Municipalities and Communities
Collaboration Approach
The Georgian Bay Aspiring Geopark is being developed through a community-first collaboration model.grounded in Global Geopark best practices, which emphasize local collaboration, voluntary participation, and long-term community benefit.
Guiding Principles
Our municipal partnerships are guided by six core principles:
- Local collaboration and participation – The Geopark is built from the ground up, shaped by municipalities and communities, not imposed from above.
- Clarity and transparency – Municipalities receive full, plain-language briefings on what the Geopark is and is not.
- No regulatory authority – The Geopark does not control land, development, access, or by-laws.
- Choice and flexibility – Municipalities choose their level and type of participation.
- Ongoing accountability – Partnerships include clear feedback loops and the ability to modify or withdraw participation over time.
The Municipal Collaboration Steps
1. Initial Briefing
Municipal staff and Council are provided with clear information about the Geopark’s purpose, tools, and safeguards.
2. Dialogue and Co-Design
Municipalities are invited to identify local priorities and explore how Geopark tools—education, stewardship, planning support, and geotourism guidance—could support those priorities.
3. Municipal Participation Framework
A simple participation framework outlines roles, communication pathways, safeguards, and how municipal input is reflected in Geopark planning.
4. Letter of Support (When Ready)
Municipalities may, at their discretion, provide a letter of support confirming their understanding of the Geopark approach and their chosen level of participation.
5. Ongoing Partnership
Partnerships are maintained through regular dialogue, and the ability for municipalities to update or adjust their participation over time.
Community Partners Process
Conservation Authorities, Environmental NGOs, Stewardship Organizations
The Georgian Bay Geopark is being developed through a voluntary, partnership-based model that recognizes Community Partners as co-stewards, knowledge holders, and regional champions of the Bay.
The Geopark does not replace or duplicate existing organizations.
It exists to strengthen and complement local stewardship, education, tourism and conservation initiatives through shared tools, research and resources and long-term collaboration.
Participation is always voluntary and shaped by each organization’s mandate, capacity, and priorities.
Guiding Principles
Community Partner collaboration is guided by six principles:
- Respect for existing leadership – We build on the leadership and expertise of established organizations.
- No duplication or competition – The Geopark supports and amplifies existing work.
- Low-impact, stewardship-first tourism – Visitor-facing initiatives prioritize environmental protection/respect and community benefit.
- Transparency and consent – collaboration is based on informed choice and clear understanding.
- Flexibility and scalability – Partners choose how and when to engage.
- Shared accountability – Collaboration includes clear feedback pathways.
The Community Partner Collaboration Approach
1. Partner Briefing & Orientation
Organizations receive a clear overview of the Geopark’s purpose, safeguards, tools, and opportunities for alignment with their mandates.
2. Priority Alignment & Dialogue
Partners identify shared stewardship, education, conservation, or community priorities that could benefit from Geopark tools and regional collaboration.
3. Partner Participation Framework
A simple participation framework defines roles, communication pathways, recognition protocols, and safeguards for shared initiatives.
4. Statement or Letter of Support (When Ready)
Partners may provide a voluntary statement or letter of support confirming their understanding of the Geopark approach and their chosen level of involvement.
5. Ongoing Collaboration & Learning
Partnerships are supported through regular dialogue, shared reporting, and opportunities for regional learning and recognition.
Discover the DEEP TIME geology of the Georgian Bay Geopark
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.
DEEP TIME Zone 1
The Huronian
Ocean
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.
DEEP TIME Zone 2
Continents
Collide
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
DEEP TIME Zone 3
The Ancient
Himalayas
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.
DEEP TIME Zone 4
Tropical
Seas
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.
DEEP TIME Zone 5
The Limestone
Coast
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.
DEEP TIME Zone 6
Ice Ages &
Early
Cultures
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.
DEEP TIME Zone 7
The Meeting
Place
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.
DEEP TIME Zone 8
Mindo Gami Great
Spirit Lake
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.