The waters of the North Channel and Georgian Bay have garnered a reputation for offering the best freshwater boating in the world. With waters often compared to such exotic locations as the Aegean and Greek Islands.
Some locations, such as the Benjamin’s to the west of Little Current and the popular Hole-in-the-Wall at the western entrance to the Lansdowne Channel, provide excellent anchorages and shelter from the vagaries of the big water and can be more populated at times, but the choices are legion enough to meet anyone’s preferences.
People from across the world are drawn to the stunning natural beauty of the region, with its unique geological feature and exceptional cruising grounds with its pristine waters, uncountable sheltered harbours featuring rugged landscapes yet offering plenty of options for hiking or picnicking onshore on the literally hundreds of islands.
One of the greatest boosters of the region is Little Current’s own Roy Eaton, whose popular Cruisers’ Net VHF broadcasts helps to knit the boating community in the North Channel and Georgian Bay together. Mr. Eaton also travels to the Toronto International Boat Show each year to promote boating in the North Channel and his is often the best attended of the workshops at that event. Boating and tourism in our region owes a huge debt to his volunteer efforts.
Recently, a group from southern Georgian Bay has sought to entice municipalities into joining an effort to have the entirety of ‘the Bay’ and Manitoulin listed as a “geopark” citing many of those very things that draw people to visit the North Channel and Manitoulin.
That group has not been greeted with a great deal of enthusiasm by local municipalities, although there does seem to be a bit of interest from some tourism and hospitality operators.
UNESCO Global Geoparks are “single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development.”
At present there are 229 such parks in 50 countries across the world.
The main thrust of the proponents seeking the designation is focussed on the number of geological features ranging across the 15,000 kilometres of the Georgian Bay waters (not counting land) and the need to encourage “sustainable development.” The situation in southern Georgian Bay is of concern as it is seeing massive development, especially since the pandemic but in play well before that boost to rural living. While the latter is certainly something to raise concern, the former is somewhat puzzling—by its own admission, Georgian Bay region contains a plethora of unique geological features only unified by the waters of Northern Lake Huron.
While protection of the waters and islands encompassed by the North Channel, Manitoulin and Georgian Bay should be a priority for everyone, it is not without reason that opponents of the concept have misgivings. Sadly, despite the project being a number of years in the making (with significant financial input from the southern version of FedNor), it was only recently that the group has reached out to Manitoulin communities (despite including at least the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands’ logo in their promotional material)—inducing a sense of afterthought.
An earlier version of the plan called for an interpretive centre to be built in the Midland area, a proposal that seems to have been set aside in the recent public meetings focussed on the North.
Manitoulin and the North Channel have much to offer, including much to offer the proponents of the geopark concept, what is not clear is what the geopark really has to offer our region. Certainly, the marketing chops of the frontmen for the project are impressive, but while they tout the need for sustainable development and/or preservation of the uniqueness of Georgian Bay, they emphasize that the geopark designation will bring no new regulation or oversight body along with it. Leaves one wondering about the whole point—and when in doubt, suspicion quickly arises to fill the void.
Manitoulin’s surrounding waters and those of Georgian Bay and the North Channel are certainly deserving of preservation and conservation efforts, but the case being made, at least at this juncture, seems to fall short, despite the enthusiasm being projected by its proponents.
As it stands, Manitoulin communities seem to be responding with a “thanks, but no thanks,” to the concept. While the geopark goals may well be laudable, the concept could work just fine without the inclusion of Manitoulin Island and, whether true or not, our inclusion in the deal has a bit of a hint of a tourism money grab.
That being said, it behooves all of us to ensure that the waters and region of the North Channel and Manitoulin Island remain pristine for the enjoyment of the next seven generations.
