Last week, our team came together…
It doesn’t happen very often. We usually communicate through a series of online meetings, a whole whack of emails, and many a phone call. However, it was truly wonderful to see everyone in person in order to share thoughts, ideas, and strategies towards solidifying our 2025 plan, and starting the process of nailing down our actions for 2026, and beyond.
If you have been following along with us, then you know that this is a huge initiative, and we have been making incredible headway. Our vision is simple, and there is still much work to do, however the finish line is clearly in sight now, and we’re definitely on the right track!
We have some fabulous data that we look forward to sharing with you very soon. We surveyed over a thousand Georgian Bay residents, cottagers, businesses and visitors in order to pull together a very detailed and cohesive overview of your thoughts regarding our UNESCO Geopark Initiative. Thank you to all who took the time to share their thoughts.
Feel free to drop us a note, and let us know your thoughts. We look forward to pushing so much more wonderful information about this initiative out to you. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, so please follow along; links below.
Warm regards,
The Georgian Bay Geopark Team
DEEP TIME’ is the themed expression of how exploring and understanding the past helps create a better future. The unique DEEP TIME story and its eight geological chapters encourages both visitors and residents to know the past, celebrate the present and help create a more resilient future for the Bay and its many communities.
2.7 billion years
Sault Ste Marie to Serpent River
The ancient mineral-rich rocks of the North Channel record the breakup of the planet’s oldest supercontinent – and the birth of the Huronian Ocean.
1.8 billion years
Serpent River to Killarney
The Group of Seven’s white rolling quartzite hills are the stumps of mountains formed when landmasses collided to form supercontinent Nuna
1.3 billion years
Killarney to Honey Harbour
The waterscape of the 30,000 Islands exposes the deep crustal roots of the immense Grenville Mountains formed when North and South America collided.
500 million years
Manitoulin Island
Much of North America was covered by warm shallow seas, teeming with early marine life that left fossil-rich limestones on Manitoulin Island.
350 million years
Tobermory to Wiarton
Within the last 2 million years, the Bruce/Saugeen peninsula was scoured by Ice Age ice sheets that cut deep valleys into the face of the Niagara Escarpment such as at Owen Sound.
13,000 years
Collingwood to Wiarton
The raised beaches of glacial Lake Algonquin surround the coast of southern Georgian Bay like staircases and hosted the camps of caribou-hunting Paleo-Indians 11,000 years ago.
Last 10,000 years
Collingwood to Honey Harbour
The ancient hard rocks of the Canadian Shield meet the softer limestones of the ancient seas creating a stark contrast in landscapes, ecosystems, and a diverse cultural history unique in North America.
4,000 years to today
Waters of Georgian Bay
In 1615 Samuel de Champlain called Georgian Bay ‘La Mer Douce’ (the sweet water sea). An early map also portrays it as Karegnondi, derived from ‘lake’ in the language of the Petun First Nation.
