The longest yard sale returns after a 2 year absence due to the pandemic. On Saturday June 4th, the Island View Drive and Area Ratepayers Association sponsors this neighbourhood yard sale, mainly on Grey Road 1 and Presqu’ile Road but watch for the signs. Join in as either a Seller or as a Buyer! From approximately 8 am till noon.

IVDAARA holds a fundraiser for the Chapman House Hospice in Owen Sound by holding an event May 28, 2022 at the Wiarton Propeller Club. Buy tickets now – we’ll have drink samples from Gleason Brook Winery, Mudtown Brewery, Ironwood Coffee and kombucha from BabesBoocha. Food samples are supplied from many local businesses like Georgian Bay Honey, Big Bay General Store ice cream, Gary’s bread and pizza, Kemble Mountain maple syrup, Kemble Women’s Institute baked goods, Howell’s smoked salmon, Troy’s goose pepperettes, Wiarton Foodland, and more. Also a giant Silent Auction with lots of great items – food, tools, honey, Coffin Ridge basket, coffee, Roxy Theatre tickets – with more items arriving. Door prizes! And live music by G.R.I.N.D. It’ll be a great event, for a great cause.

The Island View Riders raised over $3200 for Canadian Mental Health Association during their annual Ride Don’t Hide event. This year our team had 11 participants, and 10 of them chose to cycle beautiful Island View Drive on a sunny June day to collectively, but socially distanced, complete their ride. They celebrated their achievement with an ice cream from the Big Bay General Store, and then gathered for an official photo at the dock! Well done Island View Riders, their second year raising funds for this important cause.

Annual membership to the Island View Drive and Area Ratepayers’ Association (IVDAARA) is $15.00. The fiscal year for IVDAARA runs from July 1 to June 30 each year; therefore, payment of renewal is due to the Treasurer on July 1st each year. How to join and/or pay your annual dues –

Bank online etransfer to treasurer@islandviewratepayers.com and send an email to whitecloud@bellnet.ca (with the answer to your security answer) and include your Name. If you are a new member include your Name, primary address, Georgian Bluffs address, phone number and email address.

Or, you can join or pay your annual dues by cheque by mailing to: Treasurer IVDAARA, c/o Calvin Whte, 503161 Grey Road 1, Georgian Bluffs, ON N0H 2T0. Please include your Name. If you are a new member include your Name, primary address, Georgian Bluffs address, phone number and email address.

Georgian Bluffs Climate Action Team

Below is the initial article from the Climate Action Team; however, future articles have been published in Newsletters.

Fighting Climate Change – Easy Steps Every Homeowner Can Take

Owen Sound SunTimes, January 14, 2021

When it comes to climate change, we all have a role to play in reducing its impact. Rather than feeling overwhelmed, homeowners have many opportunities to make a difference. There are several ways to reduce energy consumption and lower the CO2 emissions that equate to about 5-7 tonnes on average for an Ontario home.

The best impact any homeowner can make is through better insulation. Those of us in the Owen Sound area who live in older homes built before 1935 can make a significant impact. These buildings have a single wall of solid brick or stone. Houses built between 1935 and 1985 have double walls but with an unfilled cavity. Homes built after 1985 mostly have an insulated space in between the walls. One way to tell if your home needs insulation is when loft rooms are hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Icicles hanging from rooflines will also tell you you’re losing heat through your roof.

There are many things you can do. Ensuring that your roof, loft and walls are well insulated is a priority to reduce your CO2 impact, as well as reduce heating costs. Draught stripping is a sec-ond priority. Some houses lose as much as 25% of their heat through gaps around doors, windows, floorboards, and chimneys. Putting your hands over a power outlet on outside walls can sometimes tell you if you have heat loss that way. Double and triple-glazed windows come with built-in seals. There are also simple, low-cost options that can make a significant difference, such as taping on window plastic or using thick curtains that prevent the heat from escaping. Replacing old, painted-over draught strips is also a good idea as the paint prevents the draught strips from doing their work. While you are at it, if you have a suspended floor, check for gaps and fill them up with insulation foam or caulk.

Your heating system is another opportunity to make a difference. Getting an energy-efficient furnace or an on-demand hot water heater are big-ticket items. However, they do make a substantial difference. Make sure to understand the controls of such systems because they have become so much more sophisticated. They do make it so much easier to regulate your energy consumption. If you want to change or adapt your controls, know that they can be altered or added to most systems, so it might be worthwhile to check into that possibility.

If you have a hot water heater, make sure the thermostat is no higher than 60°C. It will avoid the use of energy to keep a large volume of water hot. Insulating hot water pipes with insulation sleeves is easy to do if you have access to these pipes.

Looking at your electricity use is needed to monitor your impact. Why wait for your old energy-consuming lightbulbs to give out before replacing them with energy-efficient bulbs? You might also consider replacing older, energy-sucking appliances with newer, low-energy versions. To leave behind a healthier planet for future generations, we will all need adaptations in our life-style, like putting on extra sweaters rather than turning up the heat when you feel a little chilly. Making this switch is an easy habit to form for most people.

Some of these suggestions may take more time to implement than others. The point is that we all have the opportunity to play our role in fighting climate change. And that is an empowering thought.

Our team of riders raised over $2,000 to support the Canadian Mental Health Association. Read full article: