FOCA e-news: December 2025 | | Our vision is to sustain and enhance the cottage experience for generations. | | |
From our families to yours: the very best of the holiday season!
Please note: the FOCA office is closed from December 24, 2025 through January 1, 2026. Happy New Year to all.
| | Year-End Support for the Future of Ontario's Waterfronts | |
A huge 'thank you' to everyone who has stepped up this month to donate in support of FOCA's youth engagement efforts. Because of you, 18 young people will be participating free-of-charge in FOCA programming in 2026. Please help us to raise that number! If you haven't yet, we hope you will click below to donate before the year ends.
| | Your contribution - whether $5 or $500 - will support FOCA's year-round work to engage everyone in learning how to care for Ontario's lakes, lands, and rivers. Help us to nurture the next generations of environmental stewards. Thank you! | |
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| We’ve already gone a few rounds with winter in Ontario this year, but we’re nowhere near done yet. Winter can bring heavy snow loads, freezing rain, and icy conditions that threaten your property’s safety and integrity. | | Click for 'more' - an overview filled with practical tips to protect your property and prepare your family to successfully "ride out the storm" in an emergency. Stay safe and stay warm! | |
| Bill 68 - Amendments to the Conservation Authorities Act | | |
FOCA opposes the province's proposal to consolidate Ontario's 36 Conservation Authorities into just 7 regional entities. FOCA has submitted our comments on the related Environmental Registry of Ontario posting, with public comment open until December 22, 2025. Click 'more' to read FOCA's submission and our call-to-action for members, download a template letter, and submit your own comments.
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| Last Call: FOCA Rural Road Survey | | |
This survey is for the representatives of cottage country rural roads that are privately maintained. Help FOCA update our 2019 benchmark stats about road ownership and governance, maintenance best practices, specs and materials, fees and expenses, year-round usage trends, top volunteer association concerns, etc. Complete the survey by December 19, 2025. Then join us at the FOCA Spring Seminar for a reveal of the new results. Here's the link for your road rep: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FOCAroad25
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| Register Now: 2026 FOCA Spring Seminar & AGM | | |
Secure your spot at the FOCA Spring Seminar and Annual General Meeting (AGM), taking place on Saturday, March 7, 2026 as an all-day hybrid event at the Bayview Golf & Country Club (Thornhill) and by Zoom webinar.
Come for community engagement tips before the 2026 municipal elections, get updates on rural source water protection and lake planning. Also: find out who receives the 2025 FOCA Achievement Award, participate in the AGM, pick up information and benefit offers from our sponsors, and meet your association peers and the FOCA Board and Staff.
In person attendance is limited to 100 spots and always sells out. Click below for 'more' details and register now:
| | sponsors support our work - please support them | | | |
Succession Strategy Series - Small Group Workshops for FOCA Members | We are excited about this new, exclusive opportunity for FOCA member families: small group cottage succession workshops led by our long-time colleague, estate lawyer Peter Lillico for $160+HST per family. | | |
These virtual sessions are limited to just 4 to 6 families at a time, providing direct access to Peter’s legal expertise in a more personalized and interactive setting.
- submit your family's "Top 3 Questions" in advance
- receive a dedicated segment in the session with Peter's tailored advice for your family
- if your question can't be fully addressed during the workshop, Peter has offered a 1-on-1 follow-up at no additional cost.
This initiative is made possible through Peter’s generosity, with proceeds supporting FOCA’s ongoing programs and advocacy work.
| | The first session is being scheduled for early in the new year and we have a spot available. Interested? Email programs@foca.on.ca to express your interest and get more information. | | |
Ask the Expert: Passing the Torch | | |
Thank you to everyone who submitted questions during the inaugural year of FOCA and Peter Lillico’s Ask the Expert: Passing the Torch section of our e-newsletter throughout 2025. Members can login for answers to all of this year’s questions here:
https://foca.on.ca/cottage-succession/#passing-torch
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We invite you to submit your question to: programs@foca.on.ca. Your answer could be featured in a future FOCA e-news edition!
Also, plans are underway for the 2026 FOCA Cottage Succession Seminar Series with Peter Lillico. Watch the e-news for updates in the new year.
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Digital Recordings: Cottage Succession Planning | | |
Want to start the conversation with your family in the off-season? Purchase digital access to recordings of Peter's talks. Choose the intro session or deeper dives into cottage sharing agreements, capital gains tax, trusts, timing, and the role of the kids. Click 'more' and login for the member discount code!
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| Your association renewal contact has a link (unique to your association) for you to use to set up your own Username and Password as a Sub-Account to see members-only material on the FOCA website - like discount codes. Please ask your contact to reach out to FOCA if they need assistance locating the association's link. | | sponsors support our work - please support them | | |
Borrow this idea:
A FOCA member recently brought a new resource to our attention! The Lake Stewardship and Environmental Committee of the Township of McKellar has released a guide for township residents with information about healthy water and shorelines, septic systems, fire risk, road salt, safe boating, and so much more. Download a copy of the guide and get inspired to create your own in the off-season. Click for 'more' on FOCA's Association Best Practices webpage.
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Apply now: Invasive Species Action Fund
FOCA's partners at the Invasive Species Centre (ISC) encourage you to apply to the Invasive Species Action Fund for grants to support on-the-ground invasive species monitoring, management, and prevention projects across Ontario.
| | Eligible municipalities, lake and community associations, conservation authorities, and Indigenous communities should apply by January 9, 2026 for funding of up to $50,000 to help protect local ecosystems and advance the goals of Ontario's Invasive Species Strategic Plan. Click to learn 'more' and to apply to ISC. | |
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Apply: Invasive Phragmites Control Fund
Applications are now open for the 2026/2027 Invasive Phragmites Control Fund, supporting on-the-ground action and control activities. Eligible organizations are encouraged to review the program guidelines and apply to the Ontario Phragmites Action Program by January 23, 2026.
| | sponsors support our work - please support them | |
Electricity Rates & Hydro One Survey
The Ontario Energy Board has announced that electricity rates in Ontario are rising.
Meanwhile, Hydro One is wrapping up a stakeholder survey this week, about their five year plan for expenditures on the electricity system, and related costs. Get links to 'more' in the "Latest News" section of FOCA's Electricity Pricing webpage.
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Register Now: Invasive Species Forum
February 17-19, 2026 by free webinar. This year's theme is "Progress Through Partnerships" with an emphasis on collaboration and integration of diverse perspectives and knowledge systems to address the challenges of invasive species management. Click for registration and 'more'.
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Your Lakes, Your Views Survey
FOCA's partners at Safe Quiet Lakes (SQL) held a webinar last month to release results of their 2025 "Your Lakes, Your Views" survey with over 7,000 respondents sharing impressions about wake, enhanced power boat activity, and more. Click for 'more' from SQL.
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| Wildland Fire Season Recap | | Ontario's 2025 wildland fire season has ended, with Ontario's crews, aviation services, and support staff responding to 643 fires between April and October, and nearly 600,000 hectares burned. Ontario also provided extended support to other provinces. Click to read 'more' from the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the image below for wildfire behaviour information. | |
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Blue-Green Algae Bloom Updates
As reported recently by Water Canada magazine, researchers at McGill University have identified bacteria that may provide an early warning of blue-green algae, because bacterioplankton are consistently more abundant in toxic blooms. Read 'more' about this and other recent updates in the "Latest News" section of FOCA's Algae webpage.
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Microplastics in Lake Erie
Ohio Sea Grant of Ohio State University (source of the image) recently reported "a huge lesson from tiny particles." They measured a nearly 22-times increase in abundance in microplastics across five Lake Erie sites over the past 10 years. Click to read 'more'.
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Drowning Report
The Lifesaving Society of Canada released their Drowning Report - 2025 Edition. This resource summarizes the most recent data on water-related fatalities available from the Offices of the Chief Coroners and Medical Examiners of Canada. Click 'more' to download the 2-page PDF.
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Lake Superior & Invasive Mussels
As invasive mussels ravage the Great Lakes, Lake Superior is the "last holdout" according to The Narwhal (source of the image, courtesy Alex Egan); however, scientists believe conditions may have changed enough to enable them flourish there. Click to read 'more'.
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Herbicide Safety Under Review
The scientific journal "Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology" recently retracted a paper published 25 years ago, that had concluded the main ingredient in the weed killer Roundup was safe for humans. Read 'more' in the "Latest News" of FOCA's Aquatic Plants webpage.
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Fireworks Restrictions
The Council of the City of Huntsville is one of the latest rural Ontario municipalities to approve a draft fireworks bylaw after resident feedback. Learn 'more' about this, and other municipal responses to fireworks, on FOCA's Fireworks and Flying Lanterns webpage.
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Contaminants in Fish
The annual Guide to Eating Ontario Fish now includes information about PFAS warnings among other contaminants. The digital guide includes tips on trimming and cooking to reduce certain contaminants (source of the image). Click to access the interactive fish map, and read 'more'.
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Digital ID Tool: Seek
Take your nature knowledge up a notch with Seek - an app with the power of image recognition technology from iNaturalist to identify the plants, fungi, and animals all around you! Click for 'more'.
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Canadian Weather Alerts
Last month, Environment and Climate Change Canada launched new colour-coded weather alerts to convey risks posed by weather hazards across the country. Click for 'more' from the Weather Network.
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Holiday Savings! Cross-Border Succession Tax Planning | | |
| Looking for a last-minute digital gift? From now until December 31st, FOCA is offering an extra $50 off on this 1.5 hour video recording about cottage succession tax planning with expert advice for both American and Canadian owners of Ontario cottage properties. Click 'more' for details, the member discount code (already $75 off the regular price) and how to order. | |
| Connect with our channels: | | FOCA believes everyone who loves waterfront Ontario has a right to stay up-to-date on the issues that matter. Those who have an existing relationship with FOCA may receive email from us, based on express or implied consent under Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation. We value your privacy and do not share your contact information with third parties. You can unsubscribe at any time, using the link below. | | | | |
