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Volume 18 No. 8
The sun came out Tuesday in PaB – giving us seasonal temps with the hope that summer is just around the corner! The rain over this past week has enabled the fire rating to be reduced to moderate…and the west wind is steady as she goes!
It’s hard to believe Entre Amis is just 10 days away….and with it, the beginning of the summer….although some would say summer has already started.
Please check out Sandy Boeckh’s eBlast article below about the increase of the PaB tick population!
Table of Contents In this eBlast:
PaBIA
- Deer Ticks in Pointe au Baril – Be Aware
- Tennis Tournament for Everyone – June 20
- Lost and Found
- In Memoriam: Neil Cameron; Bill Moore
OF INTEREST
- Florence Church Rummage Sale Dates
- ToA – CZBL Passed Council – May 2026
- Ojibway Art Show Dates
- GBF – All Too Clear
- GBB – Kids in the Biosphere Program 2026
- GBA – Boating, Safety and Emergency Report
- Lake Michigan-Huron Water Levels – June 10, 2026
PaBIA
Ticks in Pointe au Baril
by Sandy Boeckh
If last summer was the summer of the bear, is summer 2026 shaping up to be the summer of the tick? Though a much tinier nuisance to contend with, ticks certainly have more risks. Tick populations have risen dramatically over the past decade, and Ontario is currently considered the country’s hotspot. And, yes, they are in Pointe au Baril!
A couple days ago, I felt something on my scalp beside my part toward the front of my head. Since we are blessed with black flies right now, I assumed it was a bit of hardened blood left behind by a black fly bite. I picked at it and eventually pulled the dark mass from my scalp, only to find it was a Blacklegged (Deer) Tick. Ugh! Not what I expected to find! It was intact (a positive) and still alive. I have no idea how long it had been there or how deeply it had been attached; but I suspected not for too long and not too deep as it did not look engorged. Luckily, there is an easy treatment that does not require going to the West Parry Sound Hospital. I drove down to Parry Sound to Shopper’s Drug Mart and told the pharmacist what I had found (also showed him a photo, though I don’t think he was interested), He prescribed a prophylactic dose of Doxycycline. This entailed 2 pills to be taken with a meal (it can cause nausea). I was also advised to monitor for symptoms of Lyme disease for a few weeks as this antibiotic is not 100% effective.
Read on to hear Sandy’s entire article about the part that illustrates how wide spread the tick problem is in the Parry Sound area!
Info from West Parry Sound Hospital
How to remove a tick from your body..
Tennis Tournament for EVERYONE – This Weekend
Check out this poster for details regarding the tennis tournament and pot luck to follow! Everyone in the community is invited to participate on Saturday, June 20th, before the Ojibway Club officially opens the following Tuesday. Rain date is Sunday, June 21st.
Kindly contact Beth Green directly by June 12th to register for the event or contact with any questions you may have.
Lost and Found
Three sections of a dock have landed on the shore of the mainland, north of the Shawanaga River, directly north of G1228 (on the Islanders’ map). Two docks are ~4m in length and hinged together, the other is ~6m.
This oar (with oar lock) was also found along the mainland shore. Contact Ted Horbulyk for recovery of the oar.
Of Interest
Florence Church Rummage Donations and Sale Dates
All Too Clear
For all Georgian Bay Forever friends and supporters in the US, we are pleased to announce that All Too Clear is now available for streaming on the PBS website!
All Too Clear is an illuminating documentary by Inspired Planet, with Georgian Bay Forever as one of the primary Canadian funders. We’re so proud to be partnered with the Inspired Planet team to bring awareness of invasive mussels in the Great Lakes, and to shed light on what can be done going forward.
Anyone in the US can watch now by clicking on the image below or check local PBS listings to see when All Too Clear will be available in your area.
GBA’s Road to Boating, Safety and Emergencies Informative Report
To help keep your communities safe and well-informed, GBA’s Boating, Safety and Emergencies (BS&E) Committee has prepared a report where every last detail was checked with the OPP, Transport Canada, MNRF, the Coast Guard, ORNGE and the Canada Safe Boating Council. (Which didn’t take long, since GBA stays in touch with them all year ‘round on your behalf.)
Thanks to their hard work, all of the regulatory updates, data, and procedural guidelines contained in this document are accurate, up to date, and relevant to the unique conditions of Georgian Bay!
Please use this LINK as a resource, and please reach out if you have questions!
What’s Inside:
Not just a checklist, the report delivers important updates on the issues that affect us every day:
- The Modern Boating Landscape: Federal regulatory changes that went into effect this winter, including streamlined local waterway restrictions and the phasing-in of the five-year pleasure craft licensing rules. It also covers important upcoming federal changes like proposed noise limits, mandatory PFD age brackets, and engine cut-off switch requirements.
- A Sobering Look at Water Safety: The report breaks down critical data from recent marine fatalities. Alarmingly, 79% of victims were not wearing life jackets, and nearly all incidents occurred in calm, clear weather close to shore. It exposes the myth of the “safe condition.”
- High Fire Danger & Emergency Readiness: The report outlines the Province’s expansion of firefighting resources, the new Wildland Fire Management Act, and how high-tech tools are being deployed to protect cottage clusters. Last year’s fire season that saw nearly 600,000 hectares burned in Ontario, and we’re already in a high-fire-danger environment this season, so this is top of mind.
- The Lifelines of the Bay: Practical updates from the Canadian Coast Guard, ORNGE Air Ambulance, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests. CTV picked up GBA’s posts this weekend.
- Apps for the Cottage: A quick guide to essential, life-saving apps every cottager should download today, including what3words (now fully integrated with the OPP and ORNGE dispatch), BetterBoater, and Alertable.
FYI – A Quick Action Item for protocols in Section III (Emergencies). Knowing who to call, how ORNGE triages a scene, and having the right apps installed before an emergency happens is the best line of defence.
CZBL Passed
Please find attached the Notice of Passing for Comprehensive Zoning By-law Amendment No. A2224-26, which was passed by The Council of the Township of The Archipelago on May 22, 2026.
Are you Ready for Exploration and Adventure?
The Township of The Archipelago (TOA) continues to offer the Kids in the Biosphere program in partnership with Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere. This free program provides participating families with activities to keep them outside and learning about nature all summer long. Begun in 2013, Kids in the Biosphere has reached over 600 families!
Families within the TOA register with the program at the beginning of summer and pick up an activity kit with materials and activity instructions. The self-guided activities are designed to last all summer. Beyond nature observation, the activity kits invite families to conduct science experiments, help local species, and take climate action. Families can also complete their activity scorecard and submit photos of their discoveries throughout the summer.
We are back for summer 2026! Register below for an activity kit and to learn where to pick up your kit!
In Memoriam
Neil Cameron – A421-1 ‘Sundance Island’, husband of Judy, father of Laura, Doug, and Susan (David), brother of the late Donald Cameron and Heather Carver, son of the late Clarence and Olga Cameron, May 18, 2026.
Bill Moore – A150 – 23 Cambria Is. ‘Mugwump’, husband of Sally, father of Sara, Tim, and Craig, May 28, 2026.
Yearbook Update
With each eBlast, we provide with a list of members with updated contact information.
The details of all the changes since the March 15 deadline for the 2026 yearbook are provided in THIS printable format
for you to insert into your Yearbook! This is the full list until after the new Yearbook is published
For reporting Markers’ problems
contact Tom Cavers by cell (pg. 266 in Yearbook 2026) or email
To contact Secretary-Treasurer
Elise Findlay: contact.pabia@gmail.com
Ditter, Clara & Sam (change)
French, Gary & Karin (change)
McArthur, Naomi Masters & David (addition)
Miller, Robert & Hooper, Dana (addition)
Neely, Cynthia & Davies, Tom (change)
Ramsay, Martha & Bierk, Charles (addition)
Rowland, Jamie & Heather (missing from map list)
Schatz, Laura & Binkley, Cameron (change)
Thom, Adam & Katja (addition)
Water Levels
Lakes Michigan/Huron Water Levels June 10, 2026.
To better read the charts, please click on the chart for the Daily or Six Month Forecast Water level chart and the corresponding websites
1-800-263-5055
Please support PaBIA’s Yearbook Advertisers 2026
This site’s advertising feature was created to provide assistance for special local information & events for existing Yearbook advertisers only.
Emergency
• PaB Nursing Station
• Canadian Coast Guard
Search and Rescue
800-267-7270
• PaBIA Emergency info