PaBIA eBlast April 8, 2020

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Volume 12 No. 6

Greetings!

We hope this eBlast finds each and everyone of you safe, hunkered down and healthy! The better we follow the sheltering in place requests, the sooner we can begin to see the other side of this pandemic and what the new normal might look like until a vaccine is found and available to all! The news from New Zealand is encouraging along the lines of the good that sheltering in place can do.

Aside from news on the coronavirus, GBF is holding a webinar on water levels with David Sweetnam - so be sure to check that out!

In this eBlast:

PaBIA Spring Cottage Patrol
PaBIA Membership Payments
Coronavirus & Ontario via GBA Response
Coronavirus & North Bay Parry Sound Health Centre
Coronavirus & Township of the Archipelago
GBF Water Level Webinar with David Sweetnam 4/21 OR 4/23
Lake Michigan-Huron Water Levels April 6, 2020

Delay in Processing Paid Membership Cheques

Due to the shelter in place in Ontario and the cautioning to keep trips out of the house to a minimum, Nancy Rogers has not, since March 9th, gone to the bank to deposit your cheques. But not to worry, your membership is still intact and your payments are safe and have been much appreciated!

Off Season Cottage Patrol

The Off Season Spring Cottage Patrol will be starting up within the next few weeks, to be finished in mid-May, so rest assured that Bruce Tiffin will have all members in good standing covered this spring! Remember, any reports and photos that Bruce sends to Nancy would be passed on immediately to the property owners so no news = good news .

Latest Updated Calendars for

July ( 3/25) and August (NEW 3/25)

Marinas Closed to Seasonal Residents Due to COVID-19 - sent to PaBIA from GBA

On Friday April 4, in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, the Ontario government reduced the list of essential businesses and ordered more work closures. Marinas are now only available to help those individuals to access their primary place of residence. Therefore marinas are now officially closed to seasonal residents.

Public health officials are urging Ontario residents to stay put and not to travel to their cottages because it will put additional stress on our already limited cottage country resources. The Mayor of the Township of Georgian Bay and the Reeve of the Township of The Archipelago have also followed suit releasing pleas for people to remain in their primary residences, noting that support systems in their area are limited and first responders are already stretched to their limits due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The less we travel, the less the virus will spread. Staying home now might save the summer for all of us.

MNRF Imposes Restricted Fire Zone Across Ontario

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) has implemented a Restricted Fire Zone (RFZ) across all of Ontario to ensure that emergency response capacity is focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. The RFZ will remain in effect until the MNRF can determine that emergency response teams will not be impacted by COVID-19. The RFZ prohibits all open fires and campfires, as well as places restrictions on charcoal barbeques, portable and woodburning stoves. Details on the restrictions can be found here.

North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit

As of Tuesday March 31, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit was reporting six cases of COVID-19 in the area. Updates on local cases can be found here .

GBA will update you on the situation as necessary. Please stay safe and observe the social distancing rules and guidelines.

Township of the Archipelago

The Township of The Archipelago is working in conjunction with all of the West Parry Sound Area Municipalities to ensure proper communication is made with our community members and that community partners are engaged. We are working collaboratively to actively monitor the situation as it evolves and to ensure business continuity while following direction from the Ministry of Health and the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit.

The safety and health of our community members is of utmost importance to us throughout the duration of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We are encouraging members of our community to take precautions by learning about the disease and what you can do to help protect yourself and to prevent the disease from spreading.

The West Parry Sound Health Centre has developed a comprehensive community information package for the West Parry Sound Municipalities to distribute into their communities. If you know of someone without access to our website, please print a package for them or direct them to contact the office at 705-746-4243.

Visit the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit website for information about the disease including, how to protect yourself, symptoms and treatment and updates as they become available.

For up-to-date information regarding the virus in Ontario visit Ontario Ministry of Health . For up to date information regarding the virus in Canada visit the Public Health Agency of Canada website.

Of Interest

Yearbook in Pictures

For everyone, Rachael Allen, Volunteer Coordinator, has put together a yearbook of pictures and stories which will be published online soon. For those who were a part of this Village, Islander and First Nation effort, a Certificate of Appreciation will be awarded to each.

Upcoming Events

What's Up with Water Levels??

The Great Lakes are home to 20 percent of the world’s surface fresh water. But only about one percent of that water is replenished each year. The other ninety-nine percent is there because the glaciers melted and filled the deep scars on the earth’s surface.

Water levels are the result of a variety of processes -- rainfall, evaporation, historic dredging, erosion, ice cover, diversions, managed regulation, power generation and other factors. All interact in a complex and chaotic dance. And climate change is altering that dance – instead of a regal Viennese waltz the Great Lakes are now moshing in the pit at a rock concert.

The coming decades hold a promise: “nothing in their water levels past is a predictor of what will happen in the future.”

Join one of our two webinars with David Sweetnam to learn about the forces driving extreme variability in water levels (content will be mainly the same, so just register for one)!

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 @ 2 pm EDT

Thursday April 23rd @ 7 pm EDT

MORE ABOUT SPEAKER DAVID SWEETNAM

David is the executive director of Georgian Bay Forever, a scientist and a Climate Reality leader trained by Vice President Al Gore. He has spent his career in environment and high tech industries and holds a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Waterloo. He has always been interested in protecting the environment through sound business practices to yield sustainable outcomes. His business ventures have included the first G.R.E.E.N. chemical drum recycling program, state of the art atmospheric instrumentation development to monitor UV levels and the ozone hole, as well as aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem health.