Happy New Year Six Mile Lake Cottagers

With winter in full swing, our thoughts go to shovelling snow or going south. Hopefully the latter. But if you cannot be enjoying sun and sand, hopefully all that shovelling will keep you warm. Here are some things that are happening around the lake.

Winter Parking Rules in the Township

Once again, we remind you that winter parking rules are in effect across Georgian Bay Township. There is no parking on township roads during snow-clearing months. Help plow crews keep our roads safe and clear this winter. Vehicles left on the road may receive a ticket and be towed under our by-laws. There is one exception, however. Last month, the township issued a special notice regarding a parking pilot program on Bayview Road so that it doesn’t interfere with snow removal. This program will remain in effect for the rest of the winter season, unless we get too much snow and the plows need that space to store the excess. See the enclosed diagram. Space is limited, so those with trailers are encouraged to park them elsewhere, such as at the Gibson Lake landing site or the other lot on Gibson Bay Road toward the highway, just west of the Bayview Road turnoff. The parking spaces on Bayview Road are needed for island residents in order to get to their dwellings. Hopefully next winter the township will be able to add more parking spaces for recreational users.  Cars must be moved after 7 consecutive days.

Township Open House and Public Meeting

This is a reminder that most of you should have received a notice in the mail of an open house and public meeting sponsored by the Township of Georgian Bay Planning Department (Application No Z26-01). These two meetings are intended to provide information and elicit input on their proposal to make changes to the Six Mile Lake Zoning By-law. The purpose of the application is to re-establish the definition of Gross Floor Area (GFA) for dwellings in the Six Mile Lake Residential (SR6) Zone back to the way they existed prior to 2014. The effect of the application is to exclude certain areas (e.g., attached garages, unfinished basements, etc.) from GFA. These changes are consistent with most of the findings of the 2019 Cottagers’ Survey regarding GFA. To review the survey go here: https://sixmilelake.net/pub/survey/SML_2019_Landowner_Survey.pdf.

The open house will be held on Friday, February 13^th, 2026 at 4 p.m. in council chambers or on zoom. The public meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 10^th, 2026 at 9 a.m. in council chambers or on zoom. Here is a link to related documents:

https://georgianbay.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/178413/. You can submit comments as well as register to attend the meeting on zoom by email to the Planning Department at: planning@gbtownship.ca or by regular mail or by using the drop box located beside the front doors at the Administration Centre. You may also contact the Township Planner, Jeff Kratky by phone at (705) 536 – 2337 ext. 237.

Come Join Us as a Volunteer

We also would like to remind you that we are still looking for volunteers to help with some roles we need to fill:

• Director. We still have one spot open on our board for a director at large. It is so much fun planning events and getting involved with the affairs of the lake. You don’t have to be experienced, just willing to dig in.
• Communications Officer. We’re looking for someone to coordinate our communications activities. We’re also looking for anyone who likes writing and would like to help curate our ECHOES and e-blast newsletters, not to mention finding content for our social media page. We’d love to hear from you.
• Promotional Products Coordinator. We’re looking for someone to help with sourcing new promotional items. This also includes keeping inventory and selling items at our events.
• New Cottager Outreach. Our new cottager visiting committee is going strong and we could always use more helpers to find and visit new cottagers to welcome them to the lake.

As the saying goes, ‘many hands make light work’ and we encourage you to join us. It’s very rewarding bringing about the things that make our community awesome!

The Six Mile Lake Directory

This year, 2026, is a directory year. Now is a good time to make sure your information in our directory is accurate. Take a moment and look at your 2024 directory and if you have any changes please let Sarah know at membership@sixmilelake.net.

Citation for Bravery (redux)

In December’s e-blast, we recognised the bravery of three local men and we have since found out that there was a fourth person to receive the reward. So, we have added his name to the list and are re-running this notice.

It is three years since Michael Burgess of Scarborough died on Six Mile lake when his and a friend’s snowmobiles went through the ice in an area of the lake just east of Mathias Point and O’Leary’s Island. Earlier this December, the OPP recognised the bravery of Dennis Carder, Steve Fisher, Ryan Hoegler, and Scott Rogers in saving one of the snowmobilers on that day.

We now understand most of the snowmobile trails are open including those marked ones across the lake. As always, we remind you that the lake is known for areas where the ice is never safe due to currents. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of exercising extreme caution when venturing out onto the ice, especially beyond the marked trails. Remember, “no ice is safe ice.”

New Law Regarding CO2 Detectors

Ontario’s CO2 detector law was significantly updated as of January 1, 2026, requiring alarms on every storey (including basements/main floors without bedrooms) and adjacent to each sleeping area in homes with fuel-burning appliances, fireplaces, or attached garages, expanding from the previous requirement of only near sleeping areas. Non-compliance can result in significant fines for owners.

The board wishes you a safe and happy winter season and reminds you to keep roofs clear of excess snow and make sure smoke and CO2 detectors are operational.