A local group that has worked tirelessly on the La Vase voyageur canoe route is about to be rewarded for its efforts.
Friends of La Vase Portages will be honoured by the Ontario Heritage Trust, and the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell at the 2015 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards at a special ceremony at Queen's Park this Friday.
Each year, the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards celebrate individuals, groups and communities for exceptional contributions to conserving Ontario's cultural and natural heritage.
Chris Mayne, Past Chair of the Friends of La Vase Portages told BayToday that everyone is "thrilled and delighted" with the award.
The group is partly getting the award on their cumulative work over the last 10 years protecting the portages but specifically last year as part of the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain travelling through North Bay.
Mayne says the route is being used more than ever.
"Every year we have an annual 'canoe day' with between 20 to 40 people and each summer we see three or four groups and individuals travelling into the portages by themselves.
"The trails are brushed, signed and maintained. They are much easier to use now than they would have been 15 or 20 years ago.
"They really had fallen into disrepair. They were overgrown and there were private property issues. Over the past 10 years Friends of the La Vase have worked to negotiate some of the trespassing issues and they've been resolved successfully for the most part. There are still challenges from aggregate operations in the area but everyone is confident that with time those issues will be resolved as well," said Mayne.
Excellence in Conservation Awards 2016
- Friends of La Vase Portages for restoration of the Voyageur Canoe Route (North Bay)
- Andrea Cross and Dry Stone Canada for the Canadian International Dry Stone Wall Festival (Amherst Island)
- Canadian Historical Documentation & Imaging Group (CANADIGM) for The Souterrain Impressions Exhibit
- Community Waterfront Heritage Centre for preservation of the Owen Sound Marine & Rail Museum (Owen Sound)
- Craig Newsome for restoration of 123-125 Brant Avenue (Brantford)
- Josephine Mandamin for Water Walks (Thunder Bay)
- The Hour of Trial and Sorrow: The Great War Letters of the Leonard Family, University of Western Ontario (London)
Background information:
The Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards are administered by the Ontario Heritage Trust, an agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage.
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