Hello Cottagers

With the first days of summer comes plenty of warm weather. We hope you are able to spend these days at the cottage rather than sweating it out in the city. Here are a few things you should know for the next several weeks.

SMLCA ice cream give-away, Saturday July 5th at 1:00 pm

Look for the pontoon boats with SMLCA banners at these locations:

• At the flashing light narrows on the south end of Lumber’s Island, as you go toward SML Marina
• Near Battleship Island in the southeast end of the lake
• In East Crooked Bay, just east of Horne’s Island
• In the main part of the lake near Cedar Nook

If you are having trouble finding them, text or call Harold at 647-520-8036. We’ll have about 600 cones and some Freezies for those who cannot eat ice cream. Don’t hesitate, because when they are gone, they are gone! (Check our Facebook page in case of last-minute changes due to weather.)

Membership BBQ and Get Together date has changed

We have shifted the SMLCA Membership BBQ to July 12^th starting at 11:00 am and finishing around 3 pm. SMLCA members are invited to our 2nd annual Summer Barbecue and Get-Together. It’s a great time to grab a burger, hotdog or veggie burger, meet neighbours and the SMLCA directors, pick up your 2024 Lake Directory (published every other year) and buy any Six Mile Lake swag you’ve been hankering for. We will also be conducting fire pump training at the dock. To register for the event (so that we know how much food to buy) please visit our website here: https://smlca.wildapricot.org/event-6195428

Make sure your membership is up to date so you can attend. Remember our membership year runs from June 1 to May 31 so it’s time to renew for 2025/2026.  If you haven’t already renewed your membership, there are three ways to do that:

• Pay at the Membership desk at the BBQ
• Visit smlca.wildapricot.org and join or renew online
• Contact membership@sixmilelake.net or Sarah McKinney at 647-823-8458 to request an invoice to be mailed to you.

Keep in mind how important it is to financially support the many worthwhile things the SMLCA does for the lake. You can also make optional donations to the annual fireworks show and/or for improvements to the regatta site.

Please leave your pets at the cottage and as dock space is limited, please drop off your guests at the dock and park your boat around the shore of the bay.

The SMLRA Fishing Derby is back for the 2025 season!

The fishing derby runs from June 28 to August 10, 2025, with the minimum size for all fish lengths of 10 Inches. Anglers have enjoyed fishing on the lake for many years. Join in the fun of this exclusive event open to all property owners and their family members on the lake. Keep the tradition going with other fellow anglers by registering now to participate!

Highlights include:

• Having a chance at becoming one of the Six Mile Lake 2025 fishing derby champions
• Tracking your progress and seeing the real time leaderboard and photos via the MyCatch app
• Gaining access to valuable insights by asking questions directly to professional anglers who know the waters of Six Mile Lake
• Attending the end of year trophy presentation

If you want to connect with a professional angler, or have any other questions, please email sixmilelakefishingderby@gmail.com. Go to this link to register: https://www.anglersatlas.com/event/864/2025-2nd-annual-six-mile-lake-ontario-fishing-derby .

Volunteers & Canoes Needed for the Regatta! 

The Regatta is a summer highlight for many Six Milers, and Saturday, August 2nd will be here before we know it. We are using the SignUp website to manage and communicate with our wonderful volunteers — and to keep track of the canoes for loan!

Click on the SMLCA Seagull logo below to Sign UP!

Descriptions for all of the individual volunteer roles are on the SignUp website

• You can register on behalf of others using your contact info
• Email addresses are private and not shared by the website
• No account or password is needed
• You can easily edit your sign-up at any time
• It’s a great way for high school students to earn volunteer hours
• Have any old canoes and paddles to lend?…sign those up too!

Waste Management Survey Due June 30^th!

TOWNSHIP OF GEORGIAN BAY, ON – June 11, 2025 – The Township of Georgian Bay is embarking on a comprehensive review of its waste management services and is actively seeking feedback from residents to help shape future strategies. The Township has engaged KPMG, a leading professional services firm, to assess, develop, and recommend effective waste management solutions tailored to the Township’s unique environmental and logistical challenges. For more information go to: https://www.gbtownship.ca/en/news/have-your-say-with-the-waste-management-survey.aspx . To take the survey: https://casurveys.efmfeedback.com/se/50D28DB222614EEF .

Changes to Waste Drop-off Locations in Georgian Bay

Water-access residents who currently use dumpster bins at marinas in Honey Harbour, Port Severn and Six Mile Lake will now dispose of their waste at four drop-off waste facilities within Georgian Bay. (Summer Hours are from the first Monday in May to the last Sunday in October and Winter Hours are the balance of the year):

Hours of operation are regularly reviewed (based on site usage) to best serve residents. Residents can currently dispose of up to two bags of household garbage per week at any waste drop-off location across Muskoka. Hours of Operation are provided here for convenience but are subject to change. For up-to-date information, including a full list of drop-off locations, hours of operation and accepted materials visit: https://www.muskoka.on.ca/en/garbage-and-recycling/drop-off-locations-and-landfill.aspx

Note: cottagers that are docking and parking at Wawautosa Marina and have traditionally used the garbage bins there, will now have to take garbage to the Baxter Transfer Station. A special meeting to discuss alternatives will be held on Sunday July 2^nd at 1:00 p.m. hosted by the marina for those customers only that will be affected. There will also be discussion about parking concerns. Councilor Graziano will be present to field questions regarding these plans. Please R.S.V.P. by July 2^nd to let Mike Cox know that you are attending!

Safe Quiet Lakes Survey

We are proud to be participating in the 2025 “Your Lakes, Your Views” survey with Safe Quiet Lakes.

Please take a moment today to share your views.  This short survey will take about 10-15 minutes to complete.  Take the survey here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/TSLPY8Q

It is important to hear from everyone!  Please pass this along to your friends, family members, and neighbours.

The responses will help to understand the priorities of our members, what people value from their cottage experience, how they use the water and their boating activity concerns. Results from past surveys have guided planning at Safe Quiet Lakes and have been shared with Transport Canada, municipalities, the OPP and boating organizations.  The survey will run until July 21 and can be easily accessed from any device.

Help Wanted!

The SMLCA board is still looking for help in the following areas:

• Bookkeeper: Working with Rick Jocsak, this involves basic bookkeeping such as writing cheques, billing, bank deposits and preparation of materials for the independent statement reviewer. We don’t have a lot of transactions, so this would only take a few hours per month.
• Communications Officer: We’re looking for someone to create, coordinate and implement strategies for our communications activities which include ECHOES, eblasts and social media.
• Promotional Products Coordinator: We’re looking for someone to manage our current promotional products and to source new ones.
• Environment Committee: We want to form a committee to focus on our environmental efforts and to coordinate articles, promotional materials and other information on subjects and services pertinent to Six Mile Lake.  This is very important in maintaining the quality of our lake and in addition to volunteers sitting on this committee, we are looking for someone to chair this committee.
• Kid’s Connect and Teen Connect: We are reaching out to the community to see if someone is willing to restart the Connect programs to bring kids and teens together.
• Closer Ties with Road Associations: We hope to establish a closer link with the road associations on the lake so that together we can more effectively support each other and serve the lake community. If you are on a road association, please reach out to us at info@sixmilelake.net so that we can get contact info on the secretary or president.
• Website Rebuild Committee: We have been talking about rebuilding the website for several years and now that we have Wild Apricot up and running, we would like to rebuild and modernize our website. Anyone with an aptitude for website creation would be welcome to join our new committee.

Come join us. Together we can have fun building and supporting our lake community! Send inquiries to info@sixmilelake.net . See you on the lake and Happy Canada Day!