September 2, 2025
Tony Pigott, Executive Director
Aspiring Georgian Bay Geopark

Dear Tony –

I am following up on our most recent (July 7) telephone conversation as well as my letter from Georgian Bay Forever (GBF) to you (attached) on November 22, 2024. Our major concerns, as summarized in the four bullet points of that letter, continue to exist; and, unfortunately, there now appears to be more confusion about the Aspiring Georgian Bay Geopark (AGBG) than the promised and anticipated AGBG consultation, alignment and collaboration with Georgian Bay stakeholders.

• Although repeatedly promised, we have received no comprehensive plan for visitor control
measures over the 200 or so significant geosites AGBG has identified around Georgian Bay. With
GBay already subject to severe stress and pressures from many forces contravening conservation
and environmental protection, identifying and further pressuring those sensitive geosites
(including habitats of endangered species) with uncontrolled high volumes of tourism can only
lead to the expected adverse impact (pollution, overuse, site defacement, vandalism, removal or
destruction of sacred Indigenous sites, etc.) that has been witnessed at countless other
unmanaged tourist locations around the world.

• Due to the immense area AGBG has designated (48,000 square kilometers), your seemingly
insurmountable challenge has always been to demonstrate both a single unified geographic area
and cohesive/collaborative partnerships with the numerous diverse interest groups and
communities in Southern and Northern Ontario. From what we have seen and read, rather than
consultation and the sought-after comprehensive support of key regional stakeholders and
constituencies that would be impacted by such an enormous UNESCO Geopark (townships, First
Nations, NGO’s, cottager associations, etc.), there are increasing objections by those with whom
GBF shares the vision to preserve and protect the long-term stewardship of Georgian Bay’s fragile
environment.

• Even though you have told me and thus GBF that the principles and interests of AGBG are aligned
with GBF and those other stakeholders around Georgian Bay whose mission and vision are
grounded in protection and preservation to safeguard our sensitive ecological and sacred
Indigenous sites, we have yet to see any details or actual evidence of such alignment in the form
of concrete action or any efforts toward a collaboration plan to achieve alignment in practice with
GBF and the many other similarly grounded stakeholders. To the contrary, it continues to be clear
that the main focus and marketing of AGBG are to expand consumptive tourism and economic
development around all of Georgian Bay under the umbrella of UNESCO and based on the
assumption that other conservation managers would safeguard those sites.

• Similarly, there have not been any AGBG movements toward developing stakeholder coordination

to align our messages, avoid duplication of effort and the diversion of limited funds from much-needed conservation, or engage in transparent and consistent public communications to avoid confusion on the branding, marketing and purposes of AGBG and your proposed working relationships with GBF and

other stakeholders. Over 2 ½ years ago (November/December 2022) GBF reached out to dialogue

with you about all these and the above issues, with the objective that if our missions, visions,

conservation and preservation principles were indeed aligned, then perhaps we could work together.

But we have not received any progress to date.

 

Meanwhile, we are seeing more townships, First Nations communities, organizations and associations around Georgian Bay reach the same conclusions we have reached regarding the major concerns and reasons why AGBG has not prepared and filed an actual application to become a UNESCO approved Geopark. Our understanding is that UNESCO Geoparks must be co-created by consent of the occupants and stakeholders of the land and waters involved and must be inclusive and deeply rooted in community consent. Due to the immense geographic area proposed and the numerous diverse interest groups and communities impacted, that does not seem possible now.

For all these reasons and concerns, GBF cannot support and must confirm its opposition to AGBG becoming an approved UNESCO Geopark.

 

Respectfully submitted,
Terence J. Clark,
For the Board of Directors of Georgian Bay Forever