FOCA is the Federation of Ontario Cottagers' Associations,
the voice of the waterfront for the past 60 years.
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FOCA Serves Lake & Road Associations |
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last call to register!
FOCA AGM & Spring Seminar for Lake Associations
Saturday February 26, 2022
9:00am - 12:00pm by webinar
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Thank you to our:
Event Sponsor >
and our
< Tech Sponsor
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Have you signed up yet to participate in the 2022 FOCA Annual General Meeting (AGM) & Spring Seminar? The event is being held as a Zoom webinar, and registration includes access to the event recording, slides and post event summary notes. Review the Agenda, and access the registration link, here: https://foca.on.ca/2022_agm_spring_seminar/
NOTE: the online registration portal will close on Thursday, February 24 at noon EST.
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FOCA's Technology Sponsor |
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FOCA is very pleased to announce Rogers as FOCA’s newest sponsor! Rogers believes in connecting people and communities to what matters most and offers Wireless Home Internet services to help residents have access to reliable internet.
“Rogers has been leading an aggressive ramp up of our network’s reach to connect more homes to fast and reliable internet and part of that solution comes from our Wireless Home Internet product,” said Andre Oliveira, Vice-President, Service Expansion, Rogers Communications.
“Right now, we offer Wireless Home Internet in many rural and Northern Ontario communities including Bracebridge, Sudbury, Barry’s Bay and Lyndhurst.” Eligibility is based on the customer’s home having the required signal strength from Rogers’ wireless towers to deliver reliable service.
Rogers is our technology sponsor for this year’s FOCA AGM & Spring Seminar on February 26th, where you can hear more about how they are helping close the digital divide with improved connectivity from coast-to-coast-to-coast. For more information, please visit rogers.com/WHI.
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FOCA Advocates for Responsive Government |
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Underused Housing Tax
Since mid-2021, FOCA has been expressing concerns about the new Underused Housing Tax (UHT) which was implemented effective January 1, 2022 by the federal Finance department, and will be assessed/ payable in 2023. Will it affect your seasonal residence? Learn more on FOCA's webpage: https://foca.on.ca/focas-property-tax-position-overview/
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Municipal Accessibility
& Digital Council Meetings
The office of the Ontario Ombudsman has released a digital presentation titled, "Electronic meetings: How to keep virtual municipal meetings open and accessible." The recording outlines how municipalities need to offer or maintain appropriate technologies to improve public access to municipal decision-making, even once the pandemic is over. Access the video link and other municipal elections information here: https://foca.on.ca/vote-for-your-future-municipal-elections/
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ROMA recap
In late January 2022, FOCA participated in the Rural Ontario Municipal Association's annual conference. This event is an opportunity to discuss issues that are priorities for our rural communities, and to hear from municipal and Provincial leaders on a variety of topics including: new regulations under the Conservation Authorities Act; recovery and growth plans for Ontario's rural communities, post-COVID; rural health and social services, climate science and policy, and land use planning.
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FOCA's Gold level sponsors |
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Sponsors support our work, please support them. |
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FOCA Promotes Healthy Lands, Lakes & Rivers |
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FOCA webinar recap:
Septic Systems in Ontario
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
FOCA and Make-Way Environmental Technologies held a "Lunch and Learn" webinar for homeowners about septic systems, with an overview of the types of systems permitted in Ontario, and creative solutions for difficult sites. The event also included a brief discussion of rainwater harvesting solutions, and the final half hour was devoted to Q&A. Thank you to Make-Way Environmental Technologies, certified installers of the Enviro-Septic system, for sponsoring the webinar which is available for public viewing on our webpage: https://foca.on.ca/septic-systems/
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upcoming FOCA webinar:
New Invasive Species & Watercraft Regulations in Ontario
Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at noon - Join FOCA and Jeremy Downes of the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry for a lunch-and-learn webinar to discuss changes to the Invasive Species Act, including new regulations on the movement of watercraft that came into effect on January 1st, 2022. FOCA Members are invited to register for the webinar here.
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No ice is 100% safe
Also, please note that, due to the recent wet weather, many OFSC (Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs) snowmobile trails are currently unavailable.
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Fish stocking data online
The Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (NDMNRF) stocks approximately 8 million fish into more than 1,200 Ontario waterbodies every year. Fish stocking data is used to inform management decisions and production planning, but it is also available to the public to see where lakes are stocked throughout the province. Visit Fish ON-Line for more.
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Partner Webinar recap:
Slowing Shoreline erosion
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FOCA Champions Safe & Affordable Rural Living |
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Broadband and Internet investments continue
Visit FOCA's Rural Utilities webpage for updates about investments and commitments to developments in connectivity in Muskoka and Quinte, along with earlier news.
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Rideau Canal Permits on sale
Dreaming about the 2022 boating season already? If you enjoy travel on the Rideau Canal, you should be. Until March 31, 2022, save 20% on lockage and 10% on mooring in 2022 when you bundle them together with a seasonal permit package. Details are online here.
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FOCA's Silver level sponsors |
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Sponsors support our work, please support them. |
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Partner Updates & Regional Notices |
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upcoming webinar:
Microfibre/plastics & Laundry
Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 7:00pm - register for a webinar hosted by Georgian Bay Forever to learn about solutions to help stop microfibre/plastic pollution getting into waterways. You are part of the solution! Register online here.
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ongoing webinar series:
The Best of Two Worlds: Lessons for sustainability from Indigenous ecological knowledge and western science
Wednesdays at 4:00pm
from January 26 - February 23, 2022
Learn from western and Indigenous environmental professionals' approaches to stewardship of the environment. Speakers (in order of weekly appearance) are Norman Yan; Susan Chiblow; Neil Hutchinson, Richard Nesbitt, Brenda Parlee & Caroline Coburn; David Pearson; and Henry Lickers. Register for the final session, and review recordings of the previous sessions, here: http://realmuskoka.com/webinars/
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Spring Cottage Life Show, and the
Ottawa Cottage Life & Backyard Show
SAVE THE DATES! April 7-10, 2022 in Toronto and April 22-24, 2022 in Ottawa, respectively. More details will be posted online here by the Show crew, as they become available: https://shows.cottagelife.com/
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Western Chorus Frog: Volunteers Wanted!
The brown shading in the accompanying map indicates areas where additional surveyors are needed to monitor the northern limit of the western chorus frog. The volunteer monitoring program is administered in partnership with Blazing Star Environmental, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Trent University. Get details here.
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upcoming digital event: Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program Amphibian Training
Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at 7:30pm - Join Birds Canada and the Ohio Wetlands Association for a Facebook event to review amphibian species, sound identification, and data collection tips for marsh surveying. It is recommended that interested surveyors attend an introductory session before this event and/or review the info and fact sheets posted here: https://www.birdscanada.org/gl_mmp
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event recap:
2022 Invasive Species Forum
February 1-3, 2022 - The theme of the virtual forum was "Action, Innovation, and Outreach" sharing information and advances in prevention from over 50 experts from across the globe. FOCA's Terry Rees participated in a panel about Community Action. All the session recordings are available on the Invasive Species Centre YouTube page. (See video #8 "Community Action" from 1:10 onward for Terry's presentation).
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event recap:
2022 ReFrame Film Festival
January 27 - February 4, 2022
The mid-winter celebration of independent documentary film and media art returned for its 18th year, and FOCA was pleased to be a Community Partner Sponsor for the film Microplastic Madness about pre-teens taking a deep dive into reducing plastic pollution in their lives, school, and city. For more about the topic of microplastics and their impacts on our waterways, visit FOCA's webpage.
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Congratulations
FOCA's colleagues at the Invasive Species Centre (ISC) recently announced winners of their inaugural awards program which will be given annually to recognize and celebrate the leadership and commitment of individuals and organizations who help keep Canada's land and water free from invasive species. Congratulations to all the award winners, including Brenda Martin of FOCA's member group, the Malcolm Ardoch Lakes and Landowners Association! Read more here. (image of B.Martin via ISC link)
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Association Members: Do your members know about ALL their FOCA benefits?
All members of our Member Associations are entitled to access a series of discounts, special offers and other member benefits. Get the details (and login for information about the access codes), here: https://foca.on.ca/member-services/benefits/
You'll need your FOCA Member login for this and other member materials on the website. Don't have, or can't recall, the login? Email info@foca.on.ca, and we'll reply during business hours.
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FOCA is Building Capacity |
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FOCA Staff Updates
Welcome to Jacqueline Krzywania, FOCA's new Assistant Lake Stewardship Coordinator for the Lake Partner Program, who will be working out of the Dorset Environmental Science Centre near Huntsville. Jacqueline is a graduate of Carleton University's Integrated Science program, and is currently completing her degree in Marine Biology from Dalhousie University.
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Also, please join us in welcoming back Deanna Forgie who has returned to her role as FOCA's Programs Coordinator, while Kirk Kuipers remains FOCA's Membership Coordinator.
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FOCA's Bronze level sponsors |
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Sponsors support our work, please support them. |
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From our families to yours:
We hope you enjoy all that nature has to offer this Ontario long weekend!
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The FOCA office be closed on Monday, February 21st, 2022. |
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