GBA’s Champions of the Bay Committee is thrilled to announce each association’s 2025 Champion of the Bay. We are honoured to recognize the outstanding contributions of these 18 stewards representing our associations from Honey Harbour in the south to the Bay of Islands in the north. 

We hope you will help us celebrate these incredible Champions in your community!

ASSOCIATION WINNERS

LINDA BARTLETT & LYNDA MONTGOMERY – Bay of Islands Community Association

For the last 25 years, longtime friends Linda Bartlett and Lynda Montgomery have led and brought vitality to the Lake Partners Program (LPP) in the Bay of Islands. From early May through October, Linda and Lynda completed twice-monthly water sampling routes to contribute to long-term data on water quality and total phosphorus. No matter the weather, on each field day, these extraordinary women visited six different sampling locations (12 total) scattered across the Bay of Islands. One sampling site was close to the Eastern Island fish farm, which involved a one-hour round trip across open water. A full set of samples for collection and processing required an entire day. In addition to singlehandedly running the LPP, Lynda and Linda ran a coliform bacteria testing program for 15 years.

“Because of the commitment by Linda and Lynda, our community has accumulated enough data to observe water quality trends and identify problem areas, helping us in our mission to preserve and protect the Bay of Islands environment for future generations.”  – Zachary Shewchuck

ANDY METELKA – Blackstone Lake Cottagers Association

Andy Metelka is an inspiring and dedicated volunteer not only in his community of Blackstone Lake, but also across all of eastern Georgian Bay. Andy’s passion for the critters and environment of Blackstone Lake is apparent in all that he does. As a skilled videographer, Andy is known for his stunning underwater videos of Blackstone Lake. In his videos, Andy opens up the world below the surface, showing just how friendly and smart snapping turtles and bass can be. He was even featured in Striking Balance, a TVO documentary series on Canadian biospheres, for his efforts to spark appreciation for aquatic life. 

In addition to videography, Andy is involved in a variety of stewardship projects, including phragmites removal, management of pond weed infestations, and improvement of bass nesting sites. As a GBA director, Andy has been the lead researcher and advocate about the significant TC Energy project in Meaford. He is also a valued member of the GBA Water Committee. Andy has also been locally instrumental in the Safe Quiet Lakes Decibel Coalition, which works to enhance existing legislation for boat motor noise. Most recently, he has been working to address the proposed new powerline that would cut across Blackstone Lake. 

TED SIMMONDS – Bayfield Nares Islanders’ Association

Anyone who has driven Highway 529A on the way to Bayfield or Nares Inlet, can thank Ted for his years of dedicated stewardship. Bothered by the trash along the highway, Ted signed up for a training session run by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) in Sudbury focused on road-safety protocols for running a volunteer team and submitting trash-collection reports. For more than 20 years, Ted has been “the team” and has walked along a six-mile stretch of 529A once or twice a year, collecting garbage and recycling. In addition to collecting roadside trash, Ted became concerned by the quantity of empty bottles and pop cans arriving at the Bayfield Transfer Site. He realized there was real potential to collect funds from recycling and put them to good use. As the word spread, Ted began picking up heaping truckloads of bottles and cans diverted from the transfer station, sorting them for delivery to the Beer Store in Parry Sound and another local recycler. Every year, this effort raised between $1,000 and $1,500, which Ted donated to the Pointe au Baril Nursing Station. 

Concerned also by the number of abandoned docks and their potential to pollute the Bay with polystyrene, Ted began a derelict dock initiative, gathering sighting reports and scouting the shoreline. Since 2020, Ted has transported more than 30 derelict docks back to his boathouse on the mainland, where he has demolished and trucked them to the Township of the Archipelago’s Site 9 Transfer Station. In addition to dismantling large frame docks, Ted has also been conscientious about collecting the blue Styrofoam pieces that escaped from older docks.

JACK GIROUX – Cognashene Cottagers’ Association

As the environmental director for the CCA, Jack Giroux inspires environmental advocacy through community events and civic engagement. In particular, Jack has worked to bring leaders and scientists from Georgian Bay Forever (GBF), Georgian Bay Biosphere (GBB) and Georgian Bay Land Trust (GBLT) to community events, including this year’s revival of CCA’s Environment Day. He has also made special efforts, working with CCA’s recreational day camp, to provide environmental education for kids on a variety of topics, including water quality testing, habitat conservation, invasive species and more. 

Jack also serves as a member of GBA’s Water Committee. Over the course of 2025, Jack helped research the current threats of cruise ship discharge pollution in Georgian Bay. In fall 2025, he wrote a letter detailing the committee’s concerns regarding pollution from exhaust gas cleaning systems, also known as scrubbers. Jack and GBA Executive Director Meredith Denning presented this letter to Parry Sound–Muskoka Member of Parliament Scott Aitchison, urging him to create a no-discharge-zone for Georgian Bay. 

SONYA LESTER – Honey Harbour Association

You may know Sonya as the treasured yoga instructor in the Honey Harbour area, but this year, she is famous for her efforts to quickly address a source of water pollution. During Mother’s Day weekend 2025, Sonya noticed a significant patch of brown water flowing from a small creek. Curious and concerned, Sonya and her husband, Ron, hiked inland to investigate and discovered a dismantled beaver dam and a newly dug 12-foot trench, which was draining an inland lake that was previously landlocked. They quickly contacted the Ministry of the Environment, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Department of Forestry, all of whom opened case files. The Township of Georgian Bay immediately sent their senior municipal law enforcement officers to the site. In response, GBF created an action plan to work with local townships in the event a similar event occurs in other areas of Georgian Bay. 

“I believe that it takes a commitment from our cottage community to look out for each other and our environment that we all cherish. Thank goodness the Bay is resilient, but it is not invincible. Water is life; protect it.” – Sonya Lester

ANDREW HURLBUT – Key River Area Association

This year, Andrew Hurlbut achieved a notable milestone by restoring the darkness to Key River’s night sky. The KRAA is directly adjacent to the Henvey Inlet wind farm. Over the course of three and a half years, Andrew worked with Pattern Energy to encourage them to build a radar system that would turn on the red flashing navigation lights on the turbines only when an aircraft was in the airspace. Now the lights are out! Pattern was a great partner in achieving the lights-out goal. 

“The light pollution was previously visible as far away as the Bustard Islands. Now hundreds of people can again enjoy the night sky as it was for millennia.” – Carl Spiess

In addition to serving as a director and secretary on GBA’s Board, Andrew has played a key role in Safe Quiet Lake’s Decibel Coalition, which has advocated for legislation to mitigate boat motor noise. The boat noise issue has been a top concern for our members, and those advocacy efforts paid off, as legislation is now being introduced to address it. Andrew also volunteers for the Lake Partner Program, where he collects water samples and conducts Secchi disc tests in Henvey Inlet. 

ELEANOR PROCTOR – Madawaska Club of Go Home Bay

“Eleanor is known as the environment lady in our community. Without Eleanor, I fear that many rattlesnakes would be killed, as people are understandably afraid of them close to the cottage.” – Brye Bonner

Eleanor is passionate about environmental education and uses her online platforms to inspire people to appreciate and enjoy the unique nature of Georgian Bay. Through her posts, Eleanor shares her love of plant and animal identification and encourages everyone to pick up pollution. 

“She is the one to call if a bird is found trapped or an animal hurt.” – Brye Bonner

CATHY COLES & DARIN BUCKLAND – Manitou Association

Cathy Coles and Darin Buckland are stewardship superstars in the Manitou area. Every spring for the last 20 years, this dynamic couple has collected shoreline litter from their part of the association and taken it to the Sheepshead Bay transfer station. Together, they have also led the charge to remove and monitor phragmites. In particular, they have eradicated this invasive reed from sites near Moose Deer Point Marina and in a bay beside Camp Hurontario. They have also run fire pump clinics and created a fire response app for quick communication in case of a fire. 

Cathy and Darin have been dedicated volunteers with GBF and GBLT for many years. A few years back, they assisted by managing safety boats during the Franklin Island Challenge, a long-distance, open-water swim fundraiser for GBF. In addition, driven by concerns over microplastic pollution, they promptly bought microfibere filters for their dishwasher and washing machine. Darin also acts as a GBLT steward at Manitou Dock, a land trust area and historic site where the Midland City steamship stopped  to deliver supplies and mail to local cottagers. 

“Cathy and Darin are very inclusive. They draw in new members and include them in environmental community projects. They are fun to be around, which attracts young people to also volunteer their time and love of the bay.” – Judy Maynard

DOUG WHITTON – McGregor Bay Association

Located in the northern section of Georgian Bay, McGregor Bay remained free of the invasive reed, phragmites, until a patch was found last year. In response, Doug Whitton swung into action and almost single-handedly established the Phrag Free McGregor Bay initiative. Working with Whitefish River First Nation, Doug mustered a group of volunteers, secured funding, acquired materials for removal, and arranged for a team from GBF to come to McGregor Bay to demonstrate best practices for eradication. 

“In less than a year, he had groups in the water cutting the invasive species. Most impressive of all, he reached out to the Whitefish River First Nation, with whom we share the Bay, and established a significant collaboration to identify the extent of the problem and expand the scope of the project. While Doug was working on the phragmites initiative, he became aware of a plan to dump radioactive waste from a distant mine into a site in the Spanish River, part of our watershed. By attending public meetings, he added our voice to local opposition and the plan was dropped.” – Ian Cook

FREDA KLASSEN – Northern Georgian Bay Association

From her childhood growing up on a small dairy farm in southern Ontario, low-impact living has always been in Freda Klassen’s DNA. Freda is especially concerned about potential sources of water pollution and continuously encourages cottagers to update their septic systems to lessen their impact on water quality. Some of her low-impact cottage principles include maintaining a natural shoreline, keeping dead trees for wildlife, minimizing nighttime lights to preserve the night sky, limiting boating as much as possible, using cedar instead of pressure-treated lumber for docks, and being a good neighbour to rattlesnakes. 

Freda is a founding member of the NGBA, has been a long-term GBA director, and is a past chair of GBA’s Lands and Forests Committee. One of her most significant contributions was working with former GBA Executive Director Bob Duncanson to organize and present a phragmites workshop and information forum for the GBA membership, which was videotaped and became a valuable resource on the website. Freda and her husband Bill have also been welcoming hosts to graduate students of Dr. Pat Chow Fraser from McMaster University while they study wetlands and fish in the Killarney area.

CATHERINE FAIRLIE – Pointe au Baril Islanders’ Association

As a fifth generation cottager in Pointe au Baril, Cath has always been passionate about Georgian Bay and its conservation. In 2018, Cath volunteered for PaBIA and took on the role of supervisor for PaBIA’s Marine Patrol. While overseeing the patrol, she collaborated with GBLT, GBF, GBB, and the Lake Partner Program to keep the patrollers focused on environmental issues. Cath trained the summer patrollers on duties such as water testing with LPP and GBB, rattlesnake gestation surveys with GBB, phragmites cuts with GBF, and land stewardship with the GBLT. After conducting hugely successful phragmites cuts in Pointe au Baril in 2018, 2019, and 2020, current phragmites management efforts need only focus on monitoring activities to ensure no new sites arise.

In 2022, Cath was appointed director of member safety for PaBIA, taking on additional roles in fire preparedness, boating safety, maps, and markers. As climate change intensifies, fire prevention has become essential to preserve the natural beauty of the Bay. Cath’s initiatives to promote awareness and preparedness for forest fires have included early-season contests encouraging families to start and to practice using fire pumps, as well as maintaining PaBIA’s five Wajax fire pumps. She has also collaborated with provincial fire authorities to produce a series of six articles on fire preparedness and response for the outer islands, which are available on PaBIA’s website.

JANE-ANNE CAMPBELL – Sans Souci & Copperhead Association

Jane-Anne Campbell is an incredibly committed volunteer steward for the GBLT. Ever since the Umbrella Islands were donated to the Land Trust, Jane-Anne has made it her personal mission to make many trips a summer out to the islands to monitor for human impact, collect trash, and document the species she finds. She, along with her family members Glen, Clara, Mary and Holly, have also been hosts to many of GBLT’s staff over the years. 

Jane-Anne has a special appreciation for all wildlife, but especially for reptiles and birds. In summer 2025, Jane-Anne came across an injured turtle with a cracked shell in Spider Bay. She immediately rescued the turtle and drove it to the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre in Peterborough. A few weeks later, once the turtle was healed and ready to be released, Jane-Anne transported it back to Spider Bay. In addition to her rescue efforts, Jane-Anne successfully campaigned for turtle and reptile crossing signs along the Township of Archipelago roads to Woods Bay to prevent future incidents. 

Jane-Anne has also been a community leader in documenting breeding birds in the Sans Souci area for the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas. The  Atlas is incredibly important for ornithologists because it provides localized and accurate data to map the distribution and abundance of breeding birds. 

PETER ADAMS – South Channel Association

Peter Adams’ enthusiasm and positivity about environmental conservation is wonderfully infectious! As the past environment chair for the South Channel Association, Peter initiated many innovative and fun community stewardship projects. 

As an avid fisherman, Peter cares deeply about the health of the fishery and the availability of high-quality spawning grounds. Together with volunteers, he led a project to install brush bundles in predetermined locations to increase fish habitat. In addition to fish, Peter has a special fondness for reptiles and amphibians. He has made several turtle nest protectors and observation terrariums for anyone in the community to use. He regularly writes updates in South Channel’s publication, On the Waterfront, on best stewardship practices and often summarizes scientific studies.

Peter and his wife, Beth, are both passionate about environmental education. They have hosted many GBB-led events at their cottage. They have also encouraged South Channel’s support for GBB and served as the lead contacts for the Kids in the Biosphere program. Peter and Beth are active phragbusters who jump in to help in both South Channel and Sans Souci. 

SUE MCPHEDRAN – Woods Bay Community Association

As a founding member of the Friends of the Massasauga Park (FOMP), Sue McPhedran has worn many hats in the stewardship of the greater Woods Bay area. During her 10 years on the FOMP Board, Sue served as vice president and treasurer. She is very proud of all their successful projects, including trail maintenance, new signage, replacement of firepit grids designed by her students, creation of merchandise, and the construction of three shelters at popular trailheads.  

During her tenure on the GBA Board, Sue helped establish a phragmites working group to foster collaboration among cottage associations, enabling them to share ideas, challenges, and successes. She organized several virtual meetings that brought people together during the early phase of phragmites management on Georgian Bay. Additionally, she worked with former board member Bill Steiss, chair of the Fisheries Committee, to submit a paper addressing the proposed revisions to the provincial Species at Risk Act. 

TOM BUCK – Community-at-Large

When Tom Buck discovered TC Energy’s proposal to develop a large pumped-storage facility on Department of National Defence lands near Meaford, he realized he needed to take action. Alarmed by the risks of increased fish mortality, water turbidity, contamination, and habitat loss, Tom spearheaded the creation of Save Georgian Bay (SGB), an entirely volunteer-driven grassroots group dedicated to blocking TCE’s project. 

For the past six years, Tom and SGB volunteers have remained resilient and committed to raising awareness and demanding transparency from TC Energy and federal agencies. 

“His efforts helped shift the conversation from speculation to evidence, empowering citizens and local governments to ask hard questions and demand transparency from TC Energy and federal agencies.” – Pasq Zita

Ongoing advocacy efforts include: hiring an environmental lawyer to develop SGB’s legal strategy; supporting targeted land, water, and species research; urging the Ontario Auditor General to review the project approval process; hosting the annual Save the Bay Polar Dip to raise awareness and funds; and organizing a successful SGB flotilla last summer to highlight TCE’s seemingly unpermitted test drilling at their proposed intake site. 

“We have an outstanding team of volunteers who care about this incredible Bay and its ecosystem. The many hundreds of people involved with us, from all around the Bay, are like me, serving and protecting our neighbours, family, and friends.” – Tom Buck

BRUCE DAVIDSON – West Carling Association

For more than 80 years, Bruce Davidson has been appreciating and caring for the natural environment of Snug Island and Carling Township. A clear set of principles drives his committed stewardship: protect habitat, avoid unnecessary disturbance, and leave every place better than it was found. He keeps  Snug Island’s 40 acres of forest as close to their  natural state as possible, preserving dead trees for wildlife, removing invasive plants, cleaning up litter, dismantling illegal fire pits and inukshuks, and even adding pea gravel to support bass nesting sites.

Beyond Snug Island, Bruce has contributed to the wider community for decades, serving on the West Carling Association (WCA) board for 25 years. As a director, Bruce successfully advocated to the Coast Guard for the removal of hazardous waste from the Snug Lighthouse. In addition, he partnered with Glenda Clayton of the former Eastern Georgian Bay Stewardship Council to build and monitor fox snake nest protection cages. He carried out biweekly water sampling and, most recently, helped Georgian Bay Forever map invasive phragmites in the Carling area. Bruce has contributed regularly to the  WCA newsletter, writing articles on the impacts of water levels on fish habitat, geological history, forest succession, and Georgian Bay’s changing landscape.

  Bruce was selected as GBA’s 2025 overall Champion of the Bay.

Read an interview with Bruce about his passion for Franklin Island here.

Join the Celebration!

Our Champions of the Bay are the unsung heroes of the coast—working behind the scenes to protect the waters, lands, and communities we all love. Now, it’s time to bring them into the spotlight.

We warmly invite you to a special virtual ceremony to honour these exceptional stewards. We’ll be gathering from every corner of the Bay to hear their inspiring stories and celebrate the nominators who brought their work to light.

• When: Thursday, May 28th at 7:00 PM

• Where: Virtually, from your favourite spot (even on the Bay!)

Reserve Your Spot on the Guest List here.

Who is Your Champion of the Bay?

Stewardship isn’t always about grand gestures; often, it’s found in the quiet, consistent efforts of a dedicated neighbour. Do you know someone who is leading a conservation project, protecting our unique ecosystem, and inspiring others to charish the Bay?

GBA’s Champion of the Bay Award recognizes our outstanding community members who actively steward Georgian and promote environmental well-being. From small acts of care to major environmental milestones, every effort deserves to be celebrated.

Don’t let their hard work go unnoticed. Anyone can nominate a deserving individual, and no effort is too small, so don’t hesitate to nominate someone who is making an impact in your community!

Learn more about the award and nominate your Champion here.