Hello Members and friends of Whitewater Ontario:

I am very pleased to introduce the WO 2012 Executive and Board of Directors as decided at our Annual General Meeting held last Saturday at the Roger Parsons Centre.  A big thank you to all who attended and to those who put their names forward to serve on our board for the next year.  We are particularly pleased to see some new faces in our directors and members-at-large. While we still have two vacancies to fill, the board will be looking to appoint individuals to these positions on an interim basis or for the duration of the one year term.

With the support of the board and in order to comply with Pan Am 2015 protocol, we have added a board position specific to this major international event for at least the next four years.  Watch for the next WO Update to learn more about our involvement with the 2015 Pan Am Games and the Canoe/Kayak Slalom event scheduled for the Gull.

I feel privileged to continue as WO President and look forward to working with our new board on behalf of Ontario's whitewater paddlers.

-Jim

Executive

President                                              Jim Tayler

1st Vice President                                 Wayne Donison

2nd Vice President                                Vacant

Treasurer                                             Steve Pomeroy

Secretary (ex officio)                           Donna Boadway

Board

Membership                                          Vacant

Minden Preserve                                   John Slot

Club Representative                            Cale Reeder

Communications                                 Brad Statham

Programs/Instruction                             Alison Smedley

Programs/Events                                  Jim Smedley

Advocacy                                              Laura Duncan

Pan Am Games 2015                             Claudia Van Wijk

Members at Large

Leah Kindree

Holly Blefgen

Zack Fiddis

Russ Lackey

Tom  Legere

Ben Legere

Jon  McPhee

Update – October 13, 2011

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND GULL RIVER SUMMIT

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22^ND

Whitewater Ontario’s 2011 Annual General Meeting and Gull River Summit will take place on Saturday, October 22nd at the Minden Wild Water Preserve's Roger Parsons Centre.  Members of Whitewater Ontario are cordially invited to attend as are interested non-members from within the paddling community.

The Annual General Meeting will commence at 10:30a.m. and, upon completion, be followed by the Gull River Summit.  As many of our members know, the two previous Gull River Summits have proven to be important and very successful planning sessions for the Board.  By combining the two, we are able to provide a single meeting that will help to celebrate and acknowledge the success of the 2011 paddling season and to begin the necessary planning for 2012.

During the AGM we will be conducting the election for next year's board and I would ask that, as a member of Whitewater Ontario, you consider becoming an active member of our board or be part of any one of our operating committees.

The AGM is scheduled to begin at 10:30a.m. and be completed by 1:00p.m.  After a short lunch break (provided) the Gull River Summit begins at 1:30 and will end by 4:00p.m.

We are looking forward to a great turnout and your opportunity to help us set direction for the 2012 paddling season.  Hope to see you there!

MINDEN WILD WATER PRESERVE

With fall in full swing, the Preserve and campground is ending one of its most successful years ever. Many thanks to all our visitors and volunteers and especially to the dedicated Preserve Committee.

As a reminder, the lower washrooms and outdoor rinse station at the Roger Parson Centre are now closed for the winter.

The Preserve will be shut down for winter, including closing the front gate, after the October 22nd AGM.  However, camping is still available for any hardy fall paddlers.

Whitewater Ontario has just completed a very successful two year pilot project for the operation of a whitewater instructional program at the Minden Wild Water Preserve.

WO recently issued a Request for Proposal for the rental of space at the Roger Parson’s Centre to a service provider for the operation of a whitewater instructional program.

To view the full text of the RFP please visit  http://whitewaterontario.ca/the-preserve-news/462-2011-09-19-rfp-announcement.html

There has been recent dialogue about ‘safety concerns’ as posed by fire-rescue-training groups who also use the Gull for their training. WO has been trying to work out how we can avoid the tensions between river access groups and paddlers on the Gull.

As a reminder to our members and the paddling community in general, the Gull River is a public waterway. We respectfully request responsible conduct, tactful communication and respect for the rights of all users of the river by all parties at all times. Thanks for doing your part.

Watch for the Preserve 2011 Year in Review in the upcoming AGM Report.

John Slot

Director, MWWP

ADVOCACY NEWS

The new Ontario Rivers Alliance website is up and worth a read for anyone interested in river access issues in Ontario. Whitewater Ontario has attended their meetings and hopes to be able to offer some financial support to help the organization get themselves up and running. 

The Advocacy Committee is currently looking into Lorne access on the Ottawa and trying to negotiate an agreement for recreational paddlers. We will keep members posted on our progress. We are always on the look out for local river advocates so if there is an access issue important to you, consider joining our committee as a river advocate who works on that one river with the support of the WO Advocacy Committee.

Whitewater Ontario will be switching its Facebook page from a group to a page in order to make communication and updates easier. We will be posting regular updates about WO matters and we encourage members to bring suggestions and discussion to the page. Anyone who is currently a member of the WO group, keep an eye out for an invitation to 'like' our new page in the next week or so. 

Laura Duncan

Advocacy Committee

THE OTTAWA RIVER RUNNERS NEED YOUR SUPPORT

The Ottawa River Runners are fundraising in order to build a clubhouse/boat storage building at the Pumphouse whitewater site. We have entered the Aviva Community Fund contest and need help by adding your vote. This costs you nothing except a few minutes to register and vote daily.

The Aviva Community Fund has just opened voting, and we have submitted an 'idea' from ORR, to try to win support for building our clubhouse. We are in the medium project category, which could get the club up to $100,000 if we make it into the finals. The first stages of the contest are based on online voting.

Here is how you can help:

We are in Round 1 of voting, each person can vote 15 times, and only 1 time/day.

Step 1: Register on the Aviva Community Fund Website, or log-in through their Facebook Page

Step 2: Search for Idea #11842 or go to http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf11842

Step 3: VOTE for us!

Step 4: Bookmark the page, and return to vote every day that you can

Step 5: Share this with others!

From our idea's page, you can use Facebook, Tweet, or Google+, to share our entry with others.

The key to this contest is to gather a group of voters who will return and keep voting for ORR. Please feel free to pass this on to other paddlers or family/friends who would support us - it would be much appreciated. You can let them know that our clubhouse has been designed, approved, and fundraising has already been going on for years. We are completely committed to getting this building, and $100,000 would make it happen!

Having a building would give us the opportunity to provide so much more to the community that already uses the site, as well as expanding our outreach to get more local kids and adults involved in a fantastic and exciting outdoor sport.

Thanks for your support!

AN INVITATION TO WHITEWATER ONTARIO MEMBERS

Canoe North Adventures would like to invite members of Whitewater Ontario to attend a special event, Legacy Wild, that is being held on October 21st at the Isabel Bader Theatre at Victoria University, University of Toronto. Wendy Cecil, Chancellor of Victoria University, will be the MC for the event. Legacy Wild is a show celebrating Canada's Northern Wilderness and would appeal to our members. If you need more information, please call or email.

Lin Ward and Al Pace

Canoe North Adventures

519-941-6654

www.canoenorthadventures.com

Remember….

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND GULL RIVER SUMMIT

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22ND

Whitewater Ontario is pleased to announce that our 2011 Annual General Meeting and Gull River Summit will take place on Saturday, October 22nd at the Minden Wild Water Preserve's Roger Parsons Centre.  Members of Whitewater Ontario are cordially invited to attend as are interested non-members from within the paddling community.

Please follow the link below to the 2011 AGM Package. Details and reports to follow.

http://www.whitewaterontario.ca/about-wo/public-documents/70-agm/464-2011-agm-package.html

Update – August 31, 2011

KING OF THE CLUBS THIS SATURDAY!

Whitewater Ontario’s 3rd annual King of the Clubs event is coming up this Saturday, September 3^rd at River Run.  Information has been sent out to our clubs and is posted on the WO website.  If you have any last minute inquiries email Cale Reeder at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We hope to have another great turnout.

AOB AGREEMENT

The current two year agreement (pilot project) to rent part of the Roger Parsons Centre to Algonquin Outfitters-Boatwerks for operating a paddling school will terminate October 1, 2011.

At the outset of this pilot project, Whitewater Ontario clearly stated that it wishes to evaluate the success of this pilot and at the same time would like to proceed with a transparent public call for expressions of interest for a continuation of this type of service at the Preserve.

We wish to initiate this Request for Proposal soon, simply so that other potential bidders have an opportunity to inspect the property prior to winter and that there is no appearance of an unfair advantage to AOB.  Details will be released in the near future.

MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN

While Whitewater Ontario generates most of its revenues from membership events and the Preserve, we also receive a small amount of base funding from the Province of Ontario. This goes mainly to help cover our administrative costs and some athlete support. The grant funding is determined on a three year cycle and our new cycle begins in 2012 at which time we must submit various information. The grants are coordinated through CanoeKayak Ontario, the umbrella organization composed of whitewater, sprint, and marathon disciplines.  Steve Pomeroy, WO’s treasurer is also the current president of CKO and is very involved in the grant funding process.

A key element in the grant request is our 2011 membership level, so we need to maximize membership and thus the grant amount. For this reason, anyone joining Whitewater Ontario between September 1st and December 1st will receive membership through the entire 2012 season. If you have friends and fellow paddlers participating in any events or are interested in supporting WO river access activities, please encourage them to take out a membership now.  Membership information and online registration can be obtained via our website at:  http://www.whitewaterontario.ca/join-wo/membership-benefits.html

HORSESHOE LAKE ROAD

Just a reminder to our members and the paddling community in general of the importance of respecting the residents who live along Horseshoe Lake Road near the Gull River. Keeping a close eye on the speedometer and respecting the posted speed limit signs on Horseshoe Lake Road contributes to the positive relationship we wish to maintain with the residents of the area and the community. Thanks for doing your part.

SPORTSNET SIGNS THREE-YEAR AGREEMENT WITH CANOEKAYAK CANADA

Rogers Sportsnet has announced a new three-year agreement with CanoeKayak Canada for exclusive broadcast rights to five key events this season, leading up to Rogers’ extensive coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games, where canoe/kayak will receive high profile. 

In addition to the Canoe Sprint World Championships, Sportsnet has also secured the broadcast rights to the Canoe Sprint World Cup, Canoe Slalom World Championships, Canoe Slalom World Cup, and the Mazda Canoe Kayak Knockout.

This television agreement hopefully will increase the slalom profile across Canada. With Whitewater Ontario athletes like John Hastings and Sarah Boudens vying for the 2012 London Olympics, television coverage of the upcoming World Championships in Bratislava will provide a great opportunity to watch these athletes competing at the highest level.

Sportsnet’s broadcast schedule for the 2011 Canoe Slalom World Championships from Bratislava is as follows:

Saturday                September 11   6:00AM

Sunday                  September 11   6:00AM

Monday                 September 12   3:00PM (Replay)

Best wishes to all our Canadian slalom athletes as they participate in the final major international race of the season.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

August 31                           MKC Open Canoe Race                                 MKC

September 3                      King of the Clubs                                            River Run

September 10-11               Gull River Open Canoe Race                         Gull River

September 18                   The Pumphouse Slalom Race                       The Pumphouse, Ottawa
                                              Provincial Championships

We are also in the process of setting the date for our Annual General Meeting later this fall.  Watch for details in the coming weeks.  Start thinking about how you would like to be involved with Whitewater Ontario next season.

Keep enjoying your Ontario rivers! 

Whitewater Ontario is a volunteer-driven organization, uniting, supporting, and sustaining the

inclusive development of the whitewater paddling community and resources.

www.whitewaterontario.ca