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If you have never been to Lake Simcoe, you may be wondering what the fuss is all about. If you have enjoyed even one day at the Lake, then you know that it is a special place. Lake Simcoe is many things to many people. As a trade route and settling place for Canada's First Nations it is a sacred, bountiful place. As a home of the once thriving lumber and ice industries it was a place to build towns, cities, and communities. As a getaway from the hustle and bustle of big city life it has been a wilderness retreat, a sanctuary, and a hot spot of entertainment. Finally, for it's significance in natural history as well as our socio-cultural history Lake Simcoe has been declared Canada's first Heritage Lake.

The declaration was made on June 11, 2014 at the 26th Annual Conservation Dinner in support of the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority by Cynthia Wesley Esquimaux (left), Vice-provost (Aboriginal Initiatives) at Lakehead University and member of the Chippewa of Georgina Island First Nation in Lake Simcoe. 

This initiative was spear-headed by some of Innisfil's finest, Marj Mossman and Barb Love, of Heritage Lake Simcoe with the support of a number of individuals and organizations from around the Lake Simcoe watershed. When asked why it was important that Lake Simcoe be recognized as a Heritage Lake they apoke of its rich past, and the need ot protect its future. 
"Our First Nations People used it as a trade route.  The Carrying Place Trail has been marked from Toronto to Holland Landing. The Trail follows the Humber River with many portages along the way. The First Nations people fished and lived along the shores of the Lake. They farmed the wild rice from the Lake. The Hudson Bay and Northwest Company canoes used the Lake to go further into the interior of our great country looking to trade furs with the First Nation tribes. The first settlers to Canada used the Trail and then travelled by boat to many parts of the Lake to clear the land for farming. There were many years where the lumber industry thrived on the Lake. There are places around the Lake where huge pine trees were taken to make the masts for the sailing ships built in England. 
When the ice industry began and Lake Simcoe ice was shipped by rail to Toronto and part of the United States. 
All this time the Lake was being settled by farmers who felled the trees and worked the land. The era of steamships came along for work and pleasure. They were seen plying the waters of the Lake taking mail, settlers, farm equipment and supplies to the settlements around the Lake. As the roads were improving, cottages were beginning to be popular as getaways for people to enjoy on weekends and holidays. The steamers became excursion boats for a night of dinner and dancing or a picnic on an island. Fishing winter and summer has always been very popular and quite lucrative on the Lake. 
Times change and the Lake is stressed and the Lake Simcoe Protection Act has been put into place to help take care of the Lake. We all must do our part to help the Lake survive and then we will be able to continue to enjoy it. Declaring Lake Simcoe Canada's First Heritage Lake will give it the recognition it deserves."

 While the designation does not include any additional legislation regarding the Lake Simcoe watershed it reminds us all of the importance of Lake Simcoe to our past, present and future.

What does Lake Simcoe mean to you? Contact Us to share your Lake Simcoe Story.