of glass & natural light. Steam room, lap pool, heated floors, 14’ western cedar vaulted ceilings-the list goes on!

4 bedrooms/4baths 4,404 sq. ft.

Barb Picot* 705.444.3452

Ron Picot* 705.446.8580

Gary Taylor** 519.378.4663

$1,288,000

$1,200,000

$1,100,000

Lori Schwengers** 226.974.1818 Ralph Schwengers* 416.300.5899 $899,000

STUNNING LOG HOME

51 ACRE COUNTRY ESTATE

WWW.READHILTON.COM

10TH FLOOR PENTHOUSE

Known as “Stream Song” & set at the base of a ridge w/a stream running alongside the property.

1 acre private lot, over 5,000 sq ft, 6 bdrms, 4 baths, Theatre Room, cozy gas & wood burning fireplace, wrap around deck, hot tub & located in Craigleith. MLS®1701077

Gourmet kitchen, dining nook, 3 beds & 3 baths.

Lower level - bar w/kitchenette, hot tub rm, fitness area, laundry/utility rm. Detached 3 bay workshop/garage. BONUS -this estate has solar income of approx. $12,000 + /yr. Completely transferrable.

Lake Eugenia. 233 ft waterfront -sandy & great for swimming w/2 docks. Just under 1 acre- professionally landscaped. Bungalow w/ 2 main floor bdrms, 2 baths, office/ laundry. Lower level - 3 bdrms, bath & walk out to yard/ lake. Fantastic location.

Resort living, with marina, pool & tennis in Collingwood’s highest building offers 2000 sq.ft open design, wall to wall / floor to ceiling glass, stunning water & mountain views. Forced air gas + gas FP. Central air & 2 deeded indoor parking spaces.

Barb Picot* 705.444.3452

Gary Taylor** 519.378.4663

Read Hilton* 705.351.8100

Sue Mallett* 705.444.7181

$899,000

$895,000

$890,000

$838,000

RENOVATED REGENCY BUNGALOW

WATERFRONT AND SUNSETS

TOBERMORY WATERFRONT HOME

RETREAT HIGH ABOVE THORNBURY

This stunning residence includes 2,045 sq ft of main floor living space, 2 well-appointed bdrms w/ensuites, Library/Office, 2-piece Powder Room, Quartz center-island kitchen, oak floors, cozy gas fireplace & deck w/private yard.

MLS®1700022

Custom stone bungalow, 3700 sq.ft 4 bdrm, 4 baths. Make this your piece of heaven on Georgian Bay. Enjoy sunsets from your 70 ft wide deck. Minutes to Meaford /Owen Sound. Plus share ownership of 12 ac. abutting woodland for owners recreation.

Enjoy expansive views from this sensational cliff top residence with 4 bed/ 2 bath, bright living room with vaulted ceilings, water view from most rooms, lounge on upper deck overlooking Flower Pot island or sunbath down on the waterside patio.

Enjoy views of Georgian Bay, the Peaks & Beaver Valley from this stunning ridge-side custom-built retreat w/Apartment Rental potential. 4,290 sq ft, 4 bdrms, 4 baths, open-concept kitchen w/granite counters, gas fp & salt-water pool.

MLS®1615447

Barb Picot* 705.444.3452

Dave Moyer* 519.379.1996

Mark McDade* 519.387.7650

Ron Picot* 705.446.8580

CHESTNUT PARK REAL ESTATE LIMITED, BROKERAGE - FROM THE BAY TO THE BRUCE COLLINGWOOD

393 First Street, Suite 100 Collingwood, ON 705-445-5454

OWEN SOUND

957 4th Avenue East, Suite 200, Owen Sound, ON 519-371-5455

WIARTON

551 Berford Street Wiarton, ON 519-534-5757

S O UTH ER N GEO R G IAN BAY & G R E Y BR U C E | W W W . C H E S T N U T P AR K . C OM | 705.445.5454

SO

$579,000

$808,000

$795,000

$748,000

PERCHED ON TOP OF A RAVINE

WWW.GAILCRAWFORD.COM

LOG HOME IN PRIVATE SETTING

BACKING ONTO GREENSPACE

Beautiful residence located on a private cul-de-sac with 3 Bdrms, 3 Baths, finished basement & large windows throughout to take in the stunning views of the ravine and Blue Mountain. Gas fireplace & mins to Collingwood & ski clubs. MLS®1711570

Custom log home on 41 acres w/2 ponds, mixed bush, hiking/cross country ski trails.

5000 sq.ft. economical geothermal system.

6 bedrooms, 5 baths, black cherry flooring, sauna. Oversized dbl detached garage.

Minutes to Markdale/Beaver Valley ski club.

Nestled in amongst nature on 5 acres complete with 3 Bdrms, 3 Baths, office, Florida room, wood-burning fireplace, exposed beams, finished basement, wrap-around deck, pond & minutes to Collingwood.

Unique property w/ B&B Potential located on almost 1/2 an acre & minutes to Collingwood.

3 Bdrms, 3 Baths, Family Rm with Gas Heritage stove, single attached garage w/large Mudroom & inside entry & landscaped grounds w/water feature. MLS ®1707872

Barb Picot* 705.444.3452

Gail Crawford* 705.445.3751

Barb Picot* 705.444.3452

Ron Picot* 705.446.8580

LD

from $12 / square foot

$399,000

$289,000

$45,000

WATERFRONT BUILDING LOT

BIG HEAD RIVERFRONT

SEASONAL LEASE – GEORGIAN BAY CLUB

COLLINGWOOD AVIATION PARK

Gorgeous Georgian Bay waterfront lot with western exposure to take in the spectacular sunsets. Build your dream home on this partially cleared and lovely treed property in exclusive Silver Birch Beach. 45 minutes to Collingwood – in Tiny Township.

Picturesque renovated cottage/home with 2+ bedrooms & a full basement nestled on the river.

New kitchen w/stainless appliances. Drilled well/ septic/oil/electric and wood heating. Walkaround deck w/ scenic views. Move in condition. Close to amenities. MLS®1712004

Exceptional seasonal lease situated at the edge of the 11th fairway of Georgian Bay Club. award winning landscaped pool, fire pit, hot tub and fully equipped outdoor kitchen/ cabana. 5 bdrms. Escape for Summer 2017 MLS® 1711815

15,000 - 20,000 sq.ft hangar space - tailor to your business. In floor heat, modern efficiencies, floor system, prime ramp & exposure. Door height - Gulfstream sized jets & smaller. 2 side doors for flexibility. Residential suites also available. MLS®1703940

Ellen Jarman* 705.441.2630

Dave Armstrong* 905.713.9414

Paige Young* 705.241.2433

Stefanie Kilby* 705.606.0320

Dave Armstrong*

Chris Assaff*

Diana Berdini**

Michael Biggins**

Barbara Brunton*

Office Manager

Ellen Jarman*

John Kacmar**

Cynthia Razum*

Martin Kilby**

Jennifer Ridsdale**

Stefanie Kilby*

Sandee Roberts**

Anita Lauer*

David Rowlands**

Vanessa BurgessMason*

Cheryl MacLauren*

Gail Crawford*

Joan Malbeuf*

Lori Ralph Schwengers** Schwengers*

Judy Crompton**

Sue Mallett*

Al Shreeve**

Mona Deschamps*

Rob McAleer*

Chris Stevenson*

Heather Garner*

Mark McDade*

Gary Taylor**

Debra Gibbon*

Dave Moyer*

Brendan Thomson*

Read Hilton*

Barbara Picot*

Carol Whyne*

Paige Young*

*

Pick up INVEST IN STYLE: Lifestyle Issue magazine at select locations from the Bay to the Bruce, or see a full digital version at www.investinstyle.ca.

Proud sponsor of Evening on Cloud 9 in support of the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital | August 11, 2017 Gala Contact the office for ticket information.

Ron Picot*

SALES REPRESENTATIVE

**

BROKER

Experienced. Professional. Client-focused. We are your Southern Georgian Bay real estate team.

Expand your real estate knowledge and follow us on the Peak FM, Facebook and Twitter for insightful updates and advice.

When it comes time to buy or sell your home, choose Windstone Real Estate - your competitive edge!

LUXURY BEACH TOWNS IN WASAGA

QUINTESSENTIAL 30-ACRE PRIVATE ESTATE

BEACH2O, Wasaga Beach, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase a luxury townhome just steps to the beach. This exclusive collection of only fifteen 3-bedroom towns feature unique Canadiana architecture and stylish designer finishes by the renowned Hudson Kruse. With impeccable details from stone counters and glass showers to smooth ceilings and loads of storage space for winter and summer gear, these family-friendly homes make beach living a breeze. Move in this summer! Call today to book a private appointment.

Imagine an early morning horseback ride through your meandering trails. Sipping cocktails poolside on your sun-soaked patio. Playing tennis on a court fit for the US open. Picking pears and raspberries from your organic garden. Making smores with the kids and camping out in your own log cabin in the woods. Entertaining family and friends at your prestigious Ralph-Lauren-style country property.

If the estate life suits your family, call today for a private appointment.

Minutes from downtown Collingwood, miles from ordinary.

Offered at $3,400,000††

Priced from the low $500,000’s†

SO

BLUE MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT SITE This 52-acre site permits up to 106 residential units under the official plan.

Located minutes from Blue Mountain Village, Georgian Bay, and The Scandinave, this premier property is an ideal new home development location.

FOUR SEASON LIVING IN MIDLAND With its inspired blend of nature, design and lifestyle, THE SEASONS features open concept condominium towns and semis.

This four-season community is situated along Little Lake with 100 acres of stunning forests, trails, park land, wildlife and amenities.

Homes starting from the low $200,000’s††

$6,600,000 MLS 1702843

LD

PRIME WATERFRONT LOCATION Live where you play in this 3-bedroom home! Swim at your own sandy beach, bike, hike, and run on the Georgian Trail. Ski lifts and golf courses are just a short drive away.

Sit back and enjoy the breathtaking sunsets over Georgian Bay. List Price $894,000 MLS 1702449

www. windstonerealestate.com CHRISTINE BRENNAN*

KEITH HULL***

Owner

705-444-9527

705-444-4855

1-888-990-9120 705-444-9527

JEFF DAVIS** 705-441-6001

524 First Street, Collingwood

RICK WILES**

info@windstonerealestate.com

647-839-9582

* Salesperson ** Broker *** Broker of Record † Exclusive Listing †† Exclusive Listing, Broker protected

Windstone Real Estate, Brokerage. Independently owned and operated. This is not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract.

ROB HOLROYD * 705-818-2040

TOVAH SOCHA Administrator

705-444-9527

WATERFRONT

107 NORTHMOUNT CRES. 4 bdrm., 3 bath, 2247 sq. ft. fin.

13 CHERRY ST. 5 bdrm., 3.5 bath, 2968 sq. ft.

125 SNOWBRIDGE WAY 5+2 bdrm., 5/2 bath, 5920 sq. ft. fin.

505 MAPLE ST. 2+1 bdrm., 1.5 bath, 1592 sq. ft. fin.

1651 124 COUNTY RD. 2+3 bdrm., 5 bath, 4310 sq. ft. fin.

7975 POPLAR SR 7+1 bdrm., 3.5 bath, 5159 sq. ft. fin.

784 JOHNSTON PARK AVE. 3 bdrm., 2.5 bath, 1341 sq. ft.

115 NIAGARA ST. 2+1 bdrm., 3 bath, 2200 sq. ft. fin.

78 BRUCE ST. 6 bdrm., 4.5 bath, 3793 sq. ft.

115 BARTON BLVD. Peaks Meadows, Building Lot 80 x 197

WE HAVE BUYERS Waterfront, Lighthouse Point, Vacant land

23 ELM ST. 2 bdrm., 2 bath, 1515 sq. ft. fin.

$1,149,900

$449,000

$1,795,000

$1,590,000

$399,000

$1,590,000

Inquire

$199,000

$1,200,000

CALL TODAY TO LIST YOUR PROPERTY

$449,900

Contact us to expand your BUYING and SELLING power!

Emma Baker

Sherry Rioux

Anne S. Young

Jacki Binnie

Almira Haupt

Broker 705.444.3989

Broker 705.443.2793

Sales Representative 705.994.2566

Sales Representative 705.441.1071

Rental Manager 705.445.7085

Rioux Baker REAL ESTATE TEAM

10 Keith Ave., Unit 306, Collingwood | 705.445.7085 | www.SellingCollingwood.com

ENCL AV E D ESIGN #1115

$795,000

Gerry Wayland

PROUDLY SERVING COLLINGWOOD, BLUE MOUNTAIN & THORNBURY

*

FEATURED PROPERTY Custom built quality bungalow backing on to the 5th hole at the Georgian Bay Golf Club.

Open concept. Designer kitchen with granite counters and top-of-the line Miele appliances. Formal dining room. Master bedroom ensuite with heated bathroom floor.

ICF quality construction. Twocar garage with a 3rd side entry for parking for your personal golf cart.

Asking $1,395,000

Andrea Wright

Sales Representative

Debbie Pearce

Sales Representative

Maggie Smyth

Sales Representative

Jamie Hibbard

Sales Representative

LISTING, BUYING, OR RENTING? 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 ®

Guy Stramaglia Broker Terra Brook Homes

Helping you is what we do.

705.444.1420

Trinity Realty

•

1.800.610.4868

www.trinity-realty.com

Brokerage, Independently Owned & Operated

Caring and Committed to our Communities! Proud supporters of:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Georgian Triangle • Birchview Dunes Elementary School • Collingwood General & Marine Hospital Georgian Triangle Humane Society • Home Horizon • Theatre Collingwood • Wasaga Beach Minor Hockey Club • Wasaga Beach Soccer Club

Rental Division • Seasonal • Annual • Chalet • Condo • Waterfront

WATERSIDE ENCLAVE

CHALET INSPIRED

SHIPYARDS END UNIT

LIGHTHOUSE POINT

DOCKSIDE VILLAGE

Steps to the water & downtown from this 3 bdrm townhome. $939,500

3 bdrm Shipyard townhome w/ designer’s choice in finishes. $998,500

Lovely finishings in this 3 bdrm condo with views. $539,000

One level living in this 2 bdrm 2 bath unit with bay views. $384,900

Light filled, spacious 3+1 bdrm townhome with views of Bay! $499,900

PERFECT LOCATION

EXECUTIVE BUNGALOW-LOFT

BEACHFRONT VIEWS

BROCK’S BEACH

GEORGIAN BAY WATEFRONT

Bright & spacious 2+2 bdrm with 2900 sqft of living space. $859,000

Backs onto Cranberry Golf Course. 4 bdrm w/ upgrades. $639,900

4 bdrm, 4 bath luxury condo with amazing sunsets. $988,888

100 ft of sandy beach. The cottage footprint is 1530 sqft. $1,350,000

100 ft of waterfront. Lovingly maintained 2 bdrm cottage. $949,000

DESIRABLE LOCATION

CRANBERRY

MOUNTAIN SPRINGS LODGE

SANDY BEACH ACCESS

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES

Upgrades are endless in this 3 bdrm, 2 bath Cranberry condo. $324,900

Open floor plan 2 bdrm, 2 bath condo on waterside. $289,000

Secure an investment or enjoy this lovely studio yourself. $165,000

Deeded beach access steps away from this 90 x 222 ft lot. $349,900

Victorian commercial building with upper level residence. $599,999

CREEKSIDE SUBDIVISION

FABULOUS HOME

WALK TO SCHOOLS & PARK

RECENT UPDATES

IDEAL FAMILY HOME

Fully finished and upgraded 2+1 bdrm 3 bath home. $559,000

One of a kind 2+1 bdrm backsplit with many upgrades. $599,900

Updated 3 bdrm home. Fenced yard w/ greenhouse & gardens. $429,000

Large 3+2 bdrm home with separate entrance to lower lvl. $384,900

Your search is over in this open concept 3 bdrm 2 bath. $369,000

Brenda Katia Abaimova* Armstrong** 705.888.8979 705.828.4571

Loretta McInnis* 705.443.1659

Dana Rebecca Jenna Jill Melissa Graig Calder** Cormier* Davis* Does* Heffernan* King* 705.441.3607 705.888.5100 705.888.6365 705.331.3341 705.888.0860 705.293.0898

Barbara McCowan** 705.443.9784

Lorraine McDonald* 705.444.4216

Jane Linda Connie Tara Shelly Sandy Greg Cheryl J. Melanie Deb Moysey** Murphy* O’Shell** Parsons* Paul** Shannon** Syrota** Morrison*** Saunders-Chatwin* Moss* 705.444.1420 705.888.1578 705.888.1982 705.351.1420 705.444.3154 705.888.8272 705.888.0225 705.443.2191 705.445.7833 705.446.8082

Fran Webster* 705.444.9081

Sara White** 705.828.6202

Pamela Candace Bacchus* Armstrong* 705.817.1007 416.575.9523

Debbie Bunston* 705.444.2925

* Sales Representative

** Broker

*** Broker of Record

Excellent Agents.

Outstanding Results.

WE KNOW SOUTHERN GEORGIAN BAY

CUSTOM BUILT LOG HOME 3 bedroom, 3 bath, 2396 sq. ft. back split.

DEVIL’S GLEN

3 bedroom, 3 bath, 2636 sq. ft. townhouse.

COUNTRY LIVING AT ITS BEST 5 bedroom, 3 bath well maintained home.

GEORGIAN MEADOWS

4 bdrm, 3 1/2 bath home with many upgrades.

$449,900 MLS®#1710154

$489,000 MLS®#1711573

$725,000 MLS®#1710275

$699,900 MLS®#1710541

Derek Crespy** 705-441-0112

Blair Thompson** 705-446-8507

Alan Robert Ewing* 705-444-9778

Judith Traynor** 705-446-8977

15 ACRE VIEW PROPERTY

4 bedrooms, 3 ½ bath 2 storey stone fireplace.

SPECTACULAR PANORAMIC VIEWS

1.1 ACRES – CASTLE GLEN

4 bdrms, 2 ½ bath, 3200 finished sq. ft. on 12.5 acres.

4 bdrm, 2 ½ bath “4 season” cottage – views of Osler Bluff.

VIEWS OF THE SKI HILLS Elegantly furnished & upgraded 4 bdrm, 4 bath townhome.

$1,349,999 MLS®#1710869

$1,460,000 MLS®#1711686

$674,000 MLS®#1711099

$649,000 MLS®#1712359

Brad Williams** 705-444-4646

Mark Veer**/ Mary Riopelle*

Dominic Ellis* 705-606-3070

Janet Piotrowski* 705-994-5858

705-443-7911/705-446-5466

GEORGIAN MEADOWS

4 bedroom, 2660 sq. ft. Energy Star Home.

CONTEMPORARY ICF HOME 3+1 bdrm bungalow. Full in-law suite w/ separate entrance.

96.72 ACRES

4 bedroom, 2 ½ bath Century red brick farm house.

PRIVACY Stone home on 6 acres with expansive lake view west of Meaford.

$699,000 MLS®#1712528

$939,900 MLS®#1712364

$1,195,000 MLS®#1712837

$850,000 MLS®# 1712782

Greg Grossmann* 705-443-7093

Lorraine Champion* 705-441-3642

Bob Allan* 705-606-0166

Todd Brooker**

four seasons realty limited, Brokerage Independently Owned and Operated *sales representative **broker ***broker of record

705-888-1818

67 First St., Collingwood 705-445-8500 47 Bruce St., Thornbury 519-599-2600 202 Montreal St., Stayner 705-428-4500

Shop for your new home online at RemaxCollingwood.ca

doug Gillis

Maddy Gillis

direct: 705.444.3853 doug@douggillis.ca

direct: 705.888.1616 maddy@maddygillis.ca

Sales Representative

Broker of Record* A track record of excellence

sierra Trail

MounTain Views

$769,000

31 sierra Trail 3

3/1

$399,000

5 Buckingham Blvd.

Collingwood

5

Grey Highlands 3

3/1

2,970 Total FT2

Vacant Land

5 Acres +/-

Building Lot

Great Location

207 arrowhead 6

4/1

GeorGian Bay CluB

Vacant Land

Building Lot

GeorGian Bay CluB

Clarksburg 4

3/1

3,340 Total FT2

100 re/MaX agents in Canada * Top 1999, 2000, 2002, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016.

4,000 Total FT2

deVil’s Glen

$569,000

11 Cerberus Trail Clearview

2

2,000 Total Total FT2

indusTrial

$1,000,000

$799,000

108 scotts Court

185 Block 4 Mountain road

Blue Mountains 2

Collingwood

2,320 Total Total FT2

Vacant Land

49 +/- aCres

GeorGian Bay CluB

$1,995,000

516689 7th line #4

3/1

THouGHTfuly lansCaped

4

$499,000

5

4

$459,000

27 -/+ aCres

Clarksburg

2

Clarksburg

6,265 Total Total FT2

lot 26 7th line

Collingwood

lot 15 Timber leif ridge

Blue Mountains

$1,895,000

$525,000

185 Block 2 Mountain road

Collingwood

$1,900,000

MounTain Views

indusTrial

#168- 51 Trott Blvd

HiGH-end new Build

Building Lot

Blue Mountains 4,395 Total FT2

$239,000

1,010 Total Total FT

Clarksburg

124 Margaret drive

Collingwood

CranBerry VillaGe

2

lot 14 Timber leif ridge

$799,000

453 Hume st.

Blue Mountains

2

$459,000

CoMMerCial

148 stone Zack lane

$799,000 Blue Mountain

4,900 Total Total FT2

$1,199,000

GeorGian Bay Views

107 Camperdown road

6/1

GeorGian Bay CluB

$995,000

235439 Grey road 13

Blue Mountains

Building Lot

speCTaCular Valley Views

$1,495,000

121 Cortina Crescent

Clearview

3,038 Total FT2

GeorGian Bay CluB

nipissinG ridGe

$1,849,000

$399,000

100 stone Zack lane Blue Mountains Building Lot

3672 County road 124 Clearview 5

4/1

4,524 Total FT2

www.douggillis.ca RE/MAX four seasons Doug Gillis & Associates Realty, Brokerage 67-A First Street, Collingwood

Direct:

705.444.3853

READER BUYING GUIDE For more information, link directly to Our Advertisers at www.onthebaymagazine.com ACCOMMODATION

Brabary Fine Lingerie Page 40

City Stone Page 35

The Corner Suites Page 35

D.C. Taylor Jewellers Page 38

Enviroshake Page 94

Elaine Dickinson’s Fashions Page 48

ANIMAL/PET SERVICES

Greenhawk Harness & Equestrian Supplies Page 79

Global Alliance Home Improvement Products Page 64

Greenhawk Harness & Equestrian Supplies Page 79 River Road Animal Hospital Page 49 Stayner Pet Centre Page 98

FLOORING Dean’s Carpet One Page 66

Chestnut Park Real Estate Limited, Brokerage Page 99, 100, 101

Kitchen Painters Page 67

Clairwood Real Estate Corporation, Brokerage Rioux Baker Real Estate Team Page 103

McMillan Millwork & Joinery Page 98

Georgian Bay Properties for Sale Page 12

Peak Living Renovations Page 98

Pace Global Realty Inc., Brokerage Page 109

The Hands for Hire Group Page 98 The Paint & Woodcare Co. Page 69

Re/Max at Blue Realty Inc., Brokerage Page 104

ART/PHOTOGRAPHY/MUSEUMS

FOOD/DRINK

BMFA Arts Centre Page 90

Creemore 100 Mile Store Page 21

Van Dolder’s Home Team Custom Exteriors Page 73

Re/Max Four Seasons Realty Ltd., Brokerage Page 106

Bonnie Dorgello Jewelery & Paintings Page 90

Creemore Springs Brewery Page 21

Wrightway Renovations Page 98

Dragonfly Farm Store Page 84

Re/Max Four Seasons Realty Ltd., Brokerage Doug Gillis, Maddy Gillis Page 107

Bryan Davis Photography Page 21

Farmers Pantry Page 85

HOME SERVICES

Butter Gallery Page 90

Georgian Hills Vineyards Page 78

Paragon Home Inspections Page 98

Royal LePage Locations North Realty Inc., Brokerage Page 16, 17

Collingwood Art School Page 48, 90

Gibson and Company Page 85

Curiosity House Books & Gallery Page 21

Goldsmith’s Orchard Market Page 84

LANDSCAPE/GARDEN

Deborah Masters, Artist Page 90

Grandma’s Beach Treats Page 85

13 Forty Landscape Supplies Page 68

Golden Gallery Tobermory Page 90

Mountain Ash Farm Page 21

Bartel Property Care Page 71

Grey Roots Museum & Archives Page 51

Side Launch Brewing Company Page 79

Bloom ‘n Nursery & Tree Farm Page 61

Intersections Wood Gallery & Studio Page 90

The Chipper Page 85

Environmental Pest Control Page 98

Kilby Gallery Page 43

Thornbury Village Cider House Page 84

Garden Holistics Page 61

Owen Sounds Artists’ Co-op Page 90

Windstone Real Estate, Brokerage Page 102

Metal Cabinet Company Page 70

Mulch-It Page 71

Orangeville Furniture Page 112

Shouldice Designer Stone Page 47

Tyme Home Custom Interiors Page 68

Springscapes Landscaping Page 65

GENERATORS

The Landmark Group Page 9

PirmiEnergy Page 66

Williams Landscape Contracting + Design Page 64

Creemore Children’s Festival Page 21

GOLF

MEDICAL/DENTAL PROFESSIONALS

Minds Alive Toys, Crafts, Books Page 50

Mad River Golf Club Page 82

Collingwood Sport Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre Page 48

Monterra Golf Page 25

Comly Eye Care Page 50

Barbara Weider House, Home Horizon Page 77

HEALTH/BEAUTY/FITNESS

Big Brothers Big Sisters of The Georgian Triangle Page 80

Camelot Salon & Day Spa Page 51

Collingwood Business Improvement Association Page 27

Georgian Bay Cosmetic Clinic Page 48

Collingwood G&M Hospital Foundation Page 11, 89

Creemore Village Pharmacy Page 21 Glow Hair Studio & Beauty Bar Page 58 Good Health Mart Collingwood Page 53

Creemore Business Improvement Association Page 21

Hair Apothecary Studio Page 35

mycollingwood.ca Page 52

Right at Home Canada, Home Health Care & Assistance Page 98

Town of The Blue Mountains Parks & Trails Page 35

Living Shore Spa Page 89

Scandinave Spa Page 43

EVENTS

HOME AUTOMATION

Artsburg Day Page 59

Red Brick Group Page 69

Big Red Chair Tour 2017 Page 89

Drs. Hammond, Raymond & Cation Optometrists Page 59 Erie Street Dental Page 51

Sweetwater Restaurant & Bar Page 78

SEPTIC SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL/FINANCIAL/LEGAL

TRAVEL

Barriston Law LLP Page 81

Carlson Wagonlit Travel Page 49

BDO Canada LLP, Chartered Accountants Page 81

Secondary Ownership Group Page 50

Besse Merrifield & Cowan LLP, Law Firm Page 59

TREES

BlueRock Wealth Management Page 30, 31, 32, 33

Maple Leaves Forever Page 76

South Georgian Bay Film Festival Page 61 The Collingwood Art Crawl Page 90

Thornbury Antique Market Page 35

Collins Barrow LLP, Chartered Accountants Page 40

HOME IMPROVEMENT & SUPPLY

LM Rourke, CPA Professional Corporation Page 51

SUMMER 2017

Lakeside Seafood & Grill Page 89

Mac Taylor Corporation Page 64

Salnek’s Window Fashions & Accessories Page 13

ON THE BAY

Windrose (MacPherson Builders) Page 2

Wasaga Beach Denture Clinic Page 98

Kitchen Painters Page 67

Bill Brown Woodworking & Builders Supply Page 70

The Shipyards (Fram + Slokker) Page 7

Ardiel Septic Services Page 41

mycollingwood.ca Page 52

Bonnie Dorgello Jewelery & Paintings Page 90

Mountain House at Windfall (Georgian International) Page 111

Orthopaedic Sport Institute Page 59

Evening on Cloud 9 Page 11

Belfor Property Restoration Page 98

Mountaincroft (Grandview Homes) Page 15

Mylar & Loreta’s Restaurant Page 78

FAD Farrow Arcaro Design Page 65

A-1 Toilet Rentals Page 58

Crestview Estates (Terra Brook Homes) Page 4

Dr. Robert McCoppen Family Dentistry Page 58

Creemore Valley Classics 2017 Page 21

FASHION/JEWELRY

Balmoral Place Retirement Community Page 47

RESTAURANTS

HOME DÉCOR/DESIGN

Wine & Food Festival Page 85

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENTS

Dr. John Miller & Dr. Sam Goodman Family Dentistry Page 53

Creemore Children’s Festival Page 21

Wasaga Beach Blues Page 49

Royal LePage Trinity Realty Inc., Brokerage Page 105

Green Earth Landscapes Page 69

Grey County Auto and Marine Page 98

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Royal LePage RCR Realty, Brokerage Basia Regan Page 21, 87

Canuck Cedar Chairs Page 70

Stonewater Studio Page 90

CHILDREN’S SERVICES

Royal LePage Locations North Realty Inc. Lifestyles North Team Page 25

Royal LePage Trinity Realty Inc., Brokerage Jane Moysey & Lorraine McDonald Page 6

FURNITURE

McKee Muffler Page 98

Garden Rescue by Heidi Page 68

Royal LePage Locations North Realty Inc. The Chris Keleher Team Page 3

Georgian Sprinklers Page 61

Sheffield Black History & Cultural Museum Page 58

AUTO

108

REAL ESTATE

Brian Renken Professional Corporation, Barristers & Solicitors Page 50

RADIO

Bloom ‘n Nursery & Tree Farm Page 61

UPHOLSTERY/FABRIC Georgian Bay Upholstery Page 98 Wayne Dziedzic Custom Upholstery Page 98

WINDOW FASHIONS Ashton’s Blinds, Draperies & Shutters Page 65

102.9 The New Classical fm Page 10, 74

Salnek’s Window Fashions & Accessories Page 13

97.7 The Beach Page 86, 94

Shades & Shutters Page 67

SOLD

SOLD IN 4 DAYS

SOLD

COLLINGWOOD Selling Fees Saved $6,017.25

SOLD

WASAGA BEACH Selling Fees Saved $8,814.00

SOLD

CRANBERRY RESORT Selling Fees Saved $5,932.50

GREORGIAN MEADOWS Selling Fees Saved $6,780.00

SOLD

HERITAGE CORNERS Selling Fees Saved $6,554.00

SOLD OVER ASK IN 24 HOURS

SOLD

WASAGA BEACH Selling Fees Saved $5,763.00

SOLD

WASAGA BEACH Selling Fees Saved $3,729.00

SOLD

WASAGA BEACH Selling Fees Saved $6,457.95

LISTED AND SOLD

SOLD

WASAGA BEACH Selling Fees Saved $3,644.25

CRAIGLEITH Selling Fees Saved $12,543.00

OWEN SOUND Selling Fees Saved $4,237.50

COLLINGWOOD Selling Fees Saved $8,983.50

HAVE BEEN SOLD LL WI GS TIN LIS T EN RR CU R OU OF ST MO

BY THE TIME YOU SEE THIS AD TS HAVE SAVED CLOSE TO $ DURING THE PAST 30 MONTHS OUR CLIEN

$500,000 IN COMMISSION DOLLARS

$

$

HOW ARE YOU DOING? SOLD

COLLINGWOOD Selling Fees Saved $10,661.55

SOLD

LIGHTHOUSE POINT Selling Fees Saved $4,873.12

SOLD

COLLINGWOOD Selling Fees Saved $4,915.50

SOLD

WASAGA BEACH Selling Fees Saved $4,915.50

SOLD

COLLINGWOOD Selling Fees Saved $8260.30

SOLD

STAYNER Selling Fees Saved $3,813.75

SOLD

WASAGA SANDS Selling Fees Saved $5,763.00

SOLD

CRANBERRY RESORT Selling Fees Saved $4,972.00

SOLD OVER ASK

SOLD OVER ASK

WASAGA BEACH Selling Fees Saved $6,305.40

SOLD

SOLD

NOTTAWASAGA Selling Fees Saved $5,152.80

SOLD

FEVERSHAM Selling Fees Saved $1,644.75

SOLD

HARBOURSIDE IV Selling Fees Saved $3,729.00

WASAGA BEACH Selling Fees Saved $6,186.75

THORNBURY

Selling Fees Saved $3,813.75

COLLINGWOOD

Selling Fees Saved $12,305.70

LIGHTHOUSE POINT Selling Fees Saved $6147.20

SOLD

WASAGA BEACH Selling Fees Saved $9,407.25

Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.

Benjamin Franklin

SOLD OVER ASK

SOLD OVER ASK

SOLD AT ASK

HISTORIC SNOWBRIDGE Selling Fees Saved $6,000.30

SOLD

SOLD

CREEKSIDE Selling Fees Saved $5,339.25

SOLD

HISTORIC SNOWBRIDGE Selling Fees Saved $6,554.00

SOLD

STAYNER Selling Fees Saved $5,678.25

SOLD OVER ASK

COLLINGWOOD

Selling Fees Saved $6,373.20

CASHTOWN CORNERS

Selling Fees Saved $10,475.10

BA CK

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TOWN OF WASAGA BEACH

LOO KI NG

The Way Wasaga Was

by JOE BICKERSTAFF

F

rom the early 1920s when businesses first opened up on Main Street in Wasaga Beach, we enjoyed a vibrant and busy shopping area up until the mid-1970s. The stretch of Main Street between the bridge and Beach Drive was a true “downtown” and was the focal point of business in The Beach.

For many years, as vehicles crossed the Main Street Bridge, traffic lights gave drivers the choice of making a left to continue on Mosley Street (Provincial Hwy. 92), turning right to access Spruce Street or continuing straight through to Main Street towards the beach (Beach Drive). This section of Main Street provided curbside parking and both sides of the street were lined with busy shops, restaurants and services. At one point in time, Wasaga Beach enjoyed a movie theatre on Main Street, when the Joyland Arcade was converted to the Centennial Theatre to show feature films.

Locals enjoyed the Main Street experience and visitors and cottagers would plan on stopping in Wasaga Beach to shop on the way to their accommodations.

The ease of on-street parking and the variety of shops meant visitors could stock up on all of their vacation needs and even enjoy a meal at one of the several restaurants. There was a Chinese restaurant and the popular Georgian Inn on Main Street to feed the hungry travellers.

110

ON THE BAY

SUMMER 2017

In 1972, it was decided to block vehicular traffic to our busy Main Street, in order to turn it into a pedestrian mall for the 1973 summer season. The intersection at the west side of the bridge was changed and the traffic lights removed. The curve to Mosley Street was widened and the access to Spruce Street was improved to provide access to Beach Drive. As folks crossed the bridge, Main Street was blocked to vehicles with a sign that simply said “The Mall.”

Over the next few years, visitors and locals who once enjoyed the busy Main Street as a shopping and meeting spot found they missed the real “town feel” of the street and the ease of store front parking. Shoppers found it easier to do their shopping on the way to Wasaga Beach and head directly to their accommodations.

Soon the stores missed the regular business of visitors and locals, and many closed or moved their businesses elsewhere. Empty and vacated buildings were leased or sold and began selling nothing but beach toys and bathing suits for the short summer season.

Until the massive fire that destroyed most of the buildings on Main Street in November 2007, we were still able to walk the street of neglected storefronts and imagine it as a busy and exciting shopping area. Sadly, we must now rely on memories, stories and pictures to know what once was the Main Street of Wasaga Beach. ❧

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Developed by:

GEORGIAN INTERNATIONAL

R e g i s t e R to day at m o u n ta i n h o u s e w i n d fa l l . c a