Ontario Council
For Guiding in Ontario and Nunavut

Camp Property Review

Ontario Council believes that camping is a valuable activity for our members. Camping provides us with an adventurous way to learn, and we know that camps often form the basis for the most cherished memories of guiding. We own camp properties in some areas of the province but not in others. Ontario Council is committed to looking at the equity of outdoor and camp program availability across the province with the view to looking at program options that will benefit all members, regardless of where they live in the province or territory.
Over the past year Ontario Council has been reviewing many options for the continued use of our camp properties. We have recently undertaken a review of every camp property to assess its value, the amount of capital work that needs to be undertaken, the ongoing deficit of each property and improvements that are required to meet legislative requirements. We are at a crossroads with our camp properties. Camp properties have an unsustainable operating deficit each year, and the capital cost just to maintain the camps and provincial camp programs over the next 15 years exceeds $23 million. While we value each camp property, we simply cannot afford that cost, therefore we are seeking options to use our properties differently.

As promised in July we are now releasing this data to all adult members to review, digest and provide input on the questions below. Throughout January and February members of Council will be hosting webinars to talk through the following questions with members.
  • How can we use Ontario Council monies equitably across the province and territory to allow for camping and outdoor experiences for all members?
  • What would you do if you were Ontario Council facing the current financial situation?
  • What options do you feel might ‘revitalize’ the use of our camp properties?
  • Where do you feel funding could come to create that revitalization?
We know that each of you will have opinions and thoughts on this conversation. We welcome your input both at the meetings/webinars that will take place, but also through the online FAQs where I and our Executive Director will answer questions that arise from the report. This will provide a centralized place for information exchange. Both I and our Executive Director will answer questions that arise and this will become the centralized place for information. You can submit a question as of January 2nd, 2017 by clicking on the Ask a Question button below. We ask that you refrain from having assumptive conversations on social media as those that can give the correct answers are not necessarily involved on those sites. Please use this channel for your questions and what we don’t have at our fingertips we will do our best to get for you.

Throughout all of this consultation we encourage each of you to continue to get your girls outdoors whether to camp or to play. The program component is the most important for the girls. The property component is a business issue of the adults.

Thanks to each of you for your commitment to participating in this large undertaking of the province.

Sincerely,


Susan Birnie, Provincial Commissioner
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